My first attempt at reading this book was with the paper copy. Stewart truly began at his very beginning with his birth in Yorkshire and I kept zoning out. Then I realized that I could borrow the audiobook (read by the author!) from my library and I changed plans. I had a very long wait, but it was a good decision. Stewart's voice made the book for me.
I'm not much of a television watcher any more and I rarely attend a movie, but I was devoted fan of Star Trek TOS as a child and then TNG as a young adult. I saw all the movies based on these franchises. Jean Luc Picard was most definitely my captain. Incidentally, I am also a fan of Shakespeare and currently have a project going to see all of his plays performed. So I had double the reason to be a Patrick Stewart enthusiast. However, my obliviousness to acting meant that much of Stewart's name-dropping meant very little to me, despite his reveling in it.
I thought that Stewart was disarmingly honest about his insecurities and foibles. As an actor, I can understand his angst about losing his hair, feeling it would thwart his aspirations to be a leading man. Likewise, his Yorkshire upbringing meant that he wasn't necessarily conversant with things that other Brits might take for granted. (His childhood tales made me think of A Kestrel for a Knave). It's challenging to learn the rules of new social situations, even more so in class conscious Britain. For me, it was somewhat disconcerting to realize that the man who plays the calm, cool, competent captain of a starship has so much anxiety! An actor's life can be precarious, especially theatre actors. Insecurity about his appearance, his social standing, and reputation would only exacerbate that anxiousness.
For someone with a working class upbringing, Stewart quickly acquired some very elite preferences: Shakespeare, theatre, and classical music. A very unusual teenager! I completely understood his compulsion to read, driving him into the family loo with a book and a candle to get some uninterrupted time.
When the book first came out, I heard Stewart interviewed about it. He was able to laugh about being described by the Hollywood press as an “unknown Shakespearean actor.” He has certainly become a famous and well loved figure. I was pleased that he seems to be able to enjoy this status now, not to mention the financial rewards of his work.
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