This was an interesting mix of history and memoir. I liked how he tied in each story to an anecdote from his life. Best read in short bites.

Sometimes you just want to read a really fun, feel good book. Mike Rowe's The Way I Heard It is just that kind of book. Rowe presents us with a series of essays in the spirit of the late, great radio host Paul Harvey. Each chapter starts out with a real life tale told pretty much in the way that Paul Harvey would have told the same story. The book is divided by chapters that contain two parts. He starts with the Harveyesque tale and then presents us with a second portion of Rowe relating that story with a memoir from his personal life.

The Harvey inspired tales are chock full of good old intimate stories relating how an individual stuck to a goal or lived their life with awe inspiring determination, sometimes with great sacrifice and persistence. Each tale is told with the talent of a great story teller. He hooks you in and fascinates you with each and every one of these tales and has you feeling like you were just given a special little view of that person's life as it was happening. The man certainly knows how to spin a good tale.

Then Rowe turns the tables and shares with us a piece of his life, often full of humorous twists and turns. With each chapter, there is a progression as Rowe evolves, and sometimes fumbles, along the path of his career and other life involvements. I couldn't tell you how many good laughs I had while reading this book. We even get to meet several family members as well as learn about Rowe's upbringing. Who would have ever imagined how shy he was as a young boy?

On a personal note, I've been a fan of Mike Rowe going way back to when he use to do a local Real Estate TV show on Sundays way back several decades ago. He's always had a certain sparkle and likability. Couldn't be happier for him as his career blossomed and went national. What really surprised me was finding out that we use to be fairly close neighbors, though, to my knowledge, we've never met.

The Way I Heard It is just one of those books that you can't put down. It's full of good stories, lots of humor, and plenty of inspiration. A great book for all generations and types of people. At least, that's they way I read it.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of the eBook for a fair and honest review.

Ahhh funny, engaging, entertaining. Everything Mike Rowe always is and more. These short stories combined with Mike Rowe's wit and charm and perfect little interludes to the day. I read them at different times when I needed a break or a smile.

I was given a free copy of this book from #netgalley in exchange for an honest review. No one can tell a story like Mike Rowe. His story telling draws you in so you feel like you have experienced it yourself. This story collection doesn't disappoint. Highly recommend! #TheWayIHeardIt

The Way I Heard It by Mike Rowe is a collection of stories from his podcast. It is a mix of history and personal stories from his life. Readers will be reminded of Paul Harvey. This is easily my favorite book of the year thus far. I was constantly stopping to to say to my husband, "Hey, listen to this." I especially loved the stories about Deadliest Catch star Phil Harris. The stories are short and easy to read, but I found myself wanting to read just one more time and again. I was truly sad to reach the end of the book and will be looking into the podcast series.

The Way I Heard It is everything I expected from a book written by Mike Rowe. I enjoyed every word. It was great! Five stars.

Interesting book full of short "The Way I Heard It.." stories. I'm a fan of Mike Rowe. I might even share a few of these stories... a few of them would make nice ice breakers!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the Publisher and was under no obligation to post a favorable review.

As an avid fan of Mike Rowe, I have eagerly anticipated his book The Way I Heard It.

I was not disappointed! Filled with personal stories as well as historical events and people, I truly enjoyed his book and appreciate the opportunity to read an ARC through Netgalley.

#netgalley #mikerowe

Mike Rowe knows how to tell a story, and as I read this book, I could almost hear him reading each chapter. This book definitely holds your interest, as you never really know if the next chapter is going to be about a hero, a villain, or just a entertaining tale. I’m hoping there will be a follow up book to this one.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book! Always been a fan of Mike Rowe but it was cool to read about his parents and how they are. The stories are great, there needs to be more Mike Rowes in the world.

He did a really nice job with this. Having heard most/all of the podcasts, and heard him tell - on his podcast and others - many of the personal stories that wrapped around the radio tales, I feared that I wouldn't get that much out of reading it. Happy to say that I was wrong. This was a fun read, very well-done on his part, just like his terrific podcasts.

This is a great collection of short stories that range from A to Z. I enjoy Mike Rowe's TV series and this is a continuation of those, People who do good. He writes with humor and insight into human nature. He's not afraid to make fun of himself and point out misconceptions by the public. If you've every read his Mother's book (Peggy Rowe, About my Mother) you would see where he gets his style.
Each chapter is stand alone and is the perfect book for a busy season. Great for teens to older readers the subjects are widely varied. I would recommend for someone looking for a gift and then a copy for the buyer as well. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Fans of Mike Rowe's television series will truly enjoy these stories, written in his warm and familiar voice and narrative style in this collection of stories from the podcast of the same name. Entertaining, full of wisdom and humor, this is a fun, quick read from a wonderful storyteller.

I love Mike Rowe. He's a everyman and super relatable. I love his podcast by the same name and I knew I would enjoy this book as well. His writing is thought provoking and real.

Awesome book! I had to take my time on this one, read a chapter or two, and come back for more a few days later. I always love Mike Rowe's stories. Excellent book, I'll be giving this book for birthday gifts next year.

You may know Mike Rowe from any number of things. From his role as narrator of the Deadliest Catch or from his own show, Dirty Jobs. I really got to "know" him when I saw one of his no-nonsense posts on Facebook went viral. I just entered the podcast realm last year, and I downloaded The Way I Heard It for a road trip with my husband. 142 of his ten-minute mysteries entertained us for thousands of miles on the highway. When given the opportunity to read his book by the same name, I quickly agreed.

The Way I Heard It is a podcast for those with short attention spans. Mike Rowe will start telling you a story, often from history, and your job is to see if you can figure it out before the end. His book is a compilation of some of his favorite podcast episodes mixed in with stories about his life. From growing up in Maryland to being in an opera to his time on QVC, you get to learn a bit more about Mike Rowe the person. You can see the roots of his career take shape when he speaks of his grandfather building a family room for his mother. He talks about getting inspiration for his podcast from the great Paul Harvey and his friendship with Captain Phil Harris from the Deadliest Catch. You can "hear" his trademark deep baritone voice with every story told. Moreso, if you have listened to the podcast and revisit some episodes in the book. He mentions the very first episode that I listened to in the book. Speaking about a young pop-star with an overbearing father. You may think you know exactly who he is referring to, but the more you listen, the more it is clear that there are parallels between two different pop-stars. When he revealed the twist at the end of the ten-minute podcast, I was hooked. And you will be, too.

Bottom Line - Mike Rowe is easily one of my favorite celebrities. Not just because of his podcast, although it is pretty awesome. But because of his sensible outlook on life mirrors mine and his self-deprecating humor endlessly amuses me. I look forward to more episodes of The Way I Heard It with the same eagerness that I look forward to books by my favorite authors. What better praise could there be?

Details:

The Way I Heard It by Mike Rowe
On Facebook
Pages: 272
Publisher: Gallery
Publication Date: 10.15.19
Buy it Here!
Thank you to NetGalley for the free book in exchange for an honest review.

There are still some of us who remember hearing the esteemed Paul Harvey's "The Rest of the Story," on the AM radio, often after Larry King's talk show. Harvey would take a famous person or event and offer a background story, only telling the audience who the subject of the story was at the end. Mike Rowe, the former QVC salesman and host of the hit show "Dirty Jobs," continues Harvey's work, acknowledging the debt owed to Harvey at the beginning and the end. These stories, all about celebrities and historical figures you are familiar with are just like the stories Harvey would tell and each one is fascinating and often, but not always, keeps you guessing till you hear the whole story. The writing is crisp. It is a fun, enjoyable read, endlessly fascinating, and I think many people will enjoy this book, marveling at all the things they didn't know about people they always thought they knew all about.

Mike Rowe is entertaining, engaging, humble and hysterical. Most importantly he's a fantastic story teller. The format was well thought out as well. It's part history lesson, part autobiography, in short story form. Brilliant idea. Brilliant author. Brilliant book.

Culled from the podcast of the same name, The Way I Heard It is a collection of 36 amazing backstories followed by a related incident from the life of America’s (or at least the Discovery Channel’s) favorite narrator and dirtiest hard-working man, Mike Rowe. Some of the people in the tales are famous or notorious, but a good many are unknown, even though their work, such as a landmark East Coast bridge, or an enormous West Coast estate, stand as a testament to their genius and vision.

Rowe follows each story with a related snippet from his life. After reporting how a humble hand tool became a blockbuster found in nearly every home and workplace, he describes his first night on the 3 – 6 am. graveyard shift of QVC, which in 1990 was virtually unknown and having trouble recruiting hosts. After unsuccessfully hawking a number of products without a script or direction, Mike finally looked into the camera and said, “Folks, I’m gonna be honest with you: I have no idea what this thing is or how it works. Frankly, I’m skeptical about the healing power of infrared light. But if you have one of these objects, call the 800 number on the screen. Ask for Marty. He’ll put you on the air. Maybe you can tell me if it actually works.” And with that, the tradition of having QVC customers call in to talk was born. Rowe is modest about the achievement: “The viewers had taken pity on me and began to do my job for me. Sales picked up. Marty woke up. Like I said, things got fun.”

As an introduction to his onetime hobby of singing in barbershop quartets, he relates the story of a Jewish Army corporal in the Ardennes Forest, just a few moonlit hours before the Battle of the Bulge, who rigged a speaker on a makeshift pole to bombard Nazis with energetic tunes sung by famous Jewish vocalists. He describes the nasty height battles fought by rival architects in one of America’s largest cities as a delicate introduction to one of Rowe’s most self-effacing Dirty Jobs episodes, when Rowe collected semen from a prize-winning quarter horse named Paid by Chic. (His equine-crazy mother was thrilled for him.) And he broaches his father’s love for chopping wood as a method of parent-child communication through the story of a strict father who never spoke to his rebellious son after the son chose a career path his father ridiculed. A father who disciplined his children with harsh words, but struggled to find the right ones for his son’s tombstone. (He ultimately chose the Greek inscription Kata ton daimona eaytoy: True to his own spirit.)

Mike Rowe has written a book much like him, a collection of down-to-earth stories that touch readers’ hearts with a variety of emotions. He recognizes the innate ability of every person to be humble, cocky, or indifferent; to stray far from their roots or stick around. To die behind bars as a convicted hit man while watching his son become a beloved fixture of Thursday nights, or to walk away from the job of a harsh Air Force master sergeant to become a famous TV star with a soft and gentle voice. At least, that’s the way I heard it.

As a fan of Mike Rowe I was thrilled to get a copy of this book and it did not disappoint. Mike is a wonderful storyteller and captivates the audience with stories of ordinary people who do great things. Extremely entertaining fast paced set of stories that you cannot put down. Highly recommend to everyone!