My Adventures with God

By: Stephen Tobolowsky

Narrated by: Stephen Tobolowsky

Length: 11 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's Summary

From legendary character actor Stephen Tobolowsky - who currently appears on The Goldbergs, HBO's Silicon Valley, and Norman Lear's new One Day at a Time, author of The Dangerous Animals Club and The Tobolowsky Files podcast - My Adventures with God is a funny, introspective collection about love, catastrophe, and triumph, all told through the lens of his evolving relationship with the mystery that is "God".

As Tobolowsky explains, "It's hard to believe in nothing. Even cats believe in suppertime. As much as we love certainty, we are often shaped by the invisible, the unexplainable - something we call faith. We are inclined to acknowledge the holy. Even if it is only a paper heart we find in an old suitcase."

My Adventures with God is a series of short stories exploring the idea that most people's lives seem to fit into the template of the Old Testament. We all have powerful creation myths: tales of our childhood and family, our first battles won and lost. It is our Genesis. Then, like in the Book of Exodus, we go into slavery. Rather than building pyramids, we lose ourselves in fear and ambition - in first loves, first jobs, too many dreams mixed with too much beer. We eventually become free, only to wander in the wilderness. At some point we stop and proclaim to the universe who we are. This is our Leviticus moment. We reconcile what we thought we would be with what we have become. We often attempt a mid-course correction. Then, as in the Book of Numbers, we are shaped by mortality as we bear the loss of family and friends. Finally, we retell our stories to our children hoping to make sense of the journey, as Moses did in Deuteronomy.

Tobolowsky's stories tell of a boy growing up in the wilds of Texas, finding and losing love, losing and finding himself - all told through the prism of the Torah and Talmud, mixed with insights from science, and refined through a child's sense of wonder. My Adventures with God not only shines a light into the life of one of America's most beloved actors, but also provides a structure to evaluate our own lives and relationship with God.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2017 Stephen Tobolowsky (P)2017 Simon & Schuster, Inc.

Honest, irrefutable

A lovely personal narrative of one man's experience with the divine. Call it what you want, but Stephen's accounts are earnest and deeply personal, providing structure for many of the things faced by all. His ability to recall past events and reconcile them with his current self is something that I aspire to. One can only hope that the quietness he has found can be found, and the resulting contemplation can foster the wholeness expressed in his stories. Note on performance: it's performed by the author, one of the most well-known character actors of the past three decades. It's gold.

love love love!

the existential musings of a sensitive and honest human being. there was laughing and crying and more laughing. like life.

Great Read!!!

Thought this was a very engaging memoir with great narration by the author. Loved reading about his life adventures and ruminations on God. Seemed honest and oh so humorous!Can't remember when I laughed out loud so many times while reading one book. Was so sorry when it was over!

Stirring and Personal

Loved it! Stephen is a brilliant storyteller. He's truly brave to share his personal experiences and introspections in such a sensitive manner.

I'm going to read it again

Thank you for this book. I will be looking for miracles as I know they are around us.

Wonderful!

I came for the stories, humor and wit, but left with so very much more. loved every second.

FUN & INSIGHTFUL

This was fun. Also it gave me a new perspective in how to view my own life. I feel like the author is my friend, now, telling me stories with insight that I didn't know how much I needed. I usually only listen to my audiobooks while I work. I listened to this every spare moment I had over a weekend. I'm so glad I my husband told me about this book after hearing about it on NPR.

Inspirational and wonderful

What can I say, one of the best books I’ve listened to! The stories and the man are both thought provoking, funny, sad and very inspiring. The honesty and often in-depth look at life, faith, spirituality and of course humor, as only Mr Tobolowsky can deliver. The book changed me, I am a better person from listening! Thanks Mr T!

Not what I expected..

With a title as such you would think in the first 8 stories you would hear more about God.. Sorry not my thing..

Loved It!

When I first started this book, I picked it out of several unread choices from my library, not remembering exactly what it was about. My first impression was to return it, thinking why did I purchase this? I kept on listening and I am glad I did. This was such an interesting, well written and narrated story of progressive growth, seeking, and understanding. I am very happy to share in Stephen's journey. Btw, when I finished, I went back and listened to Chapter One again and it held more meaning this time.