My Remarkable Journey [Hardcover]

Larry King (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 19, 2009

The definitive autobiography of one of the most famous personalities in television history-an intimate, revealing, and riveting memoir that will show a Larry King the world has never known, up close and personal.

Celebrated as "the most remarkable talk-show host on TV ever" by TV Guide and "master of the mike" by Time magazine, for a half-century the world's most influential figures have been telling their story to Larry King. Now the man in suspenders shares his riveting and inspiring story, from his humble roots in Depression-era Brooklyn to the heights of celebrity as host of CNN's Larry King Live.

Before he befriended presidents and iconic entertainers, Larry grew up on the streets of Brooklyn, where he was known to friends as "Zeke the Greek the Mouthpiece" because he never stopped talking. Larry delves deeply into his extraordinary personal odyssey, beginning with the loss of his father at age nine. He has lost jobs, had a three-pack-a-day smoking habit, been down to his last $2 when he won an $8,000 trifecta at the racetrack, had a heart attack and quintuple bypass surgery, quit smoking, founded a heart foundation that has raised millions and assisted thousands, and now, at the age of seventy-five, has recently gotten thrown out of a Little League game for arguing a call in defense of his nine-year-old son.

Filled with delightfully evocative personal anecdotes and behind-the-scenes observations on some of our most important world figures, What Am I Doing Here? will be devoured by Larry King's millions of fans worldwide.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this humorous, anecdotal account, King at 75-plus marvels good-naturedly at his staying power for a half-century as a talk-show host for radio and TV. Born in Brooklyn in 1933 to Jewish immigrant parents, young Larry Zeiger was profoundly influenced at age nine by the untimely heart-attack death of his father and by the medium of radio. Rejected by the army for bad eyesight and uninterested in going to college, he got his break filling in for a deejay at a radio station in Miami, where he took the name King in a pinch. His early scrapes are hilarious, especially with women (he married eight times), and he had an uncanny ability to snag famous personalities like Jackie Gleason, Frank Sinatra and Richard Nixon to be interviewed on air. By simply being curious and unassuming, King could make anyone seem fascinating, from a plumber to the famously laconic Robert Mitchum. Despite being fired in 1971 for financial shenanigans, King swept back on the air in Washington, D.C., before being hired to host a show for Ted Turner's fledgling CNN in 1985, where he has been following current affairs for the past 25 years. King, writing with Fussman (After Jackie), has produced a cultural history as much as a personal testimony, touching on world-shaping events over the last 50 years and sharing, with inimitable humor and grace, some quirky POVs from King's family and friends. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

The greatest softball pitcher of all time lobs a few more, but this time the subject is himself. Although King has written other books, this is as close to a full-scale autobiography as he is likely to come. Although he writes about some of the traumatic events of his life (his father’s death; his heart troubles, both physically and emotionally), he is not much interested in self-examination. Fortunately, the comments at the end of each chapter from King’s family and friends (which he says he won’t read until the book is published) delve a little more deeply into analysis of the talk-show-host’s psyche. No matter what one thinks about King’s interviewing skills, between his radio days and his CNN show, there’s no doubt that he has talked to just about everyone and made friends with more than a few—among them, Al Pacino, who turned up at a restaurant to help King impress his soon-to-be (eighth) wife, and George W. Bush, who spent two hours in the White House talking baseball with his pal, Larry. There’s no explaining the Larry King phenomenon; even King agrees with that. This may be a soufflé, but it’s decorated with stars, and it goes down easily. --Ilene Cooper

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Weinstein Books; 1 edition (May 19, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1602860866
• ISBN-13: 978-1602860865
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 1.2 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #842,212 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Or ...Larry's Big Adventure May 25, 2009

By Nathan A. Gordon

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have purchased many of Larry King's books over the years but this is the first one that I found interesting enough to have read cover-to-cover (in two days). For the first time, Larry (he says that everyone calls him Larry) lets the reader learn about the various personal aspects of his unbelievable (and, yes, true to the title, "remarkable life"). Who else in show business went to Jackie Robinson's first game as a Brooklyn Dodger, bumped into JFK's car in Palm Beach, Florida (two years before JFK became president and with JFK driving), got Jackie Gleason to volunteer to get Frank Sinatra to appear on Larry's Miami radio show when Larry was still starting out, went to high school with Sandy Koufax and starred in CNN's first prime-time show? Larry King fans and those who are interested in media and broadcasting personalities will find much to enjoy in this new chatty and breezy autobiography.

We learn from Larry's long journey that Larry married eight times (twice to the same woman). I have to tell you--someplace at the half-way point of this book--I lost track of how many children, adopted children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren Larry has. His life was and still is that hectic. Someplace near the end of the book, Larry talks about recently seeing an estate attorney and having a new will prepared. (Good Luck on that Larry!)

Larry lost his father at an early age and unfortunately, but understandably, he has spent most of his life dealing with that tragedy. He leveraged his unique brand of broadcasting and communication skills into a series of radio jobs that brought him to the attention of Ted Turner, then trying to jump-start CNN. Larry's loyalties to friends and general ineptness with money resulted in years of financial losses and an arrest.... He even lost $2.8 million in the Madoff Ponzi scheme that just broke five months ago. Years of smoking three-packs-a-day eventually led to severe heart trouble and eventually bypass surgery.

Larry, now 75, details how he met his present (young) wife which led to two sons, now nine and ten (let alone the child that his wife had from her prior marriage). There are some particularly emotional passages that detail Larry's discovery of Larry King, Jr., a biological son that Larry didn't even meet until Larry King, Jr. was 33. Larry Jr. now plays a key role in a non-profit foundation that finances one heart operation a day for people who do not have health insurance. Wow!

Interestingly, while CNN prides itself on not showcasing partisans such as those whose shows are carried on MSNBC and FOX, Larry lets his guard down in many parts of his story revealing, unmistakably, that his political views lie on the liberal side of the spectrum. He has much admiration for Bill Clinton. However, Larry does take several, not-so-veiled potshots at President George Bush, #43 (example: "The problem was that (President Bush) has no curiosity. He doesn't wonder about things.") Larry does not seem comfortable doing it, apparently due to his friendship with the senior President George Bush, #41).

Most of us would not have had the stamina and talent to have led Larry's complicated life. It's a great story that is well captured in this book. I think that it would make a terrific movie starring a well made-up Leo DiCaprio. Read more ›

19 of 26 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A remarkable journey indeed May 21, 2009

By Julia Flyte TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

This is a tremendously entertaining book. Reading it felt like I was sitting down with Larry for a few hours and having a wonderful conversation, leaping from one fascinating topic to another. In the prologue Larry explains how he would have liked to be a comedian if he hadn't gone into broadcasting and his sense of humor emerges strongly throughout the book. The man is seriously funny.

This is not a intimate, soul-searching autobiography. For example, Larry has famously been married eight times to seven women, but he barely mentions his previous marriages (although he lovingly describes his current wife Shawn in depth). While open about his faults - he has zero financial sense and suspects he suffers from ADHD - he makes no attempt to analyze or explain them. Some of the biggest insights actually come from his friends and family who also write short accounts of their take on Larry and his life (a device that I have to say is only partially successful).

Instead what you get are insights into how he does his job and many, many wonderful anecdotes and descriptions of the events that he has witnessed and the people whom he has met over his lengthy career. There's the time that he rear-ended JFK in his car (Kennedy let him off if Larry promised to vote for him for President), Warren Beatty helping his friend to propose, Boris Yeltsin's obsession with the OJ Simpson trial, Lenny Bruce dressing up in prison uniforms and asking policemen for directions. Larry has been friendly with every president since Nixon and there's a very interesting chapter when he discusses his impressions of each of them (for the record, he has the greatest admiration for George Bush and Bill Clinton).

Larry also talks about his interviewing style.... He likes spontaneity and never plans his questions in advance (describing himself as the opposite of Barbara Walters in his approach). He interviewed Meatloaf once and having no idea who the man was: he opened with "Do you check yourself into hotels as Mr Loaf?" He writes: "I want to be surprised every night". His worst interview ever? A monosyllabic Robert Mitchum.

Born Larry Zieger, Larry's early life was marked by tragedy. His older brother had died at the age of four the year before Larry was born, and his father died when he was nine. His mother raised him and his younger brother in relative poverty in Brooklyn. His friends from that time are still his friends today. He started his career working in radio in Miami (there's a wonderful story about the time that a woman propositioned him when he was working the all-night shift). Success came quickly and he later moved to Washington DC. He didn't move to television until he joined CNN at the age of 52. It was a gamble career move: this was the early days of cable television, when ratings were low and interns hung out at the airport looking for famous people that they could invite onto the show. Essentially it was a mark of faith in Ted Turner - and one that most definitely paid off.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and found it hard to put it down. Larry's life has been extremely interesting and his writing style makes it very entertaining to read. Read more ›

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Fun Read June 3, 2009

By Patricia Horton

Format:Hardcover

I wasn't sure what to expect when I purchased this book on unabridged CD. The fact that Larry reads it himself makes it even more special. I especially enjoyed his childhood escapades in Brooklyn. If you're looking for a fun summer read, this is it.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect title and wonderful journey June 1, 2009

By BJJ

Format:Hardcover

No need to write the same reviews as the others have said it all. I could not put this book down. I had not been in the mood to read during the last few months,although I use to devour many books. Larry's page turner book has renewed my love of the written word through humor, straight forward thoughts on life, sharing love for family and friends without holding back. Just take a chance and read this book. You won't regret experiencing his walk down memory lane and what he has learned.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars a King August 28, 2011

By Dr. Wilson Trivino

Format:Paperback

- Larry King speaking on his latest book, My Remarkable Journey, on May 31 at the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta (MJCCA), covered a gambit of topics covering his life's journey. Co-hosted with his wife Shawn, this duo left the crowd wanting more.

King spoke about his life long dream to be a part of broadcasting, he studied, practiced, and dreamt of working in radio. Finally his break came in a radio station in Miami, he was to go on at eight in the morning on Monday. That previous weekend he did not sleep in anticipation of his debut program.

Monday came, the producer asked his name and he told him Larry Ziegler. The producer said the last name was too ethnic, what is his name? Nervous, King glanced at the newspaper on the producer's desk and saw a liquor store add King Wholesale and blurted out "Larry King". So was his the birth of a King.

King, nervous with a new name and new set up, was fidgeting with the buttons, could not get anything on the air, he froze. The producer kicked the door and yelled "communicate!!" So King told the audience he was on air for the first time, new name, and new equipment, so lesson one of his successes, you need to always be honest regardless of what is going on. That way the audience is with you and wants you to succeed.

A very candid talk, King spoke of the impact of his father dying when he was nine. He felt his father had abandoned him and placed the burden of being the head of the family. This has lead to a lifelong ordeal with mistrust. Even today, he expects to go home and find his wife gone.

His wife, many years his junior always brings the same attention when he walks into a room. So King's response is, "if she dies, she dies", bringing roar of laughter from the audience....

Part comedian, part entertainer, and part showman, King shared from his life's work and the candid stories in this latest book. As to how he prepares for his interviews, he does not, he prefers spontaneous reactions and is a self proclaimed time watcher, and he is early and realizes that time moves on regardless of what is going on.

So take the time and read the book. Read more ›