After his death, I read more about what authorities found and I watched a show that discussed what actually killed him and was found during his autopsy. It seems he’d been misdiagnosed with Parkinsons and he was having all sorts of symptoms and health issues, including the depression he’d been bothered by off and on his whole life at times. I find the book an engrossing read as he was just so private even with those he seemed so close with and most people felt they didn’t really know him well. An advance digital copy was provided by NetGalley, author Dave Itzkoff, and the publisher for my honest review.

Robin was also consistently honest about himself. While most celebrities go into a hospital for “exhaustion,” Robin was truthful about his demons. Whether in his stand-up acts or during interviews, he openly discussed his troubles with depression and addiction. He eventually conquered his addictions, but his self-esteem remained low throughout his life. He thought of himself as an ugly man since he was not the epitome of a movie star. Robin had hair tufts throughout his body. He did indeed have a hairy body, which embarrassed him. I couldn’t help but think his insecurities over his looks were so adolescent. But then again, in ways, the author shows that he never really grew up, preferring the company of children to adults. Off camera, he could play with his child co-stars endlessly. If he was in the company of a five-year-old, he became five-years-old. I confess, this reminds me of myself. Personally, I find it delightful to be able to connect with a child on their level. After Robin Williams passed away, my daughter turned to me and said, “I grew up with Robin Williams”. After a moment, I realized that in many ways, so had I. I was in my mid-teens when Robin burst onto the scene in that iconic episode of ‘Happy Days’ which led to ‘Mork & Mindy’. I loved that show and found Robin to be a fresh comedic talent who could pull off what appeared to be completely spontaneous dialogue and accompanied by high energy physical comedy. From that time forward I was a huge fan. I loved his stand -up routines and his movies.

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BIG thanks to Henry Holt for providing my free copy of ROBIN by Dave Itzkoff - all opinions are my own.

A fun trivia about The Year of the Intern, he wrote the book while aboard Kamehameha, a nuclear submarine after he was drafted into the Navy after his surgical residency. The submarine was completely underwater for 75 days, and once it surfaced, Robin Cook was seen carrying his completely hand-written manuscript with him above while leaving the sub.In addition, he is disquieted by his unconventional girl-cousin Epiny—who challenges his heretofore unwavering world view—and by the bizarre dreams that haunt his nights.