Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder

by William Shatner, Joshua Brandon, William Shatner (Read by)

Overview

The beloved star of Star Trek, recent space traveler, and living legend William Shatner reflects on the interconnectivity of all things, our fragile bond with nature, and the joy that comes from exploration with “the insights he’s gleaned over his long, productive life” (Booklist) in this inspiring, revelatory, and exhilarating collection of essays.

Long before Gene Roddenberry put him on a starship to explore the galaxy, long before he actually did venture to space, William Shatner was gripped by his own quest for knowledge and meaning. Though his eventful life has been nothing short of extraordinary, Shatner is still never so thrilled as when he experiences something that inspires him to simply say, “Wow.”

Within these affecting, entertaining, and informative essays, he demonstrates that astonishing possibilities and true wonder are all around us. By revealing stories of his life—some delightful, others tragic—Shatner reflects on what he has learned along the way to his ninth decade and how important it is to apply the joy of exploration to our own lives. “A refreshingly self-aware portrait of a man determined to live every moment to the fullest” (Publishers Weekly), Boldly Go is an unputdownable celebration of all that our miraculous universe holds for us.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781797147567
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Audio
Publication date:	10/04/2022
Edition description:	Unabridged
Sales rank:	520,930
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 5.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

William Shatner is the author of nine Star Trek ® novels, including the New York Times bestsellers The Ashes of Eden and The Return. He is also the author of several nonfiction books, including Get a Life! and I’m Working on That. In addition to his role as Captain James T. Kirk, he starred as Denny Crane in the hit television series from David E. Kelley, Boston Legal—a role for which he won two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe. Find more information at WilliamShatner.com.

Joshua Brandon, Mr. Shatner’s coauthor, is a director, producer, and writer, whose credits include CBS’s Friend Me, SyFy’s Haven, Fox’s Houdini & Doyle, and the feature film A Thousand Little Cuts.

William Shatner is the author of nine Star Trek ® novels, including the New York Times bestsellers The Ashes of Eden and The Return. He is also the author of several nonfiction books, including Get a Life! and I’m Working on That. In addition to his role as Captain James T. Kirk, he starred as Denny Crane in the hit television series from David E. Kelley, Boston Legal—a role for which he won two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe. Find more information at WilliamShatner.com.

Table of Contents

Introduction 9

Chapter 1 We Belong Together 21

Chapter 2 Listen to the Animals 63

Chapter 3 Pieces of Humanity 87

Chapter 4 It's Round. I Checked. 111

Chapter 5 Listen to the Music 133

Chapter 6 The Worst and the Best 172

Chapter 7 There's Beauty in Everything 197

Chapter 8 Your Place in the Universe 224

Chapter 9 When I'm Gone 255

Epilogue 282

Acknowledgments 295

Editorial Reviews

07/18/2022

The 91-year-old Hollywood legend returns with more diverting anecdotes and musings about his earthly life and beyond. In an assemblage of essays covering everything from his historic spaceflight in 2021 to his deep reverence for the natural world, Shatner’s curiosity shines through as he leavens the seriousness of his lifelong quest for meaning with his signature self-effacing humor (“Some say I have... my own... style... of pausing”). He opens with a literal dive into the deep end, sharing his decision, at 90 years old, to go swimming with sharks in the Bahamas for Shark Week. He attributes his longevity and prosperity to activities such as this, noting that, at a minimum, allowing oneself to be open to being “awed by life” can facilitate finding happiness. There are ample confidences that will delight Trekkies—while on set with the late Leonard Nimoy, Shatner writes in “Pieces of Humanity,” “a constant refrain was ‘Spock wouldn’t do that,’ sometimes with a wink, sometimes not”—in addition to embarrassing moments, as when Shatner read poetry to a crowd of dismayed bikers at a performance that was mistakenly advertised as a heavy metal concert. The result is a refreshingly self-aware portrait of a man determined to live every moment to the fullest. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

[Shatner] taps into his joy of exploration and sense of wonder as he reflects back on his extraordinary life.” —USA Today

“Even those who aren't fans of Shatner's acting or his music will find much to appreciate in the insights he's gleaned over his long, productive life.” —Booklist


"Shatner’s curiosity shines through as he leavens the seriousness of his lifelong quest for meaning with his signature self-effacing humor...the result is a refreshingly self-aware portrait of a man determined to live every moment to the fullest." –Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

12/01/2022

At 91 years old, Shatner narrates with vitality and the same wry humor fans have loved for decades. There's no mistaking his strong and distinct voice. He keeps listeners alert with his pacing—a great gush of words followed by a slower cadence that accentuates specific phrases. Classic Shatner. This is Shatner's 11th nonfiction book, and it's a mix of memoir and ruminations about life, regrets, and his quest to make himself a better person even in his ninth decade. The audiobook opens with Shatner swimming with sharks after his 90th birthday. "I have an inverted instinct for danger," he says. "My mind doesn't run screaming away from it; it somehow forces me to run toward danger." Essays range from attending Star Trek conventions, grappling with the death of Leonard Nimoy while they were estranged, the importance of family, and his spiritual (rather than religious) beliefs. He also discusses how he and his fourth wife of more than 20 years divorced in 2020. "But only on paper," he explains—for inheritance purposes. "Some may call it modern," he says. "Others may call it strange." VERDICT Shatner's upbeat collections of thoughtful musings is read with verve and good humor.—Kevin Howell

Library Journal - Audio

★ 10/01/2022

Shatner (Live Long and…: What I Learned Along the Way) is a pop culture icon and celebrity who needs little introduction, particularly among Star Trek fans. At the age of 91, he, with the help of director/producer/writer Brandon (Friend Me), wrote this book in the form of a collection of reflective essays. Outside the celebrity bubble, his life is full of useful anecdotes that most readers will find relatable. Although he's achieved great things in acting, music recording, and writing, he has also suffered tragedy tinged with painful despair. His thoughts on overcoming suffering and dealing with the inevitable pain that life brings is both practical and inspirational. Shatner has used his life experiences to strive to learn more, to be better, and to fulfill the promise of his existence here on earth. He expresses his love of life on every page and reminds readers of the mathematical odds that each person has overcome in order to be born. Readers will really connect to these inspiring essays. VERDICT This is not just for dedicated Star Trek fans. Shatner is an inspiring figure with valuable life lessons to share.—Gary Medina

Library Journal

2022-07-07
The latest collection of essays from an actor who has lived well and prospered.

It’s clear that Shatner (b. 1931) takes himself and his work seriously, but he knows that much of his appeal to younger generations is ironic, that his often exaggerated oratory has an element of self-caricature in it. Even in his 90s, he shows few signs of backing off or slowing down, and he ends this book with the lyric to a spoken-word song he has written for his next album, a piece with funeral instructions: “I Want To Be a Tree.” Despite the more-misses-than-hits nature of the author’s many attempts at humor, he has somehow found a way to be in on the joke rather than an object of derision—for the most part, at least—making this book very much in the same vein as Live Long And…, his previous middling collection. Here, the author writes about his plans to extend his legacy as a hologram, taking and answering questions from beyond the grave, and he mixes innocence and pompous profundity when he intones, “I am never so thrilled as when the word wow escapes my mouth.” Much of the text conveys the author’s fairly shallow viewpoints on the marvel of existence, how everything is connected, and how the universe has taken care of a man who has no clear sense of the divine but who has his finger on the pulse of something cosmic. “We are often reminded to stop and smell the roses,” he writes. “I have to go further. Stop and smell everything.” These essays sometimes loosely connect in the fashion of a memoir, covering plenty of the Star Trek oeuvre (which he treats as if it were Shakespeare) and the multidimensional career that has followed, as well as his four marriages and his love of dogs, horses, and all living things.

A series of pieces that are not only all over the map, but all over the galaxy.

Kirkus Reviews