The Answer Is .... Reflections On My Life

The Answer Is ... Reflections On My Life is the memoir by popular quiz show host, Alex Trebek. I watched this celebrated show occasionally over the years, often with my Nana, and it is odd now to think that Trebek will never again be behind the podium after the world lost him to late-stage pancreatic cancer on November 8, 2020 at the age of 80.

I chose to listen to the digital audiobook format of this memoir, and I think that added a lot to the emotional element. Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings, who became a friend of Trebek's, takes on the lion's share of the narrating and does a good job. But I'm glad that Trebek narrates a few chapters himself, particularly the touching chapter dedicated to the 'love of his life' - his wife of 30 years, Jean.

Humble, humourous and down-to-earth, this conversational memoir is simply written in short vignettes. The delivery is a bit choppy, but I enjoyed the Jeopardy! themed chapter titles and casual style. Starting with his childhood in Sudbury, Ontario (where I also spent a chunk of my childhood), the memoir also includes how he got his start in the entertainment industry and his personal life. He may have been a TV icon as host of the popular quiz show for 36 years, but Trebek never seemed to let fame to go to his head. I appreciated him sharing his personal life, allowing readers to get to know the man behind the podium and famous moustache. And hearing Alex drop the occasional swear word!? That was equally funny and surprising. 

Along with personal anecdotes, readers get a behind-the-scenes look at Jeopardy! and how Trebek balanced work with his personal life, extensive philanthropic work and later his cancer treatments. It was these personal touches that drew me in because Trebek was simply a nice guy. A guy that many people felt they knew because they saw him almost every night in their living rooms. So, hearing him share his thoughts about his family, his fight with cancer and knowing his time on this earth was limited when he was writing this memoir, made it quite an emotional read at times, even causing this self-proclaimed non-crier to tear up a bit. 

Despite living in the US for decades, Alex Trebek remained a good 'ol Canadian boy and his humility, humour and heart shine through in this informative and touching memoir. All proceeds from this book go to charity.

My Rating: 5 stars

Author: Alex Trebek

Genre: Memoir, Canadian

Type and Source: eAudiobook from public library

Narrators: Alex Trebek and Ken Jennings

Run Time: 4 hours, 35 minutes

Publisher: Simon and Schuster Audio

First Published: July 21, 2020

Opening Lines: What Is ... The Nickel Range -- All right, let's start 

with something of significance. Approximately 1 billion, 

850 million years ago, a large comet struck North America a 

mighty blow in what is now the province of Ontario, and, 

along with scattering masses of valuable industrial minerals 

as far away as Minnesota, left what is now called the Sudbury Basin, 

Earth's second-largest crater, eighty-one miles in diameter.

Book Description from GoodReads: Longtime Jeopardy! host and television icon Alex Trebek reflects on his life and career.

Since debuting as the host of Jeopardy! in 1984, Alex Trebek has been something like a family member to millions of television viewers, bringing entertainment and education into their homes five nights a week. Last year, he made the stunning announcement that he had been diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. What followed was an incredible outpouring of love and kindness. Social media was flooded with messages of support, and the Jeopardy! studio received boxes of cards and letters offering guidance, encouragement, and prayers.

For over three decades, Trebek had resisted countless appeals to write a book about his life. Yet he was moved so much by all the goodwill, he felt compelled to finally share his story. “I want people to know a little more about the person they have been cheering on for the past year,” he writes in The Answer Is…: Reflections on My Life.

The book combines illuminating personal anecdotes with Trebek’s thoughts on a range of topics, including marriage, parenthood, education, success, spirituality, and philanthropy. Trebek also addresses the questions he gets asked most often by Jeopardy! fans, such as what prompted him to shave his signature mustache, his insights on legendary players like Ken Jennings and James Holzhauer, and his opinion of Will Ferrell’s Saturday Night Live impersonation. The book uses a novel structure inspired by Jeopardy!, with each chapter title in the form of a question, and features dozens of never-before-seen photos that candidly capture Trebek over the years.

This wise, charming, and inspiring book is further evidence why Trebek has long been considered one of the most beloved and respected figures in entertainment.