Welcome to Litsy!

Laughter is a protest scream against death.

Mel Brooks is an American treasure. He is the mastermind behind some of the funniest films, television, and Broadway productions of all time. "All About Me!" chronicles his life, from his childhood in Brooklyn to the heights of success in entertainment. What appealed to me most about this book was his work ethic. He may be one of the hardest working entertainers in history.

Who doesn‘t love Mel Brooks?

I had the wherewithal to download a book while I had Wi-Fi, so I'd have something besides radio to listen to while I don't have Wi-Fi. I really enjoyed hanging out with Uncle Mel. Now I need another book while I wait for my hold on the Winkler book but it's hard to stop catching up on TV long enough to think of something.

I bounced between the physical and the audio for this, which I recommend because there are tons of photos in the book, but you‘ve got to hear Mel singing bits of the songs he‘s written for his movies and shows!

I really loved this. I‘m inspired to check out some of his movies I‘ve never seen (Silent Movie?!), and definitely will rewatch The Producers, which is my favorite of his works (I love both versions.)

A lot of tooting his own horn, ⬇️

What a sweet surprise in my mailbox today! Thank you Donna @UwannaPublishme ! I‘ve already flipped through and gotten nostalgic for some of the photos. I‘m excited to read it. 💕📚

I showed Igor his namesake‘s picture, he can‘t wait to hear more 😸.

1-19-23: My 7th finished book of 2023! I adore Mel Brooks. I was raised watching his movies, especially Young Frankenstein, High Anxiety, Spaceballs and Robin Hood. Reading his story from the beginning was fascinating. How he got into writing as a young man and just climbed that ladder of success. The love story of him and his wife Anne Bancroft is equally compelling. He‘s a funny story teller and a lover of life. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️📖#️⃣7️⃣

There were a lot of great choices for March, like Powers and Thrones/Dan Jones, The Glass Hotel/Emily St. John Mandel and Redwall/Brian Jacques, but I chose the tagged book because it was laugh out funny from beginning to end. I totally recommend the audiobook, no one tells a story like Mel Brooks.
Day 3 of #12BooksOf2022 @Andrew65

I love this guy & this book! Funniest Memoir Ever!!! No drama here—just tons of hilarious stories about Mel‘s childhood, the comical casts & comedians he worked with & priceless trivia about all of his beloved movies-some I didn‘t even know he created! Such a kind, generous soul who loves movies, life & doing anything to make people laugh. The world would be a much happier place if we followed his motto: “If you can laugh, you can get by.” 😁🙌🏻

It is 1931, I am five years old, and my older brother Bernie takes me to see a movie called Frankenstein at the Republic Movie Theatre. Big mistake!

#firstlinefridays
@ShyBookOwl

The subtitle says it all: Mel Brooks, born Melvin Kaminsky and raised in a tenement in Brooklyn, has had a remarkable life in show business. This memoir focuses on his work rather than his private life, but his confident, people-loving outsized personality shines through. As Martin Scorsese notes while presenting him with one of his many awards (he has EGOT status), he has "an anarchic spirit but a loving heart."

What an absolutely delightful listen! Brooks breezes through his life and career with all the charm and humor he has always shown. He is a natural born storyteller, and listening to him narrate is a wonderful experience. He seems to have valued every experience, always finding the positive side. This is not a gossip book; he has nothing but praise for his friends and collaborators, taking pain to mention most of them by name. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a Litsy Made Me Listen book & I‘m so glad I did! Check out the stress fractures on my mouthguard. I needed this book. I have zero east coast connections & this is not my generation, but it felt warm, familiar, welcoming & funny.

💠 Listening to Mel Brooks' new autobiography. If I had gotten the book, I'd have just read the whole thing with his voice in my head anyway
💠 Digital audiobook
💠⭐⭐⭐ for his adolescence. I'm sure it'll jump to 5 stars when it gets to the good stuff, but I could listen to him talk all day regardless
💠 Nothing. I just read back a few pages if I forget something or lose my focus.
#thoughtfulthursday @MoonWitch94

So excited to start this book on audio. A friggin' legend!

I absolutely loved this book!!! Melvin Kaminsky has one of the most unique life stories I've ever heard and growing up in the same area of Brooklyn as my grandmother, hearing him read this felt like home. 💜 You'll hear stories from the sets of his iconic films, the development of the Broadway show for the Producers and how he cultivated incredible friendships along the way.

Really enjoying this, simply because Mel Brooks is so New York. I love his description of a chocolate egg cream (no eggs involved 🥚) and found out he potentially went to high school with my grandmother! I wish I could share this with her! She'd absolutely love this book! 💜

32/150 Truely one of the funniest memoirs I have ever read. I definitely recommend going the audiobook route, listening to Brooks tell his adventures and misadventures in and out of Hollywood is pure joy. Although there is some of his life growing up in New York, this is most about his career in movies & theater, so it doesn't delve much into his personal life. 5 ⭐
5th book for #KickTheSlump @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES

It is 1931, I am five years old, and my older brother Bernie takes me to see a movie called Frankenstein at the Republic Movie Theatre. Big mistake!

#firstlinefridays
@ShyBookOwl
#currentlyreading

This audiobook is over 15 hours long. Ordinarily, that would be a slog for me. Not with Mel. What a delight!

I can‘t remember a time in my life when I wasn‘t a Mel Brooks fan. My grandparents took me to a matinee of Spaceballs when I was six years old and there was no turning back. God bless this sweet, talented man. He is now 95 years old and wrote an autobiography. Listen to the audiobook. The man even sings! Sings!

I downloaded the audiobook after listening to an interview with Brooks. I was so struck by his joy for life that I wanted to listen to him tell more stories. He was born the same year as my dad, who died 20 years ago. I enjoyed Brooks‘s stories of growing up during the Depression and serving in the military during WWII, just like my dad. Brooks has inspired me to keep going during the rough times, to keep my sense of humor, and to live with joy.