Robin

This well-written page-turner is the definitive biography of the genius of Robin Williams, whose life redefines the highs and lows of the American dream. – Steve MartinIn Robin, Dave Itzkoff manages to straddle the man and the myth of Robin Williams, all the while helping us see why we fell in love with both. He has written a book about the truth and pain that lies in comedy, and the price paid by a sensitive soul. – Amy PoehlerThis book should be on everyone’s summer reading list. It’s certainly on mine – James CordenDave Itzkoff’s Robin is much like the man himself – warm, funny, frenetic, with a core of darkness and empathy. It gets at that darkness, and shows how it fuelled, beautifully, the manic brain and kinetic body of the man himself. An amazing read. – Patton OswaltTenderly written … frequently hilarious. * Sunday Times *A superb, illuminating study * Total Film *Compelling * Mail on Sunday Books of the Year 2018 *A must-read * Vogue *[A] really great book – a living chronicle and secret history of 50 years of American pop culture – and you should pick it up! – Colson Whitehead, author of The Underground Railroad This is the complete portrait of Robin Williams, from the boyhood inception of his genius to the complexity of his death. Williams may well be one of those people who are impossible to fully understand, but this book is as close as anyone will ever come. – Chuck Klosterman, author of But What If We’re Wrong?Dave Itzkoff has produced a remarkable and empathetic portrait, packed with satisfying detail, of a comic whirligig who could break your heart. He reveals Robin Williams the man with clarity and poignancy. – Julie Salamon, author of The Devil’s Candy and Wendy and the Lost BoysEveryone Dave Itzkoff interviewed for his account of Robin Williams’s life and career seems unsure if they fully knew who Williams was and why he did all the things he did, but Itzkoff pieces him together in his entirety. This engrossing book paints a stunningly complete picture of both the man and the comedian. A triumph, and a tragedy. – Alan Sepinwall, coauthor of TV (The Book) and author of The Revolution Was TelevisedFor someone who often seemed to wear his heart on his sleeve, Robin Williams was also surprisingly elusive. In his probing and compassionate biography, Dave Itzkoff does justice to both the blazing light and the dark corners in his work and life. Robin is deeply reported, finely attuned to the ebb and flow of a long and singular career, and ultimately very moving. – Mark Harris, author of Pictures at a Revolution and Five Came Back

Dave Itzkoff is the author of Mad as Hell, Cocaine’s Son, and Lads. He is a culture reporter at the New York Times, where he writes regularly about film, television, theater, music, and popular culture. He previously worked at Spin, Maxim, and Details, and his work has appeared in GQ, Vanity Fair, Wired, and other publications. He lives in New York City.