Life Itself: A Memoir

He was a fixture on television for over thirty years, cohosting Siskel & Ebert at the Movies until Gene Siskel's death in 1999, and then with Richard Roper until 2006. Since 1967, he's been an influential film critic (and was the first to ever win a Pulitzer Prize for film criticism). In 2006, complications from thyroid cancer treatment resulted in the loss of the ability to eat, drink, or speak. But with the loss of his voice, Ebert has only become a more prolific and influential writer. And now, for the first time, he tells the full, dramatic story of his life and career. He chronicles his loves, losses, and obsessions; his recovery from alcoholism, his marriage, his politics, and his spiritual beliefs. He also provides details about his years at the Sun Times, his colorful newspaper friends, his friendships with Oprah Winfrey, Studs Terkel, and others, insights into stars like John Wayne, Lee Marvin, and Robert Mitchum, and his perspective on such influential directors as Ingmar Bergman, Martin Scorsese, and Werner Herzog. At the heart of all of Roger Ebert's work is his gift as a storyteller. And he will tell his own story with the wit, humor, poignancy, and insight that have been the hallmarks of his career for half a century.

About the Author :
Roger Ebert is the Pulitzer Prize-winning the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times. His reviews are syndicated in more than 200 newspapers worldwide, and he is known for his work with fellow movie critic Gene Siskel. He began working with Robert Roeper after Siskel's death in 1999. Ebert is the author of more than twenty books, including The Great Movies, Awake in the Dark: The Best of Roger Ebert, Roger Ebert's Movie Year Book, and Ebert's Bigger Little Movie Glossary, many of which have been bestsellers. His memoir, Life Itself, was a New York Times bestseller. Ebert is the only film critic honored with a start on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He lives with his wife in Chicago. Edward Herrmann (1943-2014) was one of America's top audiobook narrators. He won multiple Audie Awards and twenty-two Earphones Awards, and his narration of the King James version of the Bible remains a benchmark in the industry.

Review :
Candid, funny and kaleidoscopic...This is the best thing Mr. Ebert has ever written...The book sparkles with his new, improvisatory, written version of dinner-party conversation...Its globe-trotting, indefatigable author comes across as the life of a lifelong party. -- "New York Times" Film critic Roger Ebert's surprisingly engaging, affecting memoir is made even more so by actor and acclaimed audiobook narrator Herrmann's sensitive reading...humanizing every facet of the memoir...Herrmann animates, without overkill...[His] reading is impeccable. -- "Booklist (starred review)" Herrmann masterfully handles the rather poignant predicament of reading the autobiography of a public figure...Especially engaging...conveys both the author's emotion and determination...Hermann's polished performance and Ebert's thoughtful prose combine to provide listeners with a memorable and a thoroughly enjoyable audio. -- "Publishers Weekly (starred review)" So he lost his speech but not his voice; it rings out with greater clarity and authority than ever. -- "Time Magazine" Tales from childhood, interviews with film stars and directors, funny and touching stories about colleagues, and evocative essays about trips unspool before the reader in a series of loosely organized, often beautifully written essays crafted by a witty, clear-eyed yet romantic raconteur...rich in reflections, imagery and sensory detail. -- "Washington Post" Thoughtful, entertaining, and emotional...Ebert comes across as smart, bighearted, and eccentric...and writes with unflinching candor about difficult subjects. -- "Entertainment Weekly"