by Isaac Asimov
The third in a three-volume series of his memoirs, this one has a special poignancy since he knew his end was imminent while he was writing this.
Reviewed by: Michael J. Griffin
About Michael J. Griffin
Like so many of his readers, I considered Isaac Asimov to be a friend of mine, despite never meeting the man in my life. One of my biggest regrets in life is that I went to Boston University as a freshman in 1990 and thus missed the chance to see Asimov speak as the graduation speaker in 1988. Although I rarely read science fiction nowadays, I still go back and revisit this book, his memoirs that were written right before he died in 1992.
Even learning in a biography written by his wife that was published this year that he died of AIDS related complications due to receiving tainted blood and the fact that he kept this a secret up to and after his death does nothing to diminish how much this book touched me.
The book is comprised of many short chapters about his writing and what he was thinking from book to book. While it's a lot less introspective about his earlier life, it shows a glimpse of the man and his thought processes. While he was very self-confident, he never was boorishly rude.
The thing that really inspired me about Asimov was how single-minded he was about his writing. There wasn't a day that didn't go by where he would be writing, and the fact that he could write so prolifically and yet have everything be in such a clearly-written way that it was like he was sitting across a table from me, explaining whatever concept that came into his mind to write about. I think this is why so many of his readers felt like they had lost a friend when he died. I always think about his dedication and I make a resolution to write every day. Alas, I can't be as disciplined as him.
The last chapters of the book were written when he knew he was going to die soon, and there is a poignancy in them that I admit that, being a stoic, still had a lump in my throat as I finished the book.
There may be other prolific authors in the future, but there was only one Isaac Asimov.
Click here to buy this book, or read more about it at Amazon.com: I.Asimov
Copyright © by Michael J. Griffin, 2002
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