As I continue my audiobook journey this year, I’ve been very selective in terms of choosing which memoirs (especially celebrity memoirs) to read, as there are way too many of them out there and quite a few of them don’t interest me in the slightest. I’ve had Henry Winkler’s memoir on my TBR for quite some time though, as it was recommended to me by a few book friends who suggested listening to the audio version narrated by Henry himself. It makes sense then, that when I rekindled my relationship with audiobooks at the end of last year, this book was one of several on my audio shortlist that I wanted to make sure I prioritized. And yes, this memoir turned out to be every bit as delightful and funny as expected! I can definitely see why Henry’s memoir won the Goodreads Choice Best Humor award back in 2023 when the book first came out, as I found myself chuckling at certain moments, but best of all was hearing Henry himself laughing during those same moments.
Prior to reading his memoir, I had no idea how charming and funny Henry could be, as I was born in the late 1970s so Happy Days was kind of before my time -- though I was familiar with the show, as I watched it through reruns in syndication in the late 80s/early 90s, I of course wasn’t around when the show was at its peak in the mid-70s, so I never really “followed” Henry’s career as I did other sitcom stars. Like many others, I only knew Henry as “The Fonz” so reading his memoir and learning about his life and career beyond that one iconic role has been an especially insightful experience. It was interesting to hear about Henry’s long-time concern about being typecasted and the impact that had on him being able to find acting work, which led to him exploring other career paths such as producing, directing, and even becoming a children’s book author (now I want to check out his Hank Zipser books, as they sound so delightful). With Henry’s memoir, the most nostalgic moment for me was hearing him talk about his experience producing one of my favorite TV shows, MacGyver (the Richard Dean Anderson version from the 1980s/1990s), which, though I knew back then that he was an executive producer on the show, I completely forgot about it until he mentioned it (as much as I miss that show, I have no interest in watching the recent reboot of the series).
In terms of Henry’s personal life, I was surprised to hear how poorly he was treated by his parents and sibling and the lifelong strained relationship he had with them as a result (when his parents died, he didn’t even want to go to their funerals at first, which says a lot about how toxic the relationship was). As heartbreaking as it was to read about this struggle (which, I will be honest, those of us who have strained relationships with our own parents can probably relate to), I was glad to hear that, in the end, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it made him vow to not only be a different kind of parent to his own children, but also as a person, actively strive to be the opposite of what his parents were (now I understand why he is regarded as the nicest man in Hollywood and is so beloved and respected in the industry). My favorite part of Henry’s memoir is when he talks about his relationship with his wife Stacey, to whom he has been married 47 years (at the time that this memoir was written) – given how the entertainment industry works, not only is it rare to see such a long and loving marriage, it’s also wonderful to see how much Henry adores and respects his wife. It was such a treat to get to hear Stacey narrate parts of the audiobook alongside Henry and give her own perspective on things – I actually ended up adoring Stacey as well and can definitely see why she is such a perfect match for Henry.
I really enjoyed this memoir and appreciated learning so much about Henry Winkler – specifically about his personal struggles and, more significantly, how different he is from the personas he portrays on screen. If I wasn’t a fan of his before, I certainly am one now!
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