Dick Van Dyke: My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business

Book Title:Dick Van Dyke: My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business (A Memoir)

Author: Dick Van Dyke

So I was at the Bellevue library with my dad.  He was looking up something related to his genealogy research.  I wandered around and found this sitting on the table.  I love Dick Van Dyke.  I have a lot of respect for him.  So I picked up the book and decided to read it. 

It took me awhile to read because to be honest, I got bored in the middle.  I am not good about reading biographies.  I love fiction so much more but for some reason do not enjoy non-fiction stories.

However, if you like Dick Van Dyke, I would suggest reading this.  I learned a lot about him.

• He struggled financially.  His family was broke and just getting by in life.  His poor wife must have been so patient. 
• He was actively involved in his church and turned down roles that he was uncomfortable with for moral reasons. He enjoyed doing family films, like Mary Poppins
• He had an alcohol problem and smoked regularly.  He eventually quit both but neither was easy to leave behind.  They were part of his lifestyle and a choice to give up.
• And, worst of all for me to read, he cheated on his wife. This was probably what made it hard for me to read through parts of this book.  It wasn't that he slept with another woman, but he realized he was connecting with another woman better than his wife.  This created problems in his marriage.  He and his first wife divorced. 

Dick is a great story teller.  He was a strong man to get through Hollywood.  Soon after I finished the book, I saw his car caught on fire and he was fine. I think he might be invincible!

I have been going back and re-watching his movies and TV shows now with his stories about them fresh in my mind.  It does make it a lot more fun... plus the Dick Van Dyke show is just a great TV show!

Silver Linings Playbook

Book Title: Silver Linings Playbook

Author: Matthew Quick

I read this book after watching the movie.  I enjoyed both but I realize whatever order I complete a book/movie combo in, I like the first one more (generally. If not, it will always be the book).  So unfortunately, I liked the movie better.  Maybe I was too influenced by the actors in the movie than the characters in the book. 

However, with that stated, I did enjoy the book.  It delves into the head of a person with a mental illness.  The book starts with Pat getting out of a mental institution, as demanded by the court system.  The story follows Pat’s “recovery” and return to “normal” life.  The story sheds some light on how someone with a mental illness thinks (or forgets to think). It goes through his recovery process and how it is hard and not at all linear.

Pat sends a lot of the story pining for his wife.  He doesn't have full memory of how their fall out went- he has blocked it out of his memory.  So he is trying to better himself for his wife (lose weight, take her interest, take others' feelings into account).  He meets a friend's wife's sister, Tiffany in the process. Tiffany has lost her cop husband and is mourning him. Together, they recover.  Most of it isn't necessarily the healthy processes but in the end, they both are able to move forward. 

The story develops around their friendship and I think there are good underlying messages: We all need someone to believe in us, we all need a friend, and family is an essential support system.