I Am Spock

This is Nimoy's second auto-biography. The first, "I Am Not Spock", drew a great deal of hostility from Star Trek fans, who felt he was rejecting his popular role.

"I Am Spock" starts with an explanation of "I Am Not Spock". Nimoy had chosen the title because both he and his editor agreed that Spock should be mentioned, and he wanted it to 'have some bite'. He discovered soon after publishing that this had been a grave error.

'Clever, all right. My timing and choice of title couldn't have been worse. What came back was a deep, sad moan of public frustration followed by outbursts of anger, even hatred. I got some vicious mail, most of which said, "We made you and we can break you!" Unfortunately, press articles followed which served to fuel that anger. After all, it made good copy: "Actor rejects character who threatens to consume him." For some years afterwards, the public assumption was that more Star Trek was not forthcoming because I had vowed never to play the Vulcan again because I hated Spock.'

Nothing could have been further from the truth. Nimoy explains that while he was understandably wary about being percieved as a one-note actor, playing the character of Spock had already had profound effects on him. So much so that in both of his autobiographies, written nearly twenty years apart, he still imagines long conversations with the character.

This book covers the actor's childhood in Boston, and the experiences that led him to a theatre career, which later expanded to include movies, TV series, and directing. He gives an in depth look at the Trek years: how Spock's increasing popularity with viewers caused tension with others on the set, most notably William Shatner, who considered himself to be the star (those frictions aside, the two men were apparently good friends during those years), his problems with Gene Roddenberry, and the difficulties of sudden fame. There are also stories of illegal image marketing -- billboards featuring Spock which Leonard Nimoy had never approved, much less received any compensation for. He also covers the second period of Star Trek -- not The Next Generation, but the first six Star Trek movies.

Nimoy doesn't discuss his family at all in the book, except to mention that he does have a wife and children, but instead focuses more on his relationships with other Star Trek cast members and individuals met in the course of his career. I Am Spock is a fascinating slice of his professional life, and provides insight into that of his co-workers as well.