Jonathan Winters: My Life: "In Search of a Playground"

Wow - What a fascinating ride thru the minefield of Jonathan Winter's head. This is a must read for anyone interested in the history of entertainment especially if you ever enjoyed genius of this unique talent. Thank you Mr. Ferrara. Phil Chaney, Wesley Chapel , Fl.

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I liked the book but found it diffucult to read. When the co-author talks, it is Italics, very stylized and hard to make out.

This is a strange book with many repeated stories or information. However if you like JW and wish to know more about him it is definitely worth the read.

Gave as a Christmas gift for a friend.

Jonathan Winters was my dear friend. He was the most insightful, most sensitive and yes the funniest human it has ever been my privilege to know. Every conversation with Jonathan was like reading a collection of the best short stories ever written. Some funny. Some heartbreaking. All completely authentic and unique. For years I pestered him to write a memoir. He had the title. And I knew he had been chronicling his amazing life, in and out of entertainment, in bits and pieces, here and there. His complicated childhood. His struggles with alcohol and mental illness. His book would be great, I just knew it would be. And then in 2013, Jonathan passed away. I mourned the loss of my friend and of his genius brain and his giant heart. I also lamented that his book would never come to be. Fast forward to 2017 and thanks to the Winters family and Jonathan's pal Peter Ferrara, we are blessed with this. This IS Jonathan's book. It's HIS writing in HIS words. Read this if you want to know the Jonathan I knew. I read it in one delighted binge and I know I will read it again.

Jonathan Winters was a friend of mine for 30 years. That being said there were stories and events in this book I never heard before. When I received the book I thought I would read a couple of chapters to get started. Needless to say I read the whole book in one sitting. Just like when Jon was here, there were tears and laughter. It's a must read for any of his fans. They will have a much better understanding of this iconic genius as they learn more about his life. Many thanks to Lucinda for making this project come to life........Bob Skaff

How about a front-row seat to the laser-mind of Improv Master Jonathan Winters?My Life was just that, an up-close look at one of America’s great comedians.This autobiography/bio by the late Winters and Peter S. Ferrara was a joy for a fan like me to feast on. And it was one of the fastest reads I have had in a long time, thanks to the alternating biographical narrative supplied by Ferrara, paired with Jonathan’s straightforward commentary, notes, letters and other personal references.Legions of fans admired Winters’ comic genius, but My Life doesn’t shrink from the reality of Winters’ “other” life. My Life reveals a good chunk of it, described by Winters as largely stressed, troubled, “self-medicated” and anything but painless—both before and after he “made it” as a star in Hollywood.My Life offers up an insightful look at show business from Winters’ perspective: its ups, its downs, the lure of its siren call and its high asking price for success.This book is for anybody who has ever been wowed by seeing Jonathan Winters perform, who has been absolutely destroyed by his characters and amazed by his inventiveness on a stage or in front of a camera.Minor hitch: No page numbers, so I couldn't find quotes in a hurry. But that's small potatoes. Readers will find this book a terrific complement to all those wild Jonathan Winters moments they’ve seen on TV, at the movies and on stages everywhere.