A truly enjoyable memoir of Henry Winkler, written by Henry Winkler, and the audiobook was charismatically and enthusiastically narrated by Henry Winkler. There are many laughs -- some self-deprecating and some deeply personal and genuinely hilarious. Henry Winkler has lived a rich and storied life and overcome MANY obstacles, academically and throughout his professional career.

He seems to have endured and succeeded through sheer determination and resilience (and charm). His family history is especially interesting (as was his squinchy first sexual experience). He holds nothing back and it's hysterical.

For FANS of Henry Winkler -- from the Lords of Flatbush to Happy Days to Barry (and it's hard not to be a giant fan of the man himself after listening!!) this is a must. Thank you #NetGalley for this wonderful audiobook. Apologies that it took so long to submit feedback and I am grateful for the opportunity to review this book.

***** I have received and read an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for giving my honest feedback. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.*****

Apart from seeing a few episodes of "Happy Days" when I was younger, I never really saw anything in which Henry Winkler appeared, but knowing how much of a cultural icon he became, this book immediately drew my attention.

How is it that someone who is known as the epitome of cool can suddenly seemingly disappear for what seems like decades?

In his memoir "Being Henry" we get to find out how his leading role as "the Fonz" not only started his career but also almost ended it due to being typecast.

We get to follow along as he reorients and rebuilds himself into a producer, writer, and finally one of the most well known actors working today.

The week he arrived in Hollywood from a theater education at Boston’s Emerson College and then the Yale School of Drama, Henry Winkler landed the role that would define him for decades: Arthur Fonzarelli, the ultracool “Fonzie” on the TV hit “Happy Days.”

But when the show ended after 11 seasons, Winkler found himself typecast as the epitome of ’50s cool. For years, acting jobs were hard to come by.

So this mostly charming memoir isn’t a tale of unrelenting success. Instead, it’s the story of how, bit by bit, Winkler, now 78, reinvented himself. As the co-author of 39 children’s books, many of them starring a kid who — like Winkler — has dyslexia. As a director and producer, and as an actor who scored with later-in-life roles on “Arrested Development,” “Parks and Recreation” and, especially, “Barry,” the comedy-drama where he won an Emmy as acting teacher Gene Cousineau. And as a devoted husband, father and grandfather who finally — after a ton of therapy — has learned to open up.

He has good things to say about almost everyone he talks about, from Ron Howard in “Happy Days” to Adam Sandler in a stream of movies including “The Waterboy” and “Click” and to Bill Hader in “Barry” … with a couple of key exceptions.

One is John Rich, the director who ignored him for seven seasons while Winkler produced “MacGyver,” refusing to listen to a single one of Winkler’s ideas. Winkler wonders aloud if it’s fair to talk so badly about a man who’s dead and can’t defend himself — and decides that it definitely is.

The other is his German-Jewish parents, who never loved him as he needed to be loved, and whose funerals he contemplated skipping before giving in to his wife’s urging to attend. His impression of their accents is funny — he does a lot of great voices throughout as he tells his story — but there’s nothing comical about the bitterness that all his years of therapy clearly has not softened.

An audiobook that I finished the end of 2023 and one that I loved.

The first words that come to mind for most readers when you hear the name Henry Winkler are . . . THE FONZ! Known for a character he played in his late 20s, Henry Winkler has spent many years trying to play characters that were not The Fonz. Recounting the fun days of Happy Days and the trying time after where his professional life was many ups and downs and a lot of anxiety.

While I may not have watched Happy Days, I can remember watching a few episodes with my parents and loving the Grease like air of the show. I fell in love with Henry Winkler while reading this book. I loved his recounting of those Happy Days, but I loved more his behind the scenes stories of all of the sets and projects he worked on. And even more than that I loved hearing about his love story and his friendships that were made in and out of the Hollywood life.

After reading this book, I was encouraged to go look up other celebrity memoirs and listen to them in 2024 as I do housework, walk the dogs, and spend time in my garden!

I loved listening to the audiobook by Henry Winkler. I have always liked him but now I love him! He is raw, honest, funny and so down to earth! What a wonderful career for him. Thank you!

I don’t know Henry Winkler from the Fonz, but I do from his later appearances in Barry, Parks & Rec, and more. As someone who didn’t know much about his life, I really enjoyed this story. He seems like such a kind, thoughtful person. And I definitely would not have appreciated this book as much if I didn’t listen to the audiobook told in his amazing voice!

Sometimes, you listen to a memoir, and it feels like someone sits beside you, talking over a cup of tea. That is what it felt like as I listened to BEING HENRY. I felt like Henry Winkler was telling me stories, and I loved it. What a joy this book was. It makes you smile because you hear him smile as he describes it. He truly is one of a kind.

I appreciate his honesty and how he took us through his life. I love the anecdotes about the different sets he worked on and his struggle with dyslexia, which I could not imagine as an actor. It was neat to see how sets have changed since he has also worked for so long.

It's a great listen, and I appreciate that we got to hear his own words - and some of his wife's, too!

Henry Winkler is a national treasure and hearing him read his own story was an absolute delight. As a child of the 80's this book sparked a lot of memories for me. I also enjoyed hearing about Henry's career as a children's book author.

“From Emmy-award winning actor, author, comedian, producer, and director Henry Winkler, a deeply thoughtful memoir of the lifelong effects of stardom and the struggle to become whole.”

I quite enjoyed this memoir. I found Winkler thoroughly likeable, if not entirely believable. While I have no doubt his Sunshine Personality let him reframe everything positively, I’m guessing not everyone in Hollywood was as delightful as he recalls.

My favourite part was his frank discussions about his learning challenges. As a librarian, I was surprised I’d never heard about his book series. I immediately suggested them to our Children’s Librarian.

Thanks to NetGalley, Celadon, and Macmillan Audio for this charming ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC of "Being Henry" by Henry Winkler. It really was special having the author tell me his story, with such a genunine spirit, on my work drives I didn't mind the occasional backup. His story, and how he tells it tugs at the heart and makes you laugh out loud. Everyone can relate to things shared. He is so much more than The Fonz, and I loved listening to him tell me how.

Being Henry is a warm and inviting memoir by Henry Winkler of his life and experiences as The Fonz, and other roles as well as a generous sprinkling of honesty and personal philosophy told with wit and humor. Released 31st Oct 2023 by Macmillan on their Celadon imprint, it's 251 pages and is available in all formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This was such an engaging and interesting read. He's such an iconic part of American culture and for most people who grew up in the 70s and 80s, he was a huge part of their childhoods and teenage years. He of course went on to work in many other films, series, production capacities, as an author, etc etc, and he does discuss his other work in the book, but it's the background details and stories which really make the memoir shine.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 9 hours 22 minutes and is beatifully narrated by the author himself. His voice is instantly recognizable and he reads with warmth and humor. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read.

Four and a half stars. This would be an excellent choice for public library acquisition, home use, and gifting to fans of memoir and biography.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

Being Henry by Henry Winkler was a memoir that I enjoyed. I like that Henry Winkler was the narrator and enjoyed that aspects of his life that he discussed. While it is an interesting read, I feel like there was not much that he shared that was memoir worthy. There are no big secrets or shocking news that we could not find out ourselves. A little more surface level than I would have liked.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this gifted audiobook copy in exchange for an honest review.

When I was a kid the coolest dudes were BA Baracus, Michael Knight, Bo + Luke Duke, Macguyver, Magnum PI, and Tubbs + Crockett.

But hands down, Arthur Fonzarelli was always my favorite. I felt like he had a bit of Jersey swagger and he was the only guy who could have ever gotten away with jumping a shark. #iykyk

Henry Winkler is a national treasure. His story is more than just about being The Fonz, and he digs deep and holds nothing back. It’s candid and so refreshingly honest, and I highly recommend doing the audiobook because he’s a gifted storyteller - witty and charming - this man is just such a wonder to listen to.

He’s not afraid to divulge the deep stuff: his troubled childhood, struggles with reading, being typecast, and feelings of not fitting in… but with that also comes his fervor for the business, how no part is too small or inconsequential, how much he adores his friends and family, and how despite things not always going his way, he still manages to find triumph in the small stuff and have endless gratitude for it all.

I came away after listening to this book with a feeling of just being… to go along for the ride and see where it takes you and appreciate it all... because although there have definitely been ups and downs for Mr. Winkler, being Henry has been a remarkable ride beyond anything he could have imagined.

I will say - the audiobook is the way to go with this book. It’s narrated perfectly by Henry himself. Being Henry provides a look into his life beyond just “the Fonz” as we all fondly knew him growing up. This book dives into his childhood, upbringing as a Jewish person and really searching for direction in life. It talks about his struggles, not just in acting but with dyslexia which led him to a lack of confidence in his acting career.

I loved that it went beyond his acting so we could get to know him at a deeper level. We learn about his relationship with his wife Stacey, no 47 years married, but also his roll as a son, husband, father and grandfather.

I went in with no expectation and was really please with this book! I highly recommend it

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Being Henry
By: Henry Winkler
Publisher: Macmillan
Pub Date: 10/31/23

I was really excited to read this book. I grew up watching Happy Day’s reruns and the movies he made with Adam Sandler. Unfortunately his stories were externally repetitive. You can not tell me that every person you worked with you absolutely loved.
His struggles with anxiety and dyslexia were heartbreaking and the way his parents treated him was just horrendous.
Unfortunately there just wasn’t help for kids like Henry back then.
I didn’t enjoy when his wife began to narrate the story when it was about her. It felt odd and out of place. I love when an author has read their own work but for some reason this one just didn’t jive.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to have a complimentary copy of the audiobook, “Being Henry”. I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir narrated (mostly) by Henry. I’ve been a fan ever since “Happy Days” and liked learning more about his real life (versus his TV persona, The Fonz.)
Highly recommend

Absolutely the most positive and lovely memoir I have read.

I have been a fan of Henry Wrinkler since Happy Days was on the television. He always seemed like such a nice person and I suspected he was, reading this book just made me realize the man is a mensch !

He lets us in on his growing up years, how he breaks into show business , how he became the ever popular Fonzi and about his family life, from getting married to becoming an empty nester. This entire time he stayed true to himself and never seem to lose sight of his values.

Henry Winkler is truly the NJB that all Jewish mothers wished us daughters would marry !

Excellent read!

I've always felt that there was a certain folksy charm to Henry Winkler. This book brought that out in spades! I appreciated the honesty and candor with which he shared his struggles in life and in acting. He seems like the rare down-to-earth celebrity that you would actually want to spend time with in person.

I also really appreciated the stories about his family. It is evident that they mean a great deal to him, and that despite being one of the most recognized names in Hollywood he wants nothing more than to be known as a great husband father, and grandfather!

I highly recommend this book!

Who doesn't love Henry Winkler? Well, I do and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to his autobiography. We all think we' know' someone based on their public image but his story illustrates that the public persona is only one facet of the individual. His life story is enlightening and his story telling is just wonderful. There were so many moments in listening to this that I truly just laughed out loud, and given that I was listening to this on my outside walks I did get a few stares! I highly recommend this, it will only make you love Henry Winkler even more.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio for an advanced audio ARC of Being Henry.

This book is Henry Winkler telling the story of his life, both in writing and narration (with excerpts throughout from, and narrated by, his wife). The book is well written, and the narration is the perfect example of how a narrator should give life to a story (fiction or otherwise). Having his wife contribute her own words and voice was a nice addition that added an extra level of perspective to those parts of his life (i.e., his relationship with his wife which spans most of his career).

The story itself is composed a series of personal stories that, in retrospect, are more sporadic than they felt while reading them. They all span fairly linearly, and while it does pivot at times, it all flows in a perfectly natural way so that you barely even notice the shift in topic. Objectively, this is a very well done memoir.

I am someone who isn't really a huge fan of Winkler. The Fonz was just before my time, and while I may have even seen episodes as a kid, I really have no memory of it. To me, he is the occasional character actor used in some of my favorite comedies of my childhood and young adulthood. If you are fan of Winkler as the Fonz, I suspect your existing love will turn a really good memoir into an amazing one. Without that same same attachment, I read this more as an intriguing look at an interesting figure of Hollywood.

My only real gripe with 'Being Henry' is its light touch on the topic of privilege. Henry Winkler's story, marked by his struggle with dyslexia, is both inspiring and deeply human. But, there's a layer of privilege in there that's hard to ignore. While Winkler's family faced their share of adversities, especially as immigrants escaping Nazi Germany in the U.S., they seem to have had a certain level of financial security. This surely played a role in the chances Winkler had to retry and succeed. This isn't a major criticism, just something that niggled at me throughout the book. It became more apparent when he talked about his children entering showbiz, acknowledging the foot in the door nepotism gives while simultaneously believing it doesn't matter once you're in the room. The memoir is a very personal and moving story, no doubt, but this aspect felt like a blindspot worth noting.

Overall, Being Henry surprised me by being a stand out memoir with heart and a compelling writer/narrator.