I'm Over All That
And Other Confessions
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3.9 • 16 Ratings
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
“IN THIS THIRD ACT OF MY LIFE, MUCH HAS BECOME CLEARER. SO MUCH IS OVER, AND I AM OVER SO MUCH . . .”
At a certain time in life, we all come to realize what is truly important to us and what just doesn’t matter. For Shirley MacLaine, that time is now. In this wise, witty, and fearless collection of small observations and big-picture questions, she shares with readers all those things that she is over dealing with in life, in love, at home, and in the larger world . . . as well as the things she will never get over, no matter how long she lives.
Among the things that Shirley is over: people who repeat themselves (“when you didn’t care what they said the first time”); conservatives and liberals; ill-mannered young people; the poison of celebrity (“Why do so many people want to be famous when they see how it can destroy your life?”); being polite to boring people (“If they won’t stop talking, I go into a trance and meditate”); getting older in Hollywood (“How peaceful it is not to have to look particularly pretty anymore or to wear a size 6”).
In the opposite camp, there are some things Shirley will never get over: good lighting (“Marlene Dietrich taught me how to light myself”); gorgeous costars (“The vanity of male actors is an impossible wall to scale”); performing live (“Yes, it is better than sex”); and above all, brave people with curious minds (“Fear is the most powerful weapon of mass destruction”).
Along the way, she recalls stories of some of the true greats she has known—Alfred Hitchcock, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, the two Jacks (Lemmon and Nicholson)—and ruminates on the state of Hollywood past and present. She recollects her relationships and romances with politicians (including two prime ministers), scientists, journalists, and costars.
An unabashed seeker of truth and unrepentant free spirit, Shirley looks squarely at a world that can irritate, confuse, and provoke her, but that can also delight her with its beauty, humor, and future promise. Reading I’m Over All That will make you feel you have been reunited with an old friend who tells it like it is but never takes herself too seriously.
Shirley MacLaine may be over all that, but this irresistible book ensures that we will never get over her.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this breezy new volume, the 76-year-old actress catalogues some of what she can no longer tolerate. MacLaine (Sage-ing While Age-ing) is not concerned with what she should not do, for instance, and has a distaste for the hassles of airport travel and government. "I am over everything that involves politics. What happens to me spiritually is far more important to me now." She has stopped being polite to boring people, and she's over fame for fame's sake. "Fame is a false god. Talent and hard work are not." Flipping the switch, MacLaine also documents many of the things she cannot get over. She still likes good journalists, appreciates her own personal history, and notes performers with whom she has worked in decades past, recalling experiences with Alfred Hitchcock, Dean Martin, Jack Lemmon, Jack Nicholson, and others. These stories of Hollywood's past are among the most engaging. When the topic turns inevitably to metaphysics and religion, previous lives and reincarnation, the book's appeal narrows. Those who like MacLaine no matter what she believes in will find nothing wrong; less fascinated fans won't be so easily won over.
Customer Reviews
:)
I read the whole book in one day.
I'm Over All That.
Could tell I was going to enjoy this book...I knew this because her voice was reading it for me.... I am not sure whether anyone else ever experienced this.. I t was as if she was sitting in my easy chair next to me......I certainly can relate to her book and the title....I 'M OVER ALL THAT........Gives one plenty of time to just observe and place a small discreet smile on my lips... Tks Shirley. It served me well.....kindest regards...Janet