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Rickles' Book - A Memoir
by Don Rickles
Simon & Schuster
ISBN 0-7432-9305-3
Published May 2007 - Hardcover - 241 pages - $24.00

I don't know that much about Don Rickles, not having grown up with television, but I have seen him here and there in the last decade, mostly reruns.  However, that doesn't mean I don't like his sense of humor - I do.  His book opens with the Frank Sinatra story - one I thought was hilarious when I first heard it.  Life for the young Don started off in Jackson Heights, Queens, an only child.  We're taken on a journey in the form of short chapters, from his start at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, to auditions, a few gigs here and there, a move to Miami where his mom met Frank Sinatra's mom and became friends, his break in Hollywood, his stint in Las Vegas, and many, many Sinatra stories.  You can probably read this entire book in about two hours, maybe less.  In fact, it's like reading the "notes for a memoir".  In all honesty, I cannot for the life of me understand how this book made it onto the New York Times Bestseller list - it's just not good, or funny.  I barely raised a smile.  Is it content or sales that gets you on the list?  What annoys me intensely is when a "name" gets noticed just because it's known.  Phooey.  Oh, and I can't believe Rickles and Sinatra hung out with Prince Albert.  I'll bet it was Prince Rainier.
Conclusion - Ho-hum.