It was much later in his career that I became aware and fan of Patrick Stewart, but listening to his life story was incredibly interesting!

What a delightful read. I was, like many non UK residents/youths, not aware of Patrick Stewart until much later in his career. My first of his performances was in the X-Men movies that came out when I was in middle and high school. 

However, that did not diminish in the slightest my enjoyment of listening to his early life and career. Written in a compelling manner while also sensitive to his violent upbringing, Sir Stewart shares much of his life and its evolution. He is straightforward about his personal issues with his wives and with drinking, and I appreciate that he didn’t just hand wave them off.

I love being able to hear his creative machinations behind his characters, especially his Shakespeare characters. He was funny, forthright, and clear. Though I have not yet watched any Star Trek TV series, listening to him speak about the process makes me much more interested in watching it. I do remember re-runs of something spacey being on PBS when I was a kid, but I don’t remember if it was Star Trek. I usually only caught the last few minutes before Bill Nye came on. I’ve found that I enjoy sci-fi TV much more as an adult than I did as a kid, so I would expect to really enjoy seeing Patrick Stewart on my screen as Picard as much as I enjoyed listening to his memoir.

If you are even slightly aware of him, read this memoir in your favorite way. It’s so worth it.