I, Asimov

A Memoir

By: Isaac Asimov

Narrated by: Jon Lindstrom

One of the world’s most beloved science fiction authors offers an unflinching look into the inner recesses of his mind through delightful (and delightfully embarrassing) vignettes from his storied career and life.

Arguably the greatest science fiction writer who ever lived, Isaac Asimov also possessed one of the most brilliant and original minds of our time. His accessible style and far-reaching interests in subjects ranging from science to humor to history earned him the nickname “the Great Explainer.” I, Asimov is his personal story—vivid, open, and honest—as only Asimov himself could tell it.

Here is the story of the paradoxical genius who wrote of travel to the stars yet refused to fly in airplanes; who imagined alien universes and vast galactic civilizations while staying home to write; who compulsively authored more than 470 books yet still found the time to share his ideas with some of the great minds of our century. Here are his wide-ranging thoughts and sharp-eyed observations on everything from religion to politics, love and divorce, friendship and Hollywood, fame and mortality. Here, too, is a riveting behind-the-scenes look at the varied personalities—John W. Campbell, Harlan Ellison, Arthur C. Clarke, Judy-Lynn del Rey, and others—who along with Asimov helped shape science fiction.

As unique and irrepressible as the man himself, I, Asimov is the candid memoir of an incomparable talent who entertained readers for nearly half a century and whose work will surely endure into the future he so vividly envisioned.

When i finished I felt like I knew him

The best praise for an autobiography is that, when you’ve finished it, you feel like you know the author. That’s the case here.

Tedious at times but many of the chapters are brilliant.

Excellent narration!

A man who loves to write and teach

I grew up reading Isaac Asimov’s science, history, literature, and science fiction prose. Although often extravagantly illustrated by talented artists, his words carried his entire message all on its own.

Thank you Mr Asimov

You said it all. You are like a father figure to me.
You are someone I aspire to be like.

Fabulous auto-biobraphy

ypu do not have to read his other 2 auto-bographies to enjoybthis one. I did not and enjoyed this one immensely. I only knew Him from his books and now I feel I really know the man

Great insight into the mind of a remarkable writer and person.

I enjoyed the narrator greatly, I think he really nailed it. Also, I very much enjoy the content of the book itself.

ear-opening book about my childhood favori author

I like the section he explains why he is not a zionist and why nations shouldn't build upon cultures or religions. To my surprise he said he was not a good scientist nor a chess player or any table-top game player!

Asimov as a dynamic personality was beyond impressive and the book was well worth listening to.

I liked hearing about Asimov’s childhood and formative years; very interesting how he learned to recognize his faults, as well as his own brilliance, and how to navigate in the world and get along with people. I admired him overall, but I was extremely put off by his vitriolic, shallow, small-minded comments about so-called conservatives whom he loved to hate with an irrational passion. The chapter on Al Capp was especially revealing as to how even a brilliant man can form opinions early in life that are allowed to remain unexamined for years until they become sheer prejudice with little basis in actual fact. It was offensive to hear him rant about non-progressives while offering little if any concrete evidence to support his assertions. That said, his work ethic was truly amazing. Odd, that I listened to this whole thing and I’ve never read any of his other works and have no plans to do so.

One of the greats of SF

I've always considered Asimov to be my first introduction to serious SF. It was interesting to get his perspective on how writing field developed in conjunction with his own life. He's not shy about tooting his own horn so that's a bit redundant. He also has a penchant for providing a lot of very specific dates which seems to be superfluous. The performance felt almost like Asimov were reading it.

The Wrong Reader

The reader of this book, Jon Lindstrom, did a fine job. But I have read the print version of this book several times and I always “heard” it as I was reading, in Asimov’s voice. So, when I heard someone else reading it...without the New York area accent...without the irony and delicious sarcasm that Asimov himself had when he read his own books or talked about himself, I was disappointed. Lindstrom has a serious, gravely voice. Perfect for a contemporary mystery, for example, but wrong for this book...at least in my mind.

Some of the reviews of this book complain that Asimov was too boastful, that he was too self-centered, and conceited. He would, I believe, agree completely. On the other hand, he accepted himself as he was and with perhaps a smidgeon of self-deprecating humor, was happy with who he was. He was good...and he knew it.

Asimov fans who loved the earlier autobiographies or the autobiographical interludes in books like “The Early Asimov” will love this one as well.

One Chilling, Interesting Section

The chapter on his son. Ike explains that the younger Asimov liked to keep to himself and watch his video collection. That same son was arrested for running an illegal xrated video processing center out of his house 6 years after Ike's passing. Biggest find of such horror in CA history. The son got a slap on the wrist. Hmm.