While not the most comprehensive autobiography I've ever read, Newhart covers most of the key points of his life and, as an added bonus, includes large portions of some of his funniest monologues. True fans will enjoy this book, as Newhart delves into his childhood, his floundering pre-comedy years, his success with best-selling and Grammy Award-winning albums, and, of course, his two classic hit TV series. He also confirms what I long suspected, that the series finale of "Newhart" was perhaps one of the greatest send-offs ever. Newhart quickly gets to the point with all of his stories, making this a fast read filled with a fair amount of behind-the-scenes anecdotes that held my interest. Newhart could have easily written a 500+ page autobiography, with many more details, and I would have happily read that, too.

3.75 stars

"I've noticed that people with a sense of humor tend to be less egocentric and more realistic in their view of the world. They also tend to be more humble in success and less defeated in times of travail."

I really wish I could have listened to this, but I couldn't find an audio version at the library. Even so, it was still funny. Newhart tells of his major life experiences -- the things that gave him ideas for comedy or were just absurd. He can find humor in the little everyday things. He tells some of his skits along the way. The book isn't very long, so it never feels slow or drawn out. I've never actually seen his TV shows, but I admire his creativity and respect his solid personality and unique humor.

The editing was very well done; very few errors.

I have loved Bob Newhart's comedy and TV shows since I was a kid. His autobiography is well worth a read. It has a special place in my heart, since Bob grew up in a house half a block from the Music Store that my family owned in Chicago. He probably went in the store where my dad worked when Bob was a kid. He went to the same church as my Shea family, where my parents were married. He's almost family to me! Book is a good read, containing some of his most popular standup routines.

Listened to the audiobook, which is read by the author. It was a very quick listen, but delightful. Delivered in his trademark cadence and style, Bob Newhart shares stories of his life, how he fell into comedy, and stories of working with the likes of Don Rickles and Richard Pryor stealing his album.

Pretty enjoyable. It feels more focused in the first half, as Newhart writes about building his career, then meanders more after he is established. There are still plenty of funny and interesting stories, with name dropping that gives new insights into what familiar names are like for the people who are familiar with more than their names.

One small frustration is when he writes about humor changing, and the humor people don't tolerate anymore. He is pretty mild about that, especially compared to many other comedians, but it is clear that he doesn't get the difference between punching up and punching down. It seems very possible that he might get it now, after another 14 years have passed with some pretty shocking demonstrations of why that matters. Not perfect, but enjoyable.

So much fun listening to this audiobook read by the author in his distinctive style! He was hilarious and one of a kind. I only wish this could have included his thoughts on his appearances on The Big Bang Theory, but those came after he wrote the book.

I'm a huge Bob Newhart fan but was disappointed with this book... love the routines that were included but the overall feel of the book was a little disappointing... just not that interesting. He really is the "every man" kind of person but I do respect his sense of family and really appreciate his sense of humor - especially when some comedians today take the cruel way of joking.

Would love to listen to his original albums!

I've loved Bob Newhart for years so this book was a no-brainer--and I wasn't disappointed.

When I first read and reviewed this book, I was only 22, so my first knowledge of Bob Newhart came from Nick-at-Nite when I was a kid, but even then I fell in love with his work (although come to think of it, I doubt I got many of the jokes). That is why when I bought this book the first time I saw it on the shelf.

As I first started reading it, the book would talk about different routines Newhart had done at the beginning of his career, and I immediately felt left out, because a lot of this stuff I had never heard before. However, I was pleasantly relieved when reading further, the book actually had part of the routine he was talking about. Further reading shows all the routines he mentions in the book are reprinted in the story so no one is left out of the joke.

This book is a great inspiration to anyone aspiring to work in comedy, because Newhart shares how he went from working part-time jobs trying to break into a career at "being funny" to becoming an award winning comic and one of the living legends in the comedy world.

This book also shows a personal side of Newhart, one where you feel you can really connect with him. The glimpses he gives into his personal life shows he really is a guy just like the rest of us. In one part, he talks about how one day he came in and his wife was mad at him, he couldn't think of what he had done, and it turns out she is mad at him because of something he did in a dream, and even though it was only a dream, it still sounded like something he would do. When I got to that part I made my wife read it and said, "Remember doing that last week?"

All around, this is a great book. Many Hollywood types would flaunt their achievements or exaggerate their accomplishments, but not Newhart. He presents a straight forward, entertaining account of his career from the beginning up to today.

I was inspired to read this memoir after my annual watching of Bob Newhart's famous Thanksgiving episode. He's on the younger side of The Greatest Generation, but I still associate him with my father and that era of standup comedians.
I enjoyed reading the journey this low-key comedian traveled to ultimately arrive as a recurring character on The Big Bang Theory. It's as if he were in the room, chatting over coffee. Or cocktails.
My favorite line of his comes from when a producer of The Bob Newhart Show was concerned about the length of the show running over.
"Can't you eliminate the stammers during your lines? That could speed things up a bit."
"That stammer bought me a house in Beverly Hills. So, no."

The audio CD is abridged. It was rewritten that way. Bob was unable to read the entire book so he picked what was important. After all, we all know the stories anyway.

Bob was open and talked freely about his life and career. It was as interesting as his life and story jokes. I feel I learned enough about him through the highlights as I'm interested in knowing. And I get to listen to him tell it.

I have been a fan since he did the phone calls with just his hand. He used a prop phone for The Tonight Show and he was a success, finally. His TV shows were just as wryly funny and always a laugh.

Bought it/passed it on directly to a friend

I really liked this book, narrated by Bob Newhart himself. It was fun to enjoy his humor again, and fun to learn how he became the person we all enjoyed loving.