Life Itself—A Memoir
By Roger Ebert (Grand Central Publishing, 2011)

Roger Ebert the writer and critic once again beats back Roger Ebert the celebrity punchline, and provides an enlightening and intelligent commentary on what matters in modern life.

I read this book sideways, heading straight to the Russ Meyer and Sex Pistols bits, then browsing incessantly before doubling back to tackle the book as a whole. I cheated myself of a soldly structured and balanced autobiography. Considering that he’s been on the top of his chosen profession (film critic) for decades, and hobnobs regularly with the rich and famous, he’s remarkably centered and not ego-driven. This book accesses his professorial side, not his “At the Movies” persona (which he’s certainly taken advantage of in some of his earlier books.) There aren’t surprises here—we know Ebert’s been sick for years, that many trusted friends and colleagues of his have died, that his career glories include both popularizing the craft of film criticism and earning a Pulitzer for his own practice of it. This is a book of reactions rather than revelations or provocation—how Ebert felt when certain things happened. He’s so thoughtful and articulate that he makes a life largely spent writing at a desk into a wondrous adventure.