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!