The Life and Humor of Robin Williams: A Biography

It is difficult to write a biography that only goes for 200 pages unless it is the Reader's Digest version of the person's life. Jay David essentially has written a stripped down biography of Robin Williams. After reading the book, I feel I have only scratched the surface of this talented actor/comedian's life and talents. Much of Robin's early life is cited from previous interviews with other sources. While this is acceptable, it makes the early part of the book seem like a "cut and paste" job. The book journeys into his early career and family life with similar techniques. When the book arrives at the point where Robin Williams' career really takes off, the author becomes consistent with the layout of the chapters. The first part is how Williams came to work on the movie/project with various antidotes. The second part of the chapters is a documentation of the critical reviews of the movie. I felt a lot was omitted from the book. Nothing is mentioned about his hosting Saturday Night Live. Similary, little is mentioned of his stand-up work or Comic Relief. I would have thought they would have included more of Robin Williams' humor in here since the book is called "The Life and Humor of Robin Williams".The book does have strong points. I did learn about Williams family and marital life. Few people are aware that Williams came from a privilaged family background. I also believe that the insight provided on many of the movies is well documented. One must keep in mind that the book was printed in 1999 so it is not entirely up to date. With this being said, fans of Williams will enjoy learning about the development of his career. Despite being an easy read, the book has too many weak points to be enjoyed by the casual reader.