The Answer Is...: Reflections on My Life by Alex Trebek

 304 pages / 5 hours

"Since debuting as the host of Jeopardy! in 1984, Alex Trebek has been something like a family member to millions of television viewers, bringing entertainment and education into their homes five nights a week. Last year, he made the stunning announcement that he had been diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. What followed was an incredible outpouring of love and kindness. Social media was flooded with messages of support, and the Jeopardy! studio received boxes of cards and letters offering guidance, encouragement, and prayers.

"For over three decades, Trebek had resisted countless appeals to write a book about his life. Yet he was moved so much by all the goodwill, he felt compelled to finally share his story. “I want people to know a little more about the person they have been cheering on for the past year,” he writes in The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life.

"The book combines illuminating personal anecdotes with Trebek’s thoughts on a range of topics, including marriage, parenthood, education, success, spirituality, and philanthropy. Trebek also addresses the questions he gets asked most often by Jeopardy! fans, such as what prompted him to shave his signature mustache, his insights on legendary players like Ken Jennings and James Holzhauer, and his opinion of Will Ferrell’s Saturday Night Live impersonation. The book uses a novel structure inspired by Jeopardy!, with each chapter title in the form of a question, and features dozens of never-before-seen photos that candidly capture Trebek over the years."  --from the publisher

I liked the stories and insights Trebek shared, but I wish I had read it instead of listening to it. For some reason Ken Jennings' and Alex Trebek's voices were distracting for me. If you're a Jeopardy! fan, this will definitely be an entertaining read. I give it three and a half stars out of five.

The Answer is...:Reflections on My Life by Alex Trebek

The Answer is...:Reflections on My Life by Alex Trebek-304 pages

I grew up watching Jeopardy! and I still catch it when I can. I don't get the opportunity to watch it often anymore, but I still very much enjoy it when I do. I've taken the online test a few times, but I've never gotten called for an audition. When I heard that this was coming out I immediately knew I would want to read it. A few reviews on Goodreads have knocked it for Trebek's writing not being as eloquent as his speaking, but he states in the Introduction to the book that his writing is not on par with his speaking. I feel this is an unfair criticism and I have enjoyed reading this book. I have learned a few things I didn't know about Trebek before, such as that his mother spent 36 hours in labor with him and wouldn't let him forget it during her 95 years on earth, his father was an immigrant to Canada from Ukraine, Trebek's given name is George Alexander Trebek (his dad's was George Edward Trebek, so that's why he started going by Alex), and so on. Also, he spent 3 days in military college, but quit because he decided it wasn't for him. Trebek shares his thoughts on some of the more notable contestants and his thoughts on the show and it's success over the years. Finally, I enjoyed a story he shared about meeting Queen Elizabeth II in a greeting line after a show he participated in while living in Canada. On the first night, he conversed with Her Majesty the Queen for about 5 minutes because Prince Philip was lingering behind and it's customary for them to leave together. Trebek thought he had a good, short conversation and a connection with the Queen. However, he was in a different greeting line the next night and the Queen didn't remember who he was or their conversation from the previous night. Finally, I find it very cool that we both sponsor (in his case now, sponsored) a child through World Vision. He also traveled to many different countries with World Vision and donated time and money to several other charities. It seems (from this book and having watched Jeopardy! many times over the years) that Trebek was a humble, kind, caring man and it would have been cool to meet him.