Overview
“Adam Nimoy has written about the challenges growing up with his famous father and about their estrangement later in life. The fact that Leonard and Adam found a way to rebuild their relationship should resonate with anyone who struggles with difficult family dynamics.”—George Takei
“Engaging and immensely relatable, while at the same time offering deeply profound insights into Adam Nimoy’s personal relationships, particularly with his famous father." —Eugene Roddenberry Jr., CEO Roddenberry Entertainment
While the tabloids and fan publications portrayed the Nimoys as a “close family,” to his son Adam, Leonard Nimoy was a total stranger.
The actor was as inscrutable as the iconic half-Vulcan science officer he portrayed on Star Trek, even to those close to him.
Now, his son’s poignant memoir explores their complicated relationship and how it informed his views on marriage, parenting, and later, sobriety. Despite their differences, both men ventured down parallel paths: marriages leading to divorce, battling addiction, and finding recovery. Most notably, both men struggled to take the ninth step in their AA journey: to make amends with each other.
Discover how the son of Spock learned to navigate this tumultuous relationship—from Shabbat dinners to basement AA meetings—and how he was finally able to reconcile with his father—and with himself.
Reviews
“Adam Nimoy writes an incredibly raw portrayal of a father—an icon known by millions around the world—and a son trying to know himself. He is willing to let you into the world he grew up in and had to emerge from. It’s honest and generous of spirit. I found it beautiful and extremely moving.” —Ben Stiller
“Engaging and immensely relatable, while at the same time offering deeply profound insights into Adam Nimoy’s personal relationships, particularly with his famous father. This autobiography surpasses expectations by engaging the reader with examples of basic human communication flaws as well as our potential for reconciliation. Adam’s honest and relentless narrative leads to many layers of introspection, taking the reader on his, and perhaps even our own, journey of self-discovery. Ultimately,
Adam’s honest discussion of how he reconnected with his father provides a cathartic experience that will resonate with anyone and everyone who has experienced challenging family dynamics.” —
Eugene Roddenberry Jr., CEO Roddenberry Entertainment
“
Adam Nimoy colors for us the beauty in learning to be more human, how perfectly worthy the endeavor is. Oftentimes, it can take us longer than expected. And that's okay—wonderful, even.” —
Ethan Peck, Spock in
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds“This engaging book avoids the usual pitfalls of celebrity memoir.
With humor and honesty, Adam Nimoy conveys the ups and downs of being the son of television’s most famous alien, Mr. Spock. He gets away, undamaged but undeceived.” —
Diane Johnson, screenwriter of
The Shining and author of
Le Divorce “Adam Nimoy offers us a brilliant personal reflection on life and healing that will make us laugh and cry, and will inspire us to rethink our lives.
Whether you’re a Leonard Nimoy fan, a Trekkie, or from another planet, you are sure to find this vulnerable, brave, humorous, and intimate story about Spock, the outer limits, a father-son relationship, and teshuvah (recovery and repair) deeply moving.” –
Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz, author of
Pearls of Jewish Wisdom on Living with Kindness “It was not easy being the son of such an icon as Leonard Nimoy, a man wrestling with his own demons, but
Adam Nimoy has succeeded brilliantly in capturing the story of his struggle to function in the chilly shadow of his famous father in simple but evocative prose. The lacerating father-and-son saga bristles with acute observations and painful memories, but remarkably never loses its tender heart. Readers will get much more than they bargained for.” –
Nicholas Meyer, writer-director
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, cowriter
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, cowriter, director
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country"Attorney Nimoy (
My Incredibly Wonderful, Miserable Life) holds nothing back in this raw look at his relationship with his father,
Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy (1931–2015)...Adam’s candor about his own shortcomings lends warmth and self-awareness to the account. Even non-Trekkies will be moved." —
Publishers Weekly“The book reminds us that our relationships are always going to be complicated, but that does not negate their significance in our lives. It reminds us that, though we might struggle to admit it, our parents are just as human as we are.” —Jewish Book Council