Description

Performing on stage, in films and television, there are many talented artists who have influenced and entertained the public for decades. Often these thespians will document aspects of their lives and experiences to share with the public. While these works may be skewed because of bias or faulty memories, a well-written account can provide insight into what affected the author’s success. Focusing on five such entertainers, we will examine the following works (in order of the writers’ ages): If You Ask Me: (And of Course You Won’t) by Betty White, This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection by Carol Burnett, Maggie Smith: A Biography by Michael Coveney, The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man: A Memoir by Paul Newman, and You Never Know: A Memoir by Tom Selleck and Ellis Henican. (The public library has copies of each, or you can purchase them from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Thriftbooks or Abebooks.com) Note: Please read If You Ask Me: (And of Course You Won’t) for the first class. Class meets 5/19, 6/2, 6/16, 6/30, & 7/14.