A Review of the Book "Making It So" by Patrick Stewart

Title: Making It So

Author: Patrick Stewart

Publisher: Gallery Books

Year: 2023

443 pages

From the Back: From his acclaimed stage triumphs to his legendary onscreen work, Sir Patrick Stewart has captivated audiences around the world and across multiple generations in a career spanning six decades with his indelible command of stage and screen. No other British working actor enjoys such career variety, universal respect, and unending popularity, as witnessed through his seminal roles - whether as Captain Jean-Luc Picard of Star Trek fame, Professor Charles Xavier of Marvel's X-Men hit movie franchise, his more than forty years as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company and in such critically lauded roles for Hamlet and The Tempest on the West End and Broadway, his unforgettable one-man show adapted from Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, or his comedic work in American Dad!, Ted, Extras, and Blunt Talk, among many others. Now, he presents his long-awaited memoir, Making It So, a revealing portrait of a driven artist whose astonishing life - from his humble and hard-scrabble beginnings in Yorkshire, England, to the dizzying heights of Hollywood and worldwide acclaim - proves a story as exuberant, definitive, and enduring as the author himself.

Personal Thoughts: As a Trekkie, Captain Jean-Luc Picard was one of my favorite characters. While the first season was a little rough, the rest of the show was pretty amazing, and Patrick Stewart did an incredible job with the character. Following his Instagram account throughout the pandemic was quite interesting and fun, and made him seem like such an interesting guy. And not to mention his pictures with Ian McKellen! When I heard Stewart was writing a book, it was an easy decision to grab a copy (or, you know, ask my mom to buy it for me for Christmas).

    Stewart is as good of a storyteller on paper as he is on the small and big screen (I didn't have the privilege of seeing him on stage). To read about how he went from his meager childhood in England to one of the most loved actors in Hollywood was quite the adventure! I was amazed to learn about all the work he did to get where he is now, all of the rejections that didn't deter him, and all of the success that he didn't seem to let go to his head.

    Reading Making It So was plenty of fun and didn't change my mind about Stewart one iota. Which I am truly glad about.