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A review by thatokiebird
Terry Pratchett: A Life With Footnotes: The Official Biography by Rob Wilkins
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I am so happy this book exists. Of course I would have endlessly loved an actual memoir written by Terry Pratchett, but this is surprisingly the next best thing. Terry Pratchett: A Life With Footnotes is written by his personal assistant Rob Wilkins, published in 2022. Reading the opening chapter where Rob lets the reader know how he came to be writing this "Official Biography", I was a little skeptical but as you read throughout the chapters you realize that personal assistant is not quite a strong enough name for what Rob was to Terry. Rob was his hands as he became the typer of his books when Terry could no longer type. Rob become his voice when Terry could no longer read out-loud at conventions. Rob became his body and his brain, when Terry had trouble getting around and even thinking near the end.
The story of Terry Pratchett's decline into Alzheimer's is utterly heartbreaking, and I cried multiple times while reading - like had to put the book down because I couldn't see through tears. That rarely happens for me, but when you're reading the detailed daily moments of what he went through - the book is so well written, that these moments absolutely come alive.
The book is also hilarious, with humor filling most of the book. The book includes Terry's childhood with large emphasis on how and when he became a reader, then a reader of science fiction, and eventually a writer of science fiction and fantasy himself. I, and I'm sure any reader of Terry Pratchett, immensely enjoyed this emphasis. It helped really paint the full picture of how my favorite author become that person. And then later in his life, as a millionaire beloved by so many, the seemingly realistic portrait it painted of a human who lived on his own time with his own views was pretty wild. He was at times portrayed as a trash asshole, at times as simply a bit of a grump, and other times as the most generous and thoughtful human to exist. I was glad to have all his sides portrayed. His anger, his short-temper, his lack of empathy, his humor, his charm, his imagination and curiosity.
I somehow just learned this book existed actually, and immediately checked out the e-book from my library and read it over a couple of weeks reading a chapter a night before bed. I absolutely loved it, and will be owning it eventually for sure. I'm doing my first reread of the Discworld books, having read all of them 15-20 years ago now. Having read this book as I start my reread through is definitely making me look at the books a bit different and I'm so happy for that.
The story of Terry Pratchett's decline into Alzheimer's is utterly heartbreaking, and I cried multiple times while reading - like had to put the book down because I couldn't see through tears. That rarely happens for me, but when you're reading the detailed daily moments of what he went through - the book is so well written, that these moments absolutely come alive.
The book is also hilarious, with humor filling most of the book. The book includes Terry's childhood with large emphasis on how and when he became a reader, then a reader of science fiction, and eventually a writer of science fiction and fantasy himself. I, and I'm sure any reader of Terry Pratchett, immensely enjoyed this emphasis. It helped really paint the full picture of how my favorite author become that person. And then later in his life, as a millionaire beloved by so many, the seemingly realistic portrait it painted of a human who lived on his own time with his own views was pretty wild. He was at times portrayed as a trash asshole, at times as simply a bit of a grump, and other times as the most generous and thoughtful human to exist. I was glad to have all his sides portrayed. His anger, his short-temper, his lack of empathy, his humor, his charm, his imagination and curiosity.
I somehow just learned this book existed actually, and immediately checked out the e-book from my library and read it over a couple of weeks reading a chapter a night before bed. I absolutely loved it, and will be owning it eventually for sure. I'm doing my first reread of the Discworld books, having read all of them 15-20 years ago now. Having read this book as I start my reread through is definitely making me look at the books a bit different and I'm so happy for that.