Robin

By: Dave Itzkoff

Narrated by: Fred Berman

This program includes a prologue and epilogue read by the author.

From New York Times culture reporter Dave Itzkoff comes the definitive audiobook biography of Robin Williams - a compelling portrait of one of America’s most beloved and misunderstood entertainers.

From his rapid-fire stand-up comedy riffs to his breakout role in Mork & Mindy and his Academy Award-winning performance in Good Will Hunting, Robin Williams was a singularly innovative and beloved entertainer. He often came across as a man possessed, holding forth on culture and politics while mixing in personal revelations - all with mercurial, tongue-twisting intensity as he inhabited and shed one character after another with lightning speed.

But as Dave Itzkoff shows in this revelatory biography, Williams’ comic brilliance masked a deep well of conflicting emotions and self-doubt, which he drew upon in his comedy and in celebrated films like Dead Poets Society; Good Morning, Vietnam; The Fisher King; Aladdin; and Mrs. Doubtfire, where he showcased his limitless gift for improvisation to bring to life a wide range of characters. And in Good Will Hunting he gave an intense and controlled performance that revealed the true range of his talent.

Itzkoff also shows how Williams struggled mightily with addiction and depression - topics he discussed openly while performing and during interviews - and with a debilitating condition at the end of his life that affected him in ways his fans never knew. Drawing on more than a hundred original interviews with family, friends, and colleagues as well as extensive archival research, Robin is a fresh and original look at a man whose work touched so many lives.

©2018 Dave Itzkoff (P)2018 Macmillan Audio

A must read for any Robin Williams fan.

It was a wonderful book, excellent narration and a truly beautiful story of a hero.

interesting

this audio book held my interest throughout the whole book. The performance was well done. I would definitely recommend it!

Bittersweet and healing.

For 4 years I have been smarting over the loss of Robin Williams. His films have been too painful to watch, his shows a bitter reminder of the joy he brought others and ultimately did not have himself. Everyone I know has echoed my sentiments. It is so crazy that he touched so many people in such a personal way. The world has been grieving.

So, when I saw this book I wasn't sure if I was ready. I have missed him, but would it be too painful? I saw advertisements for an HBO special around the same time. I downloaded the book and recorded the special. I was ready to try.

I found this book very cathartic. I learned so much about Robin and his life, his family. It was done fondly and with humor. The narrator did an excellent job of capturing Robin without being hammy. I was ready to know. I was ready to walk through it. I laughed, I cried. I'm crying now. But it's different now. I can face it. He had a good life. He loved and was loved. He was so special, and everyone saw it. When I watched the special it brought more back to me as well. The two together helped in the healing. I think I will have a private Robin retrospective and go through his films in order. I'm ready.

Thank you for this bittersweet but lovely book. Thank you for not getting mired in the sorrow, but lifting his memory up so that we can take it back and run with it. I did not know Robin, but I don't think he would want us to feel sorrow when we see him. That runs counter to everything he stood for. I will enjoy him again. I will laugh with him again. It's time. Thanks for giving him back to me. Four years without him was too long.

♡♡

Feel much closer to him after reading this...

After he passed there was a time when details about how he died were not available. Then Bam! He took his own life, I was updated with him, who am I right?? I know, but I was, for a long time! I grew up with him, my point, I recommend this book, to everyone, the fans mostly as this is for us, he was hurting! How can we be mad about that, if anything he's in turn educated so many! RIP to sick a great actor, I thought he was here only for entertainment, forgetting... but learning he was a person, family person as well!

Moving powerful journey into an amazing life

This was a moving powerful story of a complicated but beautiful being. It brought Robin Williams to lifein his fullness of strengths and weaknesses with clear powerful language and presentation . Thank you deeply Dave Izkoff.