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“A memoir as finely crafted as one of Lithgow’s performances. Lithgow tells of transgressions, indiscretions, and a tabloid-worthy affair that my PR people could only have wished for. An exciting and revealing book, and what’s more, it’s about acting!”
— Steve Martin
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“Warm and generous...Lithgow is relentlessly likable...A brisk book, packed with funny stories...A buoyant, heartwarming account of coming into one’s own.”
— New York Times Book Review
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“At its unflinching, self-deprecating, wry, sensitive, and generous best, the book owes its charm to its openhearted tone...[Lithgow is a] master storyteller.”
— Washington Post
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“Lithgow rises to the occasion with courageous honesty and fairness...There’s something breath-catchingly poignant in the simple, hard-won wisdom he imparts before taking his final bow: ‘Acting is pretty great. But it isn’t everything.’”
— Los Angeles Times
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“Anyone interested in an actor’s life—especially backstage—will find this book enlightening.”
— USA Today
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“John Lithgow’s memoir, Drama, reminded me that the world is indeed all a stage and that professionals have some great ideas about how to perform on it.”
— Wall Street Journal
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“Drama is a cut above—touching, self-aware, and beautifully written.”
— People
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“John Lithgow’s memoir is more than an insider’s view of his craft. The portrait of his father is as finely articulated as it is heartfelt, and the account of the young actor’s struggles with his too-young, too-early first marriage is both moving and candid. I loved this book.”
— John Irving
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“This book has all the drama we’ve come to expect from John Lithgow, the alternately dark, tender, romantic, dangerous, deranged actor we find in Drama, which is also a family tale of the richest variety. A great read.”
— Mary Karr
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“John Lithgow’s memoir is both unflinching and irresistible. It captures the long, hard road to the stage for any actor, or for virtually anyone trying to make it in New York, and shows how putting all of your hopes into the one thing you love isn’t so crazy after all.”
— Gay Talese
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“[A] clever and heartfelt memoir...With understated wit, Lithgow delivers insight into the difference between stage and screen acting.”
— Publishers Weekly
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“John Lithgow’s appealing and insightful memoir begins with an evocative tune that hints of the pleasures that lie ahead. The story of Lithgow’s peripatetic childhood and early acting career is full of human interest, hard-won truths, laugh-out-loud asides, and just enough gossip to satisfy without being prurient. The author narrates with all the skill and charm that one expects of the talented actor, wielding his vocal tool kit beautifully. He offers helpful pacing that matches the action, a smile in his voice when the anecdote is funny...and enough differentiation in voices that conversations remain clear. He’s also a pro with subtle tonal variation. There is not a flat note anywhere.”
— AudioFile
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“More than [a] run-of-the-mill...actor’s autobiography, this is both a memoir full of emotion and a cautionary tale...Lithgow shows that theater—the heightened form of storytelling—is an emotional exercise shared by the actor and the audience...A necessary gift for theater students.”
— Library Journal