Summary
Title: It's Been A Good Life
Author: Isaac Asimov
Publisher: Prometheus Books
ISBN: 1573929689
Pro:
• Funny and engaging story of Asimov's life
• Excerpts from private letters
Con:
• None
Description:
• Single-volume autobiography of Isaac Asimov
• Includes material from earlier three-volume autobiography
• Includes material from personal letters
Book Review
Previously, Asimov’s autobiography consisted of three volumes, but his second wife Janet Jeppson Asimov has edited together a single volume from his previously published work and various letters he wrote to her over the years. It must have been a very difficult task, reworking 2100 pages of material into just 300 while also adding enough new material to make the book interesting to those already familiar with Asimov’s life.
The material is not presented chronologically, as with most biographies, but rather topically. Individual chapters explore his experiences and thoughts on issues like religion, family, writing, his own illnesses, sexism, education, war, and much more. Because his widow was responsible for choosing the material which appeared in this book, calling it an “autobiography” may not be strictly accurate — how much of her and her perspective on her late husband is represented in her editorial choices? Perhaps only close friends and relatives will know for sure.
Nevertheless, the title is accurate — he seems to have lead a very good life. I never knew a great deal about Isaac Asimov, but now I have discovered a man I very much wish I could have known personally while he was alive. He was one of the most gifted writers of the 20th century, producing nearly 500 fiction and nonfiction books, all on a wide range of topics. One of the reasons why he wrote so much was because he enjoyed learning so much:
- “To learn is to broaden, to experience more, to snatch new aspects of life for yourself. To refuse to learn or to be relieved at not having to learn is to commit a form of suicide; in the long run, a more meaningful type of suicide than the mere ending of physical life. Knowledge is not only power; it is happiness, and being taught is the intellectual analog of being loved.”
Asimov is a very engaging, witty and entertaining storyteller. Moreover, it may be that the story of his own life was one of the best he told. I suspect that he wouldn’t have agreed, but I think that both current fans and mildly interested readers would thoroughly enjoy what he has to say.
