Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I'm an author and I must make a little confession: I frequently check my books to see if any customers have written new reviews on amazon.com. Well Bob, if you're anything like me, I hope you read this.
Bob is a class act from top to bottom. I have been a fan of television personalities (particularly game show hosts) ever since I was a small boy, but what always stood apart for me about Bob was his genuineness and authenticity. Bob was the best at what he did for so many years because he made you feel that you knew him, personally. He also had exquisite timing. He would pause at just the right moment, to put the spotlight on a funny contestant(a true skill, because most people aren't comfortable being silent on television for too long). Or he might tell a story that no one else got and say something like..."no one thought that was funny, I thought it was hilarious". Just the little things like that made Bob interesting to watch all these years.
This book is quite charming and I had the pleasure to listen to the audiobook version, read by Mr. Barker himself. He tells of his life growing up with his wonderful mother Tillie on an Indian reservation in Missouri, how he met the love of his life (Dorothy Jo), his relationships with his animals over the years, and much much more. But perhaps the part of the book that I found the most entertaining was the preface, where Bob talks about how he got his first big break hosting Truth or Consequences. Ralph Edwards heard him on the radio one day while driving with his children and decided to call Bob in for an interview. Subsequently, Bob was called back for 5 or 6 additional interviews (each one more important than the last one) and each time Ralph would say to Bob at the end of the interview, "I'll keep in touch". Of course, Bob did not know for certain he would ever hear from Ralph again. Well of course, we all know he did hear from him and got the offer.
The vulnerability Bob expresses in those moments while waiting for Ralph's "next call" and the way he describes how nervous he was for his first show was fascinating, coming from someone who we associate as being a living legend. And he discloses that out of the committee of people who were interviewing Bob for Truth or Consequences, Ralph was the only one who wanted him and so he was hired on a 4 week probationary basis. Looks like Ralph made the right decision.
I would recommend getting the audiobook as it is so much better to hear Bob's voice than to read the words on a page.
This book is to be praised. Wonderful job, Mr. Barker!!
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