I picked up this book because I'm a big fan of Jean-Luc Picard and Star Trek: The Next Generation.
For me, reading memoirs always means imagining the author speaking the words themselves, which was especially easy to do with Patrick Stewart's characteristic voice and accent.
It was remarkable getting to know the whole trajectory of how Patrick Stewart came from such humble beginnings - "hardscrabble" truly describes his youth - and became a Hollywood TV and film star.
I most enjoyed reading about his life before he became famous. I particularly liked his account of being starstruck by Vivien Leigh and how wonderfully kind and gracious she was. It makes sense that a young, up-and-coming actor would cross paths with other aspiring actors, and it was neat when he name-dropped other famous and yet-to-be famous people he worked with, though admittedly I had to look up some names because I'm not so familiar with British actors. Patrick Stewart clearly worked hard at his craft and did not take his successes for granted.
At times it felt like kind of a revelation to be reminded that Patrick Stewart is just a person, too, susceptible to insecurities, faults, and embarrassing situations. Stewart was capable of laughing at himself in hindsight, and seemed willing to reckon with his shortcomings.
The story of how Stewart came to be cast as Jean-Luc Picard is wild, going to show that you never know what significance any one event in your life might hold. Even before this book came out, I had recently re-watched the entire TNG series, so it was fun having the show fresh in my mind as Stewart recounted behind-the-scenes stories and offered his insights on specific episodes.
A very entertaining read.
