The Other Side of Me

A Memoir

By: Sidney Sheldon

Narrated by: Mike O'Malley

In his eagerly anticipated memoir, America's premier storyteller shares the story of his own life in a frank and revealing book that rivals any of his fictional tales. Sidney Sheldon is truly an entertainment legend: Author of over a dozen best sellers, Academy Award-winning screenwriter, and creator of some of television's greatest hits, he has lived a singularly fascinating life. Sheldon has seen and done it all, and now in this candid memoir, he shares his story for the first time, talking about the personalities, highs, and lows that have made his career and life so captivating. From a depression-era childhood in Chicago to an Air Corps stint in World War II to the bright lights and hot parties of New York and Los Angeles, Sidney Sheldon has lived the kind of life most people could never imagine...until now.©2005 Sidney Sheldon. All Rights Reserved. (P)2005 Time Warner AudioBooks. All Rights Reserved.

Critic reviews

"Reminiscent of his colorful novels, a rags-to-riches yarn replete with struggle, an indomitable hero, and eventual glamour." (Publishers Weekly)

Super interesting

I never knew Sidney Sheldon had such a successful career before becoming a novelist. Very interesting book

Loved it

If you like Sidney's books, you will love it.
Inspiring, enlightening, entertaining.
Enjoyed listening to it very much.

If only everyone's biography was this engrossing!

Sidney Sheldon should be even more famous than he is. The man has had three or four amazing careers in one lifetime and still comes across as humble as your elderly neighbour down the street. His ability to recall details from 50 years ago is astounding.
As a writer, I found myself envious; as a reader, I consider myself priveleged to now know how some of his iconic creations came into being. As a creative person, I found the whole thing incredibly inspiring. If you are any of the above you will enjoy the book and the author's own verbal input. The interview is a bit lame but then, she produced so I guess she's allowed.
Sheldon is an inspiration to any creative soul. If his story hadn't been written the world would be a lesser place. Thank God someone decided to do an audiobook. Now creative types who don't read can also benefit from a life well lived and well presented.

What a wonderful read about historic Hollywood

This was such a great book for myriad reasons. Sidney Sheldon's life story, while compelling in and of it self, was woven together with tidbits of behind the scenes Hollywood history. The personalization of this really brought it to life. Touching on but not dwelling on the effects of a bi-polar disorder normalized the affliction and presented a positive story of someone who didn't allow that to define him. I was quite take with a few of the stories and, as a fan of his work, was able to see the similarities of how he courted his second wife and the way Toby Temple courted Jill Castle in "A Stranger in the Mirror". There were other areas in his story that he used in his books. It was really interesting to hear that. The narrator did a great job. If you're a Sidney Sheldon fan, I highly recommend this.

Very skimpy on Jeannie and the novels

If you're looking to read about Sidney Sheldon the creator of I Dream of Jeannie or the author of tons of great 70's/80's novels, you'll be disappointed. Really disappointed. This book instead is a name-dropping history of Sidney's early life, breaking into Hollywood as a writer (and director), with only the last tiny portion (maybe 1/8th) devoted to Jeannie and his novels.

It's a little bit short, which is why I wasn't bored for the Hollywood history, because it was leading up to the things I had known him for, and why I got this book in the first place. As soon as it talks about the Patty Duke Show (which I've never seen, but have heard of), I knew it was about to be Jeannie time, so I looked at the amount of time remaining...and was really surprised and disheartened.

To make things worse, that 1/8th is split between regular book biography and an afterward by Sheldon himself (audiobook), and he's a little tough to listen to (he was 80 at the time), and an interview by someone who even asked him if was going to write a part 2 that covered his novels. Spoiler Alert: He said no, and didn't write anything else on his life after this.

I wouldn't have purchased this had I known what was covered...even knowing ahead of time that many autobiographies often give you *way* too much about the subject's life and gloss over the stuff you are actually interested in. Oh well...it was interesting, just not about what I was particularly interested in.

The Other Side Of Me

It was awesome. I absolutely love Sidney Sheldon and he did not dissapoint. Enjoyable and interesting from page one until the end

Terrific Story! I love Mr. Sheldon even more now.

Where does The Other Side of Me rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the most enjoyable

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Other Side of Me?

The early years

What about Mike O'Malley’s performance did you like?

Professional and friendly. Great performance.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Oh, yes!

Any additional comments?

This audiobook led me to some other biographies, which I have also enjoyed.

Ack! NOT About a Person's Struggle w/ Depression!

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I suppose someone who's a Sidney Sheldon fan, or interested in his general (hugely successful) career path, from scriptwriter to screenwriter, to TV, and finally as a novelist, would find this interesting.

What could Sidney Sheldon have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

This book never delved into any real difficulty Sheldon's bi-polar disorder caused his professional or personal life. If this highly successful person could have opened up and offered readers a look at how his mental illness was problematic, and how he coped and overcame the obstacles he faced, the book could have been worth reading.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The narrator was ok, and even did a good job with a few Brooklyn and other colorful inflections. Perhaps the only problem with the narrator's work here is that he has to more or less recite in succession, at a predetermined clip - without much detail or emotion - all Sheldon's accomplishments and moves up the ladder to "the top."

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

I couldn't have been more disappointed with an audiobook. One thing it possibly shows -without saying as much - is that the mania of bi-polar can make some people extremely productive. Some even say bi-polar is the mental-illness of choice. So this book, by completely leaving out any difficulties at all this mental illness posed for its author, confirms that myth.

DULLLLLLLL

There was so much more in SS's life I would have liked to read about, but it was too much TV and not enough depth.