Publishers Weekly
08/28/2023
In this winning memoir, former Happy Days star Winkler (I’ve Never Met an Idiot on the River) discusses his career, long-undiagnosed dyslexia, and lifelong struggles with self-esteem. He begins with his academic failures as a child in 1950s New York City, which caused regular clashes with his father, a stern Jewish refugee who wanted Winkler to take over the family lumber business. Drawn to performance as a means of coping (“I used humor to cover everything I couldn’t do—which was most things”), Winkler pursued theater instead, nursing dreams of a Hollywood career while he attended the Yale School of Drama. Shortly after Winkler decamped to California in the early 1970s, those dreams came true when he booked the role of Arthur Fonzarelli on Happy Days. He was often unable to participate in cold-reads, however, because of his dyslexia (for which he wouldn’t receive a diagnosis until he was 31). Winkler is candid about the ways such experiences stunted him emotionally, and at one point allows his wife, Stacey, to weigh in: “I have to admit there were times when I thought, ‘What the fuck? Now I have another child?’ ” Though Winkler includes plenty of inside-Hollywood fare, the book’s frankness sets it apart from standard-issue actor memoirs. The result is a heartfelt chronicle of learning to love one’s self, shortcomings and all. Agent: Esther Newberg, ICM Partners. (Oct.)
From the Publisher
"Smart and entertaining."
–The New York Times
"[An] inspirational story of one of Hollywood’s most beloved figures who became an unlikely TV screen icon and later a champion for those with dyslexia."
—The Associated Press
"You want to brew him some tea, pat his arm. His tender memoir isn’t explicitly dishy. It’s an excavation of his challenges, pain and neuroses."
—The Washington Post
“More than anything, Being Henry is the story of a talented actor who, as his wife puts it, can “charm the pants” off of anyone…It’s about the struggle to come into oneself after decades of self-alienation, and about perseverance.”
—The Daily Beast
"This charming autobiography of personal struggles during times of career success and challenge deserves a big thumbs-up."
—Kirkus
"[A] winning memoir...Though Winkler includes plenty of inside-Hollywood fare, the book’s frankness sets it apart from standard-issue actor memoirs. The result is a heartfelt chronicle of learning to love one’s self, shortcomings and all."
—Publishers Weekly
"Sharing memorable and funny behind-the-scenes moments, Being
Henry entertains as an introspective, self-deprecating, and quite moving memoir from a versatile actor....The many, many fans Winkler has gathered over his 50 years in Hollywood won't be disappointed by this charming memoir."
—Booklist
Library Journal
09/22/2023
With heartwarming honesty and self-deprecating humor, Emmy-winning actor, producer, and writer Winkler opens up about life after the role of a lifetime, his becoming a children's-book author, and his struggles with dyslexia in this charming memoir. Winkler's iconic portrayal of Arthur "the Fonz" Fonzarelli on TV's Happy Days (1974–84) brought both fame and the unexpected issue of his overpowering the show and being typecast thereafter. Winkler's discovery in his thirties that his inability to read scripts and follow directions stemmed from undiagnosed dyslexia provided both relief and fodder for two new roles, as a motivational speaker and a creator of middle-grade novels featuring a young dyslexic boy named Hank Zipzer. Winkler's memoir also gives readers insight into show business as he traces his career's lows (being fired as director after just 13 days on the set of Turner and Hooch) and joyful highs (amazing roles in Arrested Development and Barry). More importantly, he describes his personal journey toward accepting his faults and improving his relationship with his wife. He even turns the writing over to her occasionally, to keep him honest. VERDICT Winkler's personality shines through in this memoir and cements his status as a beloved celebrity for multiple generations.—Lisa Henry
JANUARY 2024 - AudioFile
Henry Winkler is clearly delighted to tell his own story. He learned to live with dyslexia; understand his odd, strict parents; and succeed at doing what no one thought he could do--become an actor. Perhaps he made it so quickly because he was never told how impossible it would be for a young man with almost no professional acting experience to make it in Hollywood. Trusting in fate and his own ability, Winkler literally fell into the role of a lifetime as "The Fonz" on "Happy Days" a week after moving to Hollywood with less than $1,000 to his name. Listening to Winkler talk about his life is a pleasure--this is a tell-all coming from the source. He discusses his shortcomings and successes with sincerity. After "Happy Days" ended, he went on to a respected career in television and films, and is still astounded by his own success. M.S. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2023-07-20
The beloved actor, director, and producer tells his warm-hearted story.
Life after being the Fonz wasn’t all happy days for Winkler (b. 1945), but this well-crafted autobiography—complete with welcome interjections from Stacey, his wife of 45 years—shows how the acclaimed yet anxious actor learned how to be cool. This is no celebrity tell-all. The author regularly holds back on names or distinguishing details when he offers unflattering tales about anyone other than himself. Instead, he goes deep into his troubled relationship with his Holocaust–surviving parents, his long-undiagnosed dyslexia, and his struggle to find work following his superstar breakthrough as Arthur Fonzarelli in Happy Days. Whether he’s relaying a difficult stretch of his life; how he came to co-author the Hank Zipzer children’s book series; or how he landed the memorable roles of Barry Zuckerkorn on Arrested Development and Gene Cousineau on Barry, Winkler tells stories like he would at a dinner with friends. One minute, he’s discussing his role in Adam Sandler’s The Waterboy; the next, it’s a failed meeting with Neil Simon. In a less genuine writer’s hands, the chapter in which he discusses the family dogs and how they interact with him and each other could come across as filler. With Winkler, it’s clearly a deeply felt explanation of his love for Linus, Charlotte, Hamlet, Scruffy, and Ringo. The author also offers plenty of occasionally offbeat but largely sage advice. “When I give talks these days, I say, ‘Your head knows some things; your tummy knows everything’,” he writes. “I say it to kindergarteners, I say it to seniors. I say it to everybody, because it is the law of living.” Winkler’s current late-career, Emmy–winning resurgence shows that his tummy knows what it’s doing.
This charming autobiography of personal struggles during times of career success and challenge deserves a big thumbs-up.
