REVIEW - Being Henry audiobook

OVERVIEW

I have recently listened to several celebrity memoirs and some were great, good, and okay. This was just lovely!

I loved Henry Winkler as an actor in "Happy Days" and "Royal Pains" and now I love him as a human being. His life was a roller coaster, but the mantra of his life is gratitude! So lovely!

Henry shares so very much which was difficult including his undiagnosed dyslexia until his 30s. The memoir reads like he is just sitting in my ear talking to me or we are talking over coffee. 

OVERALL REVIEW: 5.0 stars

Writing: 5.0 stars

So, so perfect. I loved that Henry broke the "fourth wall" at times which made it so very real and personal. He really got down into the deep, dark secrets of his life, but they did make Henry the kind and compassionate human that he is. Henry learned from the generational trauma in his life and did not repeat it with his own family. The ending for me was the cherry on top - very beautiful and powerful.

Narration: 5.0 stars

So great. I'm so grateful that he explained that Henry is who he really is. The Fonz is a character that he plays. So many people lose sight of the fact that Henry is a lovely person first!

The narration was real, funny, and emotional at times. He was a great narrator and it was an amazing job, especially with his dyslexia! Just wonderful!

Character Arc: 5.0 stars

The majority of the memoir was in chronological order which I greatly appreciated. There were times when it was appropriate for Henry to tell an earlier life story that explained or elaborated on that current story. There was so much about Henry that I didn't know so it was interesting to learn all about it!

Memorable: 5.0 stars

I didn't even realize that Henry was a first-generation American or Jewish. His parents escaped Nazi Germany just before Hitler's horrific murder of millions. Unfortunately, this escape had a difficult effect on Henry's life. So very sad, but Henry vowed to not let this happen to his children and it didn't!

Entertaining: 5.0 stars

Henry is a natural storyteller. I could listen to hours more of him reading the phone book. 

Another interesting tidbit, Henry has an MFA from Yale. I think that this has gotten lost in the shuffle of "Happy Days". He did a lot of studying and worked hard to be the amazing actor and storyteller that he is. 

 

Book cover: 4.5 stars

It's a happy portrait of Henry. But the close-up face shot is being overdone in memoir covers. 

Book title: 5.0 stars 

Perfect!

Suggestions: 

I wish that there had been more chapters to this memoir! 

HIGHEST recommendation

STATISTICS

Being Henry by Henry Winkler

9 hours, 22 minutes

Listened to as an audiobook from the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL)

Release date of 10/31/2023

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Henry Winkler

My Goodreads Review

Macmillan Audio

Los Angeles Public Library

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜