Life Itself: A Memoir.

He is the best-known movie reviewer of our time. The first film critic to ever win a Pulitzer Prize, he has appeared on television for four decades. In 2006, thyroid cancer took away his ability to eat, drink, or speak. But with the loss of his voice, he has only become a more influential writer. Now, for the first time, Roger Ebert tells his full, dramatic story... In this candid, personal history, Ebert chronicles it all: his loves, losses, and obsessions; his struggle and recovery from alcoholism; his marriage to his beloved wife, Chaz; his politics; and his spiritual beliefs. He writes about his years at the Chicago Sun-Times, his colorful newspaper friends, and his life-changing collaboration with Gene Siskel. He remembers his friendships with Studs Terkel, Mike Royko, Oprah Winfrey, and Russ Meyer (for whom he wrote Beyond the Valley of the Dolls and an ill-fated Sex Pistols movie). He shares his insights into movie stars and directors such as John Wayne, Werner Herzog, and Martin Scorsese. Filled with the same deep insight, dry wit, and sharp observations that his readers have long cherished, this is more than a memoir-it is a singular, warm-hearted, inspiring look at life itself.