The Most Human
Reconciling with My Father, Leonard Nimoy
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
"Adam Nimoy has written about the challenges growing up with his famous father and about their estrangement later in life. The fact that Leonard and Adam found a way to rebuild their relationship should resonate with anyone who struggles with difficult family dynamics."—George Takei
"Engaging and immensely relatable, while at the same time offering deeply profound insights into Adam Nimoy's personal relationships, particularly with his famous father." —Eugene Roddenberry Jr., CEO of Roddenberry Entertainment
While the tabloids and fan publications portrayed the Nimoys as a "close family," to his son Adam, Leonard Nimoy was a total stranger.
The actor was as inscrutable as the iconic half-Vulcan science officer he portrayed on Star Trek, even to those close to him.
Now, his son's poignant memoir explores their complicated relationship and how it informed his views on marriage, parenting, and later, sobriety. Despite their differences, both men ventured down parallel paths: marriages leading to divorce, battling addiction, and finding recovery. Most notably, both men struggled to take the ninth step in their AA journey: to make amends with each other.
Discover how the son of Spock learned to navigate this tumultuous relationship, from Shabbat dinners to basement AA meetings, and how he was finally able to reconcile with his father—and with himself.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Attorney Nimoy (My Incredibly Wonderful, Miserable Life) holds nothing back in this raw look at his relationship with his father, Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy (1931–2015). As a child, Adam struggled to connect with his increasingly famous father, whose emotional distance and alcoholism bred deep resentment in Adam. In 2006, after their relationship had essentially dissolved, Leonard wrote Adam an email lamenting that they "never had a relationship that was meaningful and satisfying," then followed it up with a six-page letter listing his grievances with Adam. After the shock of the letter wore off, Adam reached out, on the advice of a friend, and admitted to many of his father's accusations, including that he held grudges and could be abrasive. That broke the ice between them, leading Leonard to invite Adam to a Shabbat dinner, which they soon made a tradition. From there, Adam writes of the projects they collaborated on (including documentaries about Star Trek and Leonard's Boston childhood), the meals they shared in the last nine years of Leonard's life, and the personal struggles they bonded over; both were divorced, both dealt with substance abuse. Adam's candor about his own shortcomings lends warmth and self-awareness to the account. Even non-Trekkies will be moved.
