I'll never forget the day I heard the news that Robin Williams had died. A child of the 1990's, I was first introduced to his work in Disney's Aladdin. The VHS of that movie played on a loop for several years at my house. As I grew older, I discovered William's other classics like Mrs. Doubtfire, Good Morning Vietnam, and Dead Poet's Society. There was something about the magnetism and unabashed humanity in William's performances that you couldn't look away from. Hearing the tragic news that he had ended his own life seemed incomprehensible. This man who was such a blazing force within American popular culture was suddenly gone. When the publisher offered me a copy of New York Times reporter Dave Itzkoff's biography of Robin Williams, I jumped on the chance to read more about his fascinating life.

Like most biographies, Itzkoff begins Robin William's story at the beginning. A young Robin lived in a household of financial and cultural privilege, but also one of isolation. His family moved around a lot, and as an only child, Robin spent hours alone. He collected miniature soldiers. Young Robin would spend his days reenacting famous battles and providing the various voices to his characters. During these formative years, he discovered the relationship between comedy and emotional connection. The foundation of his relationship with his parents was making them laugh.

Into adulthood, Robin had difficulty following the path of his father's expectations. A corporate job just wasn't going to work for Robin. He found solace in the theater department of his college and soon began to dabble in improvisation. In improv, Robin could let loose and allow his vast imagination to take control. When he burst onto the Los Angeles standup comedy scene, everyone took notice. Other comics related his style to turning on a faucet. When Robin got on stage, the faucet turned on, and a stream of invention flowed out. His time at the comedy clubs turned into a guest appearance on Happy Days. When ABC was looking for a new sitcom, executives created the spin off Mork and Mindy, and a star was born.

Throughout Robin, Dave Itzkoff provides an intimate and illuminating portrait of Robin Williams. He interviewed countless people who were involved with Williams both personally and professionally, giving this book a full scale look at the man through their eyes. We read about Robin's elation at fatherhood, marriage, and winning the Academy Award. Equally featured are the darker times of addiction, divorce, and costly career missteps. The last section of the book deal with the months leading up to Robin's death. The reporting on this tragic end is the most complete and thorough telling that I've read. Itzkoff peels back the layers of Robin's public persona and reveals the raw and intricate details that made this fascinating man function. Whether you are a fan of Robin William's work, interested in addiction or mental health, or are just looking for a good read, Robin by Dave Itzkoff is certainly a biography worth spending some time with.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me this book in exchange for a fair review.

Like many, I felt like I knew Robin Williams. When I was in high school, Mork appealed to my nerdy sensibilities. I lived in San Francisco in the early 1980's and had the opportunity to see him perform live. I always rooted for Robin, though objectively I knew that his brilliance wasn't always captured in his movies.

This is a comprehensive, extremely detailed rendering of Robin Williams life. I enjoyed learning about his childhood, early comedy career and later life. This book reminded me why I was so sad when I learned of his passing.

I was provided a copy of this book from the publisher, Henry Holt & Co., through Netgalley.

I can't imagine the amount of extensive research that went into this biography. For anyone who is a fan of Robin Williams, this is a must-read. It was very interesting, but did get a bit exhaustive due to the length. It was extremely well-written and gave an intimate look into his life.. #Robin #NetGalley

the book was very interesting. Plot was well developed. really enjoyed this book and the characters.

An intimate look at the life of the comedian. Very well written and insightful. I learned a lot about his life, his family and his challenges from this biography.

A must read for fans of Robin Williams. A man gone too soon. He laughed and made us laugh and had all that pain. Very sad.

Robin Williams was a unique and talented person who is sorely missed. I enjoyed reading this book about his life; despite the sad moments, it is an enjoyable book -- which is probably what Robin would have wanted.

An intimate new biography of Robin Williams tells the story of the meteoric rise, frenetic life and sad end of the comedian. In Robin, New York Times writer David Itzkoff gives us a look at the creativity that fueled Williams' seemingly spontaneous and endless comedic riffs. But he also tells of Williams' substance abuse, repeated infidelities, failed marriages and a manic anxiety over the quality of his performances.

Itkoff recounts stories of Williams' childhood, failed attempts at college, training at Juilliard and his early years on stand up comedy stages where he stood out among his peers. Robin (Henry Holt & Company, digital galley) is well-researched and full of stories from family, friends and fellow comedians that cover both the highlights and the low lights of Williams' long career.

The story of Williams health decline and death is handled compassionately as Itzkoff tells of the depression, paranoia and confusion that Williams suffered from as a result of Lewy Bodies Dementia. And although Itkoff tries to give us a full measure of the man, even Williams' closest friends acknowledge he never revealed all of himself to anyone. In Robin we may get the best look possible at comedic genius whose performances we know so well.

"Robin", by Dave Itzkoff, will surely prove to be the definitive Robin Williams biography. If there is a detail Itzkoff has missed, I can't imagine what it was. We all know Williams as the hyperactive, machine gun witted comedian who entertained a couple of generations with his wit and expressive face.
Itzkoff takes us from Williams' birth through a number of moves during is formative years, then through his college years and into his pre Mork & Mindy days. The growth of his comedic style is well documented. Television gave Robin the boost that was inevitable. From there his standup act and movie career skyrocketed. So did the story of three marriages, three children, drugs, alcohol, and depression.
If I have any criticism of Itzkoff's portrayal of Robin Williams, it is the great detail he gives the reader on the reviews that accompanied his many motion pictures. If you crave details, you'll love "Robin". If you loved Robin Williams, you'll love "Robin".

Whether you were a fan of Robin Williams or not, there is no doubt that he was a brilliant actor and comedian, and like other geniuses, often troubled. His career of more than 30 years spanned everything from stand-up comedy to his breakout hit Mork and Mindy, to dozens of films, some highly acclaimed, many not. Still, there was no one like him, and Itzkoff's detailed biography covers in detail,(maybe too much), his work, family, and struggle with self-worth, his life ending in tragedy.

This was the hardest things I have ever read in my life.

Robin Williams was my childhood and all-around favorite. It totally rocked my world when I heard about his death and how he died.

What possessed a talented man to take his own life?

Immediately, this book gave me my answers (unfortunately) and broke my heart with every page. The pain that this beautiful man went through from childhood up until his death is absolutely astounding and mind-boggling. It was a major surprise, but it also gives me clarity and makes sense regarding who Robin Williams was and what his sense of self was like.

He wanted so badly to please both his family and his fans that he found it hard to balance it all out perfectly. It didn’t help either when critics and the audience didn’t welcome his dramatic side or his other funny sides. He wanted to please his fans and make people laugh.

The laughter was what he craved and wanted most and the truth later in life was just too much for him and I’m weeping for this beautiful soul that I miss.

Dave Itzkoff has created a beautiful and page turning memory of a man that left the world too soon.

This is one of the best biographies I've ever read. Although the author's admiration for his subject shines through, this is by no means a puff piece. Neither is it a hatchet job pointing out the negative aspects of Williams' life. Instead of a superficial glossing of Robin Williams' life, this is a fair and balanced accounting of a very complex man. There has been extensive research done yet the facts as they are laid out are not dry and boring. The book is extremely enjoyable to read.

The excellent writing takes the reader through Robin Williams' life from childhood to his death, depicting his professional as well as personal life - - the good and the bad. Even the negative aspects are presented in a sympathetic light and we are left with a portrayal of a man who is undoubtedly genius and yet unsure of himself.

Kudos to the author!

A well written biography of a man who was stolen from this world way too soon. Some of the information I already knew being a long time fan of Robin Williams', but the book still was obviously well researched and makes me miss him even more.

4 stars to Robin, a thorough and well-written biography of the life of one-of-a-kind Robin Williams! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

This book came highly recommended by my friend, Toni. I’m so grateful I read it.

My earliest memory of Robin Williams includes my mom’s hysterical laughter mixed with my own, while watching re-runs of Mork and Mindy. Robin’s silly humor even translated to small children! My favorite memory of him is when he came to my college’s campus to film Patch Adams, and I walked right by him and managed not to faint! Patch Adams remains my favorite Robin Williams’ movie.

Robin is a biographical compendium of Robin Williams’ life. This book is long on pages, but it does not feel that way when reading. Yes, there are tons of footnotes, but the author clearly did his job of interviewing and researching most every aspect of Williams’ full and varied life. I did not know much about his early life, or even his early career, so I soaked in all the details, and tried to put together the intricate pieces of the Robin puzzle.

Also included was information about his final diagnosis, Diffuse Lewy Body Dementia, which unfortunately, was not a diagnosis Williams’ received when he was still alive. One can only hope it would have offered him some understanding of what was going on physically with his body and cognitively with his thoughts.

Robin Williams was in a league of his own. This biography is a must for any fan, and even if you were not a fan, this is a perfectly written biography full of heart.

Thank you to Dave Itzkoff, Henry Holt and Co., and Netgalley for the ARC. Robin will be published on May 15, 2018!

All of my reviews can also be found on my shiny new blog: www.jenniferatarheelreader.com

While there will probably be other Robin Williams biographies published I can’t imagine that any of them will be as comprehensive or well done as “Robin” by Dave Itzkoff. Although the book is rather long (550 pages) and uses footnotes extensively, it never lagged. Itzkoff did extensive research and conducted many interviews with Robin’s friends, family, and co-stars in an attempt to understand this complex, driven, and extremely gifted man. Combined with those interviews and research, Itzkoff provided his own insightful analysis, and the result is a fully fleshed out portrait of this comedic genius and troubled soul.

Williams’ first widely known role was as Mork in the television series “Mork and Mindy.” In that role he was an actor like none I’d seen before with his amazing improvisations, frenetic behavior, and incredible comedic talent. That talent carried over to movies such as “Mrs. Doubtfire” and “Aladdin.” William also became known for dramatic roles in the movies “Good Morning Vietnam,” “Dead Poets Society,” and “Good Will Hunting.” His remarkable ability to perform both comedy and drama at such a high level made him a unique and beloved actor.

In one sense Williams was very open about his life - his addictions, depression, marriage and financial problems but he was also a cypher to those who knew him well.As Itzkoff writes in the Prologue:

“But who was he? Except for that one stray moment when he had spoken a few tentative words in his surprisingly stately voice and then metamorphosed into a French undersea explorer, Robin had never let the audience see his true self. Some part of him would be present in every role and stand-up set he would play over the next thirty-five years, but in their totality these things did not add up to him. The real Robin was a modest, almost inconspicuous man, who never fully believed he was worthy of the monumental fame, adulation, and accomplishments he would achieve. He shared the authentic person at his core with considerable reluctance, but he also felt obliged to give a sliver of himself to anyone he encountered even fleetingly. It wounded him deeply to think that he had denied a memorable Robin Williams experience to anyone who wanted it, yet the people who spent years by his side were left to feel that he had kept some fundamental part of himself concealed, even from them. Everyone felt as if they knew him, even if they did not always admire the work he did. Millions of people loved him for his generosity of spirit, his quickness of mind, and the hopefulness he inspired. Some lost their affection for him in later years, as the quality of his work declined, even as they held out hope that he’d find the thing—the project, the character, the spark—that had made him great before, as great as he was when he first burst into the cultural consciousness. And when he was gone, we all wished we’d had him just a little bit longer.”

It’s a tragic loss to his family, friends, and fans that he left too soon and in so much pain.

Readers don’t have to be a Robin Williams fan or even have any knowledge of him to appreciate this book. Anyone who enjoys a well-researched and well-written biography of a one-of-a-kind individual will find “Robin” very worthwhile reading. Highly recommended.

My review was posted on Goodreads on 5/13/18.

This books is beautifully written! This is the most researched and most knowledable book on one of the funniest men that had ever walked on this earth. I love getting to know more about him and his life and what made him into the person he was. I highly highly recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of Robin Williams. And if you aren’t, read it any way. This gives you insight into Hollywood and how it really is all about being at the right place at the right time to make IT. Thank you so much to NetGalley for allowing me to review this amazing biography!

I remember the day I heard Robin Williams had died. I felt so saddened. Robin was such an endearing and funny man, his fans felt like they knew him. I was even more troubled to hear how he had died, but unfortunately, not too surprised. It seems the really good comedians walk a thin line between darkness and light, their humor stemming from a troubled past or demons within. Reading Robin, the novel encompassing the entirety of Robin Williams' life, was a peek behind the curtain, a small glimpse into the possible workings of his genius mind. But I came away from the book being reminded that we can never truly know what goes on inside another human, the struggles they face or the fears they hide. What I most enjoyed about this book were the stories his close friends and family shared and the behind the scenes shenanigans that took place during his movies. I found myself laughing out loud, crying quiet tears, and reading into the wee hours of the night. Itzkoff's journalistic, straight reporting style was distracting to me at first, but I think it allows the reader to absorb the plethora of information being presented to them; Robin Williams worked a lot. I had no idea how many movies, comedy specials, and tours he performed in. He was undeniably one of the most hard-working comedians, and his unique wit will truly be missed.

I don't know about you, but when I heard Robin had died, I was in total shock. Having seen him perform in person and small venues in the San Francisco area, I had seen the meteoric rise and fall repeated, but constantly I was in AWE of his amazing talent. he wasn't just a comic, he was a brilliant actor. He chose roles that called to him, but maybe not so much to his fans. But you had to respect that. For those of us who felt that way, his apparent suicide was like loosing a best friend- not supposed to happen.

Dave does an excellent job in this book in showing not only how talented Robin was, but also how troubled he was by both mental and health problems. He is able to make the fan/reader understand why Robin was in such despair at the end, how he may not have been able to deal with the loss of not only his memory, but his mobility. It's an honest look at both the man, and the star, and one that every fan should read!

I received an advanced copy of this book for exchange of an honest and voluntary review.

Wow. I requested this book because I was enthralled with Robin and his characters through the years and the life that he brought into each one. I was a kid and teenager through the 80’s and 90’s, so the characters within Good Morning Vietnam, Hook, Mrs Doubtfire, Jumanji, Good Will Hunting and SO many others resonated with me in such a way that each of those characters he played stayed with me. When I learned of his passing and the pain he had been hiding behind the smiles and personalities he played, it affected me more than I had expected. I grieved his death, not even knowing him personally, but feeling as though there was a bond that had been forged through my love of his on-screen persona. So, when I saw that a biography had been written by Dave Itzkoff, I really wanted the chance to learn more about Robin and the intricacies of his life.

Dave Itzkoff was incredibly thorough as he recorded the twists and turns of Robin’s. You feel as though you are an active participant with a hall pass to witness the life that Robin was living from an inside view of his life with his strict father, learning more about his brother and their relationship, and the budding relationships he began with many when he started participating in comedic groups. This was just the beginning… Itzkoff proceeds to leave not detail at bay as he describes Robin’s ups and downs throughout his marriages and divorces, having children, and the heart-wrenching decline as dementia set in. This biography is one of the most well written and thorough accounts telling the story of Robin’s life and career with all of the great and sometimes gritty details. It was a wonderful look inside the persona and genius that was Robin Williams, with which I was very glad to share for the entirety of the book.

Like most kids growing up on a diet of Disney movies, I first knew Robin Williams as the voice of the genie in “Aladdin.” Later, I grew to know him as John Keating in “Dead Poet Society,” Parry in “The Fisher King,” Adrian Cronauer in “Good Morning, Vietnam,” and Sean Maguire in “Good Will Hunting.”

After Williams died in August 2014, I binge-watched YouTube clips of Williams’ appearances on late night talk shows and watched “World’s Greatest Dad” on Netflix, searching the movie for clues to Williams’ depression.

Why did a man loved by so many kill himself? I wanted to know. Williams’ death reminded me of that of Richard Cory’s from Edwin Arlington Robinson’s poem (My “John Keating” had introduced me to this poem in my high school’s version of the “Dead Poet Society”).

We’ll never get the answer to this impossible question. But The New York Times‘ culture reporter Dave Itzkoff attempts to explain our “whys” in his biography “Robin.” A posthumous biopsy revealed that Williams had Lewy body dementia, a disease that “frequently presents with Parkinsonian motor symptoms and a constellations [sic] of neuropsychiatric manifestations, including depression and hallucination,” according to a surgical pathological report.

Itzkoff, who interviewed Williams previously (and remembers how Williams met Itzkoff at Williams’ favorite comic book store in New York City after the reporter expressed that he loved comics), is more interested in answering “who,” rather than “why.”

Who was this man that we loved?

He was a man we felt like we knew, who could make you laugh with his voices and characters, but “he was more like an illusionist, and his magic trick was making you see what he wanted to see — the act and not the artist delivering it,” writes Itzkoff.

Through extensive interviews with Williams’ family and friends including William’s son Zak Williams, ex-wife Valerie Velardi, half-brother McLaurin Smith-Williams, sister-in-law Frankie Williams, “Mork and Mindy” co-star Pam Dawber, comedian Dana Carvey, and “The Tonight Show” hosts Jay Leno and David Letterman, Itzkoff tries to chronologically piece together the mystery behind Williams’ public life and death — from his childhood playing with toy soldiers and moving from Michigan and Illinois to California to his marriages and rise in stand-up, television and film.

Williams emerges as a mostly tragic hero in Itzkoff’s book, one “addicted to laughter” and compared to “a giant puppy” — who was too eager to please and couldn’t say, “No,” even as it destroyed his career, health and relationships at times.

“If he could give you some of his time to help you enjoy your day or feel better about yourself, he would, and he gave pieces of himself to many people,” wrote Itzkoff.

But despite Williams’ kind and gregarious nature, Williams could also be an intensely private man that even those closest to him never fully knew.

“They believed there was some part of himself that he withheld from them; everyone got a piece of him and a fortunate few got quite a lot of him, but no one got all of him,” wrote Itzkoff.

Perhaps Itzkoff never gets to the bottom of who Williams was, but the book contains many pieces of Williams — pieces that you don’t want to end because once it does and you read through the last three chapters in tears, you feel like you just lost one of your favorite actors all over again.

Disclaimer: I received a free eARC of “Robin” by Dave Itzkoff from NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.