cover image Let's Face It: 90 Years of Living, Loving, and Learning

Let's Face It: 90 Years of Living, Loving, and Learning

Kirk Douglas. John Wiley & Sons, $22.95 (238pp) ISBN 978-0-470-08469-4

At 90 years old, recovered from a stroke and a near-fatal helicopter crash, acting legend Douglas is in a reflective mood: ""now is the time to have an audit of my life,"" he writes, and he does not disappoint. Douglas recalls his childhood and his own children, 50-plus years of marriage to wife Anne and the deaths of his son and many of his famous friends. He tackles a wide range of topics, with chapter names like, ""Three Thoughts About Two Races,"" ""I Love Dogs"" and ""Does God Laugh?"" He's also unafraid to take a few swings at the young 'uns, most notably at Mel Gibson, Michael Moore and even the whippersnappers at NASA. Douglas's assessment of his life is honest, wise and not always flattering; when he heard, in a recent documentary, what some family members had to say about him, he notes, ""It's difficult to see ourselves as others see us."" Nevertheless, Douglas is upbeat, engaging and full of sharp observations, such as his simple epitaph, ""I tried, dammit, I tried.""