Bill Duke: My 40-Year Career on Screen and Behind the Camera is a memoir of the prolific actor and director. Mr. Duke has been in many movies which are now considered pop-culture classics (American Gigolo, Commando, Predator, X-Men), he is also a director, producer and entrepreneur.

The first movie I remember watching Bill Duke is in the movie Commando, fighting Arnold Schwarzenegger in a hotel room. Mr. Duke left a very positive impression on me during the movie and I was always excited to recognize him in more movies.

The memoir Bill Duke: My 40-Year Career on Screen and Behind the Camera is not disappointing. I have always enjoyed watching Mr. Duke but never realized what an accomplished person he is, besides an acting career.

Mr. Duke talks about his upbringing, insecurities, and challenges which he had to deal with both personally and professionally. As a character actor he carved himself a place in an industry which is known to be brutal on many people.

Interposed within the book are poems the author wrote, I know nothing about poetry so I will not comment on them, but it shows that this is a work of love, not “just” a book. As a movie lover I enjoyed the anecdotes and behind the screen experiences, but even though this is what drew me to the book, Mr. Duke’s incredible story kept me reading.

The memoir is very well written, it’s easy to read and incredibly honest. The introspection and insight provided by Mr. Duke is something which many memoirs and biographies are lacking.

I, like most of my generation, was introduced to Bill Duke's work in the 1987 movie PREDATOR. That mere credit was enough to gift him with an eternal badge of badassery in my book, but most will know that Duke's filmography runs much deeper; his experience as a heralded stage, TV, and film director speak for themselves (and are just an IMDB search away).

What this book provides, as many autobiographies should do, is give insight into what's formed the artist into what they are today. In here, Duke bares all, recounting tales from his childhood, struggles before hitting it big, and the highlights of his career that register on both ends of the incredible spectrum. Some of these recollections are explicit---others massively general---but they serve their purpose all the same. Duke illustrates how he is able to condense the positive and negative aspects of his life (rampant racism, for example) and use that as an actor, writer, or director. His rough but honest upbringing seeps into his words, and wisdom from decades of victories and defeats echo out in a not-so-subtle manner.

Interposed within this work are selected poems by the author, and allow me to suggest that you take care to *really* read them. They're not just insightful in regards to summarizing the content of the previous chapter; they're enlightening, interesting, and they drive home many of the take-home messages.

Cinephiles will find a few precious nuggets and anecdotes about some of his experiences working on his more well-known movies (that section's a bit less than half of the book), but, again, the meat and potatoes here is the incredible story of how one of the most easily recognizable actors functions, what thoughts he has to impart, and the legacy he hopes to leave behind (did you know there's a Duke Media Foundation?).

Also, there's a flatteningly wild plane crash story Bill tells. Check it out.

It's apparent that Duke, with this book, wishes to educate, to evolve, and to inspire. He succeeds fabulously. The man's a national treasure, full-stop.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Rowman & Littlefield for the advance read.