The Answer Is . . .: Reflections on My Life

By Alex Trebek

Longtime Jeopardy! host and television icon Alex Trebek reflects on his life and career.

When he debuted as the host of Jeopardy! in 1984, Alex Trebek became something like a family member to millions of television viewers, bringing entertainment and education into their homes five nights a week. In 2019, he made the stunning announcement that he had been diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer. What followed was an incredible outpouring of love and kindness. Social media was flooded with messages of support, and the Jeopardy! studio received boxes of cards and letters offering guidance, encouragement, and prayers.

For more than three decades, Trebek had resisted countless appeals to write a book about his life. Yet he was moved so much by all the goodwill, he felt compelled to finally share his story. “I want people to know a little more about the person they have been cheering on for the past year,” he writes.

The book combines illuminating personal anecdotes with Trebek’s thoughts on a range of topics, including marriage, parenthood, education, success, spirituality, and philanthropy. Trebek also addresses the questions asked most often by Jeopardy! fans, such as what prompted him to shave his signature mustache, his insights on legendary players like Ken Jennings and James Holzhauer, and his opinion of Will Ferrell’s Saturday Night Live impersonation. The book uses a novel structure inspired by Jeopardy! and features dozens of never-before-seen photos that candidly capture Trebek over the years.

This wise, charming, and inspiring book is further evidence of why Trebek has long been considered one of the most beloved and respected figures in entertainment.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Release date: Jul 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781982158019

Alex Trebek

Alex Trebek hosted the syndicated quiz show Jeopardy! for thirty-six seasons, earning him seven Daytime Emmy Awards—including a Lifetime Achievement Award—and the Guinness World Record for most episodes of a game show hosted by the same presenter. Prior to Jeopardy!, he hosted numerous quiz shows and game shows, including The Wizard of Odds and High Rollers. He began his career with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, working there for more than a decade. He graduated from the University of Ottawa and held honorary doctorates from the University of Ottawa and Fordham University. He worked with the humanitarian organization World Vision and contributed to various other philanthropic organizations, including the USO, UNCF, National Geographic Society, and the Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission. He died in Los Angeles on November 8, 2020, at the age of eighty.

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The Answer Is… by Alex Trebek, Simon & Schuster

A bit of potpourri for those who are hoping to become survivors.

INTRODUCTION

Of all the projects in my professional career, I am starting off on this one with the most serious misgivings. Over the past thirty years, I’ve been approached many times by publishers and writers to do an autobiography or consent to an authorized biography, but I’ve always turned them down. I’ve had no interest whatsoever. I didn’t think I had anything pertinent to say to the world. And my life was not particularly exciting. I’m the typical product of my generation: a hardworking breadwinner who looks after his family; does all the repairs he can around the house; enjoys watching television; and thinks a simple dinner of fried chicken, broccoli, and rice is just fine, thank you very much. I’ve shown up to work at the same job for thirty-six years and have lived in the same house for thirty years. I respect and like my colleagues, and have a family that I dearly love. In this, I’m no different from many other people. I have never seen myself as anything special. That’s why if you listen to Johnny Gilbert’s announcement at the opening of Jeopardy!, I’m introduced as the host rather than the star. I insisted on that when I took the job back in 1984.

But then early in 2019, all of that changed when I was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer.

At first, I was reluctant to share this news with the world. Basically, I’m a private person, but ultimately, I decided to do so because I wanted to stay ahead of the tabloids. I didn’t want them printing or manufacturing all kinds of crap. But upon making the announcement, I quickly discovered there are millions of people out there who seem to care and who feel I have played an important part in their lives. I’ve received boxes and boxes of cards and letters from people around the world offering their support, encouragement, advice, and prayers. There is a very large glass display case inside the Jeopardy! studio that is filled with them. It’s a humbling experience, but it is one that I thought deserved recognition. It made sense to respond to that outpouring of care, good wishes, and prayers. So I started to come around to this idea of a book.

I’ve got a very good friend whose opinion I respect a great deal. He’s very intelligent, very insightful. As soon as he got wind of the fact that I was considering this project, he immediately fired a lot of questions at me.

What’s in it for you? he asked. I don’t mean financially. I mean, what do you expect the benefits of a book will be for you? You’ve been in the public eye quite a bit for more than a year now, and the reaction has been very positive. Should you not be concerned that by revealing stuff from your past you might lose some of the goodwill that has been coming your way? Is this just an end-of-life reconciliation or settling of old scores? Is it basically what you did when you revealed your diagnosis: an attempt to stay ahead of the tabloids and any writer out there who is looking to publish an unauthorized biography that would rely on old clips and ‘fake news’? Or is there more to it than that?

See how bright he is?

That started me thinking: What is my goal here? Is there more to it than that? Like most people, I want to be liked. And I want people to know a little more about the person they have been cheering on for the past year. Sure, staying ahead of the tabloids is part of the reason also.

Once I made the decision to proceed, I quickly determined what this book would not be. This is not going to be a standard memoir. We’re just hitting the highlights. It’s a series of quick look-ins, revelations. It’s an aperçu of Alex Trebek, human being. What is he like? What has he done? How did he screw up? Things like that.

Except for contributing the occasional Jeopardy! clue, I’m not a writer. And I especially do not feel comfortable writing about myself. When I met with Governor General of Canada David Johnston a couple of years ago, I got a chuckle out of him when I said, "Your Excellency, you and I have a lot in common. We’re both from the Sudbury region. We’ve both played hockey with Phil Esposito. You have written twenty-two books, and I have read twenty-two books."

I’ve spent a career communicating verbally. So try to look at this as a conversation in which I get a chance to reveal a lot more about myself than I have ever done on Jeopardy! Some of what you will discover will undoubtedly surprise you. Some of it may even shock you. I’m going to do my best to recount things completely accurately, but I don’t want people to hold me to that, and I don’t want people coming back at me and saying, You didn’t get that right.

I will try to remember as much as I can, but the cancer, chemotherapy, and my age have taken a toll on me. My powers of recall have slowed. When I was younger, I had a great memory. I didn’t forget anything. Now my memory is fading, and I feel I’m in the same boat as Mark Twain, who in his seventies said he remembered only things that never happened. If that occurs here, tough shit.

Revelation #1: Alex Trebek swears. (Though, as I’ll explain a bit later, not as much as I used to.)

What Is…

THE NICKEL RANGE?

All right, let’s start with something of significance. Approximately 1 billion, 850 million years ago, a large comet struck North America a mighty blow in what is now the province of Ontario, and, along with scattering masses of valuable industrial minerals as far away as Minnesota, left what is now called the Sudbury Basin, Earth’s second-largest crater, eighty-one miles in diameter.

The large impact filled up with magma containing nickel, platinum, copper, gold, and other metals, making the area one of the world’s major mining sites. My hometown of Sudbury lies just outside the southern rim and for many years was known as the Nickel Capital of the World.

My father, George Edward Terebeychuk, was this little Ukrainian immigrant who had earned his passage money to Canada mainly by playing violin at weddings and parties in his hometown of Nuyno. He arrived from Ukraine in the late 1920s. He was on a train bound for Manitoba to be a farm laborer, but when he got to Ottawa, he decided he didn’t want to work on a farm, and he jumped off. He had a cousin, my uncle Mike, who lived in Toronto, and he touched base with him. Once Dad mastered the fundamentals of basic English and changed his last name to match his cousin’s, Mike got him a starting job in the kitchen at the King Edward Hotel, which was one of the two large first-class hotels in Toronto.

The exterior of the Nickel Range Hotel, where I spent so much of my youth.

The rotunda of the Nickel Range Hotel.

Dad knew nothing about cooking, but he got to like it, got good at it, and eventually, after a long apprenticeship, worked his way up to pastry chef. Then in the late thirties, he moved to the booming mining town of Sudbury. Ten years later, he was offered the job as cohead chef at the Nickel Range Hotel in Sudbury, and that brought about major changes in my life.

As I grew up, the kitchen became a second home to me, where I learned the value of the little things in life: the importance of punctuality; the rewards for hard, honest work; the pride of properly arranging tables and chairs; the camaraderie of a staff of waitresses and food preparers working together in harmony—although there was a time one of the meatcutters, obviously not happy with the way the waitress was placing her order, heaved a meat cleaver at her.

The hotel hosted all the main service clubs—Rotary, Lions, Kiwanis, Knights of Columbus—for luncheons and dinners and, because of the size of its ballrooms, many large receptions. I had two specific self-appointed duties at those events. When not portioning out the side dishes, I was in charge of slicing the large sheet cake for dessert.

Weddings—that’s where I got to enjoy watching artistry in motion. Quite often Dad had to create and make the wedding cakes, and I never ceased to be amazed at his artistic talent: the delicacy of the flowers and leaves, the fronds, the architectural touches, all in a pure-white soft icing. I helped also. My job was to find as many empty Kodak Brownie film spools that would be iced and used as supports for the cakes’ upper layers. Look at me, already a sous-chef at the age of eight.

Dad demonstrated his artistry and creativity in another way also. He and his co-chef, Jerry DeVilliers, used to prepare a special holiday treat for their friends. During the year they would accumulate all of the potato peelings and create a mash that would ferment for months in large bins in a basement storage room. Then, just before Christmas, they would set up a distillery. The first year was almost a disaster because the hotel’s head of maintenance couldn’t understand why the ice-making machines were always empty. He started to raise a fuss, but a bottle of the homemade vodka pacified him and he never complained again.

Oh, by the way, the meatcutter missed by a wide margin. But message sent and understood.

At that time, Sudbury had a population of around forty thousand. It has always amazed me that the entire city could fit inside the current Dodger Stadium. Why that stuck with me I’ve never known.

People would come into town to do business with the refineries or the mining operations. The Nickel Range Hotel was the prime quality hotel in the city, five stories high with a large lobby for public gathering and socializing. It was built in 1914, and by 1939 its reputation had grown considerably. Even though there were other contenders with worthy hotel names, Nickel Range seemed to truly reflect the spirit of the area, and it was there that the royal couple King George VI and Queen Elizabeth spent a night on their 1939 North American tour.

The hotel was very centrally located. It was a block and a half from the police station. Often the police officers on their morning patrol would stop at the hotel kitchen and ask George for a cup of coffee. In addition, they were arresting so many Eastern European mine workers, and nobody at the police station could speak Polish or Ukrainian or Russian, so they’d drag Dad—who spoke them all—out of the kitchen and over to the police station to translate so they could file proper papers on whoever it was they had arrested.

Dad would go to work at six thirty in the morning, do the breakfast until nine, then start preparing lunch. Lunch was from noon to one thirty. Then he had nothing to do from one thirty until the supper hours. So he’d come home and take a nap, and then go back to work around four thirty. He would get his work done pretty fast and would wind up going into the hotel tavern and having a beer. I’m not sure how he met my French Canadian mother, Lucille Lagace, but most likely it was because her brothers used to drink at the hotel and introduced them. Dad didn’t speak a word of French but got along well with Mom’s brothers and sisters, because they all drank beer.

Mom didn’t drink or smoke. She was looking after her mother, who was not doing all that well. Mom was the baby of the family. There were originally fifteen children, but by the time she was born it was down to ten. I think her taking up with Dad might’ve been a way to rebel a little, and to try to get herself out of the house and out on her own. And Dad was happy because he had found a family. They cared deeply for each other.

They had to get married because Mom got pregnant. They married in December 1939, and I was born in July—July 22, 1940, in a little shack of a house just behind my grandparents’ home. There was no doctor. My aunt Eunice was the midwife. My mother went through thirty-six hours of labor before delivering me. She lived to be ninety-five and reminded me of this many times.

The Copper Cliff smelter in 1960.

What Is…

POLLUTION?

At this time, the outskirts of the city of Sudbury were very barren. Much of the timber had been forested to help rebuild Chicago after its great fire of 1871. Now the remaining vegetation was dying off. Sudbury’s refineries became the scourge of North America. I remember hearing once that 80 percent of the people in Sudbury died of cancer. It was just part of life. We’d either get the choking hydrogen dioxide smoke from the refineries in Copper Cliff, which was a few miles away, or if the wind turned, we’d get the malodorous hydrogen sulfide fumes from the paper mill in Espanola, which was about fifty miles away. Either way, it was not the greatest atmosphere in which to grow up. But we didn’t know any better. We just did our thing.

Showing off my left-slanting penmanship. That’s my buddy Adelard Baker over my right shoulder at the very back of the class.

Who Is…

THE LAST OF THE BAD WOMEN?

There were two primary schools side by side. One taught all their classes in English. My school, St. Louis de Gonzague, taught most of their classes in French. I was bilingual. My friends and I would speak both French and English. It depended on which students I was hanging around with at the time. A schoolmate, Adelard Baker, lived a block away from me, and we often walked the same path home. But he was a pain in the ass. He was a bit of a bully—always trying to lord it over everybody—pushing me and shoving me and teasing me. One

Reviews for The Answer Is . . .

[David Njamasi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Dream work i appricitate to focus and maintane the strategic fighting of their dream

[Kelsey Zmuda · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely LOVED this book! Did not want to put it down! Such a fast read! Was like Alex was having a conversation with us, telling us stories, each chapter is it’s own story. Is a book a can read over and over again! 5 out of 5 stars!

[dandiercks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Early on in this book I convinced myself that it was a disappointment. It was chopped up with little continuity. Chapters were very short. Topics were all over the place. What I finally determined was it wasn’t really the organization of the book that bothered me; it was the image of Alex Trebek that most bothered me. He wasn’t the staid, prim and proper host of the intellectual’s favorite quiz show (NOT “game show”). The farther I got, however, the more I enjoyed this new Alex Trebek. He was definitely much more human and reachable than the man I’ve watched for decades reading clues on Jeopardy! I grew to like this guy a lot. I even liked his approach to explaining his own feelings about what lay ahead just a matter of months later. Alex’s family is, no doubt, one of the major reasons he had remained so grounded. He seemed truly thankful for them, especially when he needed them most—at the end. This book, rather than being sorrowful because of how we all knew it would end, was if not inspirational, hopeful. And I found myself thanking my lucky stars for the life I have.

[gypsysmom_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

At one of the Academy Award presentations Meryl Streep said that all of the nicest people are Canadian. She was talking about Ryan Gosling but she could also have been describing Alex Trebek. Despite having lived in the USA for years, Trebek never lost his niceness. He worked hard in his various roles on TV and never wanted to be called a star; he was a game show host. His first marriage ended in divorce but he and his second wife stayed friends with his first wife. He volunteered countless hours with World Vision and toured with the USO many times. Although he drove a few hot sports cars when he was younger his final vehicles were half-ton trucks because he needed to be able to transport lumber for projects he worked on at home. He was just what he always seemed when he was hosting Jeopardy, a genuinely nice guy. He is missed.

[jenniferrobb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I almost hesitated to read (well, listen to) this book--mostly because I have read some biographies/memoirs that have revealed some surprising facts about figures I held in some esteem. I was worried this would do that. I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, I did learn things about Trebek that I didn't know previously, but nothing too shocking (at least not to me). I have watched "Jeopardy" off and on for many years. Trebek has been the host for all of those years (as best I remember anyway). I agree with other reviewers that he felt more like a friend than a celebrity or a game show host. It was a little weird to have Ken Jennings reading most of the book rather than Alex himself (Not because I don't like Ken Jennings, but just had to mentally adjust to hear Alex's voice reading the words)--but at this point, I'm sure Alex was well into his cancer treatments and I can understand why he might not want to commit himself to recording the entire work. Cancer treatments are hard on the body--tiring, painful, etc.!I am really sad that he's no longer with us.

[cathyskye · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'd been undecided on reading this book even though Alex Trebek has been a treasured part of my life for decades. Would I find it too sad? I can still have tears well in my eyes at the dedication to Trebek at the end of each Jeopardy! episode. A fellow reader assured me that it wasn't sad, and-- as a result of my adventures with a new format-- when I learned that both Ken Jennings and Alex himself narrated the audiobook, that was enough for me. I'd get the treat of listening to Alex tell me about his life. (For his voice was one of the most special things about him to me.) The fellow reader was right; The Answer Is... isn't sad. And I learned a lot about Trebek as a man, a son, a husband, a father, a philanthropist. I was astonished to learn that we had several things in common, one of them being that our mothers were both sent to a tuberculosis sanatarium. The Answer Is... is illuminating, comforting, and uplifting. Even readers who haven't been fans of this very special man can enjoy this book... and I hope they do.

[reader1009-863136 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

nonfiction; biographical essays

As he states in his intro, Alex Trebek has had a fairly ordinary life, but nevertheless this collection of personal anecdotes (from someone who has collected so many such stories from the contestants on his show) written by a kindly gentleman with a good sense of humor (and apparently, a penchant for swearing) is a pleasure to read.

The book seems to be part of his preparations for his eventually leaving the show (Ken Jennings, who will most likely be his successor as host of "Jeopardy!", is even given the honor of providing the voice for much of the audio version) -- but I will continue to root for his recovery, however improbable--if he can last this long with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, why not a little longer? Or a lot longer? There is no shortage of folks who would gladly bake this man a tray of brownies, with or without the hash.

[kaulsu · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a wonderful look at Alex Trebeck, the man. The guy. The regular fella. I enjoyed learning more about my favorite game show--especially since I doubt I will ever see the workings of it from the inside!I understand why it was too difficult a project for Trebeck to take on completely, and from that stand point, I think Jennings was a good choice. But it was disconcerting, always, when the two would trade off. It always took a second of two to realize what was going on...even though the switch was announced.Even having said that, I am glad I listened to the audible version of this book. It was a poignant goodbye to a "good friend."

[lindaloretz · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Answer Is...Reflections on my Life, by Alex Trebek, is a quick read, and it was worth spending time on it. Alex reflects on his life in a series of short chapters about his childhood, his early career, and then his time on Jeopardy. I didn't know much about his personal life, and although he remains somewhat guarded with details, it was interesting to read about his first marriage and his keeping in touch with his ex-wife, his current wife, who is much younger than he is, and his adult children. I was glad to learn specific information about Alex Trebek's charity work, much of which was with World Vision. Yet, he has also supported many other charities, including the protection of the musk ox, a fascinating animal that happens to be his favorite. It was also poignant to realize which Jeopardy contestants he gave chapters in this memoir—Cindy Stowell, Eddie Timanus, James Holzhauer, and of course, Ken Jennings.

[john_warner-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Although Alex Trebek wasn't the first Jeopardy host, being one for 37 years makes him the one I most connect to this show that has aired for almost half a century. Alex was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer early in 2019, battled it for two years, and died from it when he was 80 years old. When he was diagnosed with cancer, he decided to get his affairs in order. Part of this included writing this memoir with chapter titles formatted like Jeopardy clue answers. The entertaining chapters cover in short vignettes, his family, his career, and his philosophy of life, which he summarized in the last chapter:"I would like to remembered first of all as a good and loving husband and father, and also as a decent man who did his best to help people perform at their best. Because that was my job. That is what a host is supposed to do.".That was what Alex's ministry was which he did well.

[bookworm12_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a must read for anyone who loves Jeopardy. Trebek shares anecdotes from his life and career along with advice and reflections on his dire cancer diagnosis. It’s told with his trademark dry sense of humor and this narrated both by him and by Ken Jennings. It was the perfect short read during a remote weekend get away. Very entertaining and interesting if you’re already a fan. He seems like such a down-to-earth individual, despite his fame.

[detailmuse · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

With a motivation to “stay ahead of the tabloids” and “to respond to [viewers’] outpouring of care, good wishes, and prayers,” George Alexander (“Alex”) Trebek assembles 82 short reminiscences into this memoir of his personal and professional life -- from childhood and family in Canada, through marriage and more than 30 years as host of Jeopardy! in the US, through good works worldwide, to the approach of his death last year. Accompanied by lots of photos. It is an interesting and entertaining memoir, and Alex seems a humble ordinary man, a good guy.

[bell7_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In short vignettes, Jeopardy! game show host Alex Trebek reflects on his life, from growing up in a small town in Canada to coming to the U.S., getting married, and working.It actually took me a little while to warm up to the short snippets, which sometimes seemed a little like a guy just answering questions with short stories, and not really delving deeply into any one thing. However, for me once he got to the Jeopardy! era things really took off, as Trebek talked about some of the more memorable moments and guests on the show, and that frankly interested me more than some of what he'd done before on shows I'd never heard of. However, as a whole, it does give you a well-rounded picture of who Trebek is as a person and what's important to him. Reading in multiple formats is a plus with this one - the audio is read primarily by previous Jeopardy! contestant Ken Jennings, with some read by Alex himself, and the way they play off each other from one to the other is fun. The book, though, is beautifully made with thick pages and many photographs included, so I recommend having both available.

[gregdehler · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A most delightful read.

[kayanelson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love Alex Trebek. His book was written with humility and modesty. Loved his little stories and all the pictures.

[waldhaus1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I didn't become a Jeopardy fan until I tried and had time to watch the show. I enjoyed it because I had fun trying to get the answers. I did enjoy watching Ken and his winning streak. It was fun having him narrate much of the audiobook. I wonder if he will become the new Jeopardy host. Certainly learned new things about Alex. He lived in the same Fernando valley where I grew up. It was only a week ago he died. He was five years older than I.

[forsanolim · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I didn't grow up in a home with a TV, but nonetheless, I've always known who Alex Trebek is. My family would watch Jeopardy occasionally at my grandmother's house, and I played on a quiz-bowl team in high school, so I've long been aware of Jeopardy.I would strongly recommend the audiobook version of this book, as I think a lot of the enjoyment of this book comes from hearing it read by Alex Trebek and Ken Jennings. It's definitely not really very linear--it jumps around a lot--so it'd probably be good to know that going in. It also very much portrays Trebek as a wholesome, pretty down-to-earth guy, which was also very nice. It mentions a fair bit about his cancer diagnosis and current events, but it was a nice listen. (Also, Trebek mentions at the end of the book that his portion of the proceeds will be going to charity, which is also lovely of him.

[lynnb_64 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Any fan of Jeopardy!, and/or of Alex Trebek, is sure to love this book. It is only partly an autobiography; it also contains Mr. Trebek's reflections on a range of topics. I admire Alex Trebek for so much; notably, his humanitarianism, his professionalism, his obvious pride in being Canadian and the way he makes knowledge and intelligence cool.

[over.the.edge · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

4.3 / 5.0Heart-warming, reflective and entertaining stories and memories of a man who brought warmth, vision and education to all he endeavored.With humor and humility, Trebek shares his years at University of Ottawa, his first meeting with Mark Goodman that changed his life, and his family. He shares stories of contestants from Jeopardy, who have inspired him.Memories of his wife, Jean, and their two kids, and the close relationship he kept with the daughter of his first wife, Elaine, from a previous marriage. This man was a true humanitarian. I was not aware of his involvement with so many charities, esp. his work with World Vision. Alex and his wife, Jean, adopted a village in Zambia, called Kabeleka. They built wells for clean drinking water, new school buildings, and a medical facility to help the people in Kabeleka have a better life and chance of a future. He also has worked with USO, National Geographic habitats and was a big contributor to the Musk Ox charity....it was his favorite animal.I did not realize he has had 3 heart attacks and a bilateral subdural hematoma ( blood clots on both sides of the brain), before he was diagnosed with cancer. Filled with stories that inspire and that leave a warm feeling inside, this is a great biography I would recommend. We could all learn from his kindness

[grandmacootie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent, outstanding, a gem, will make you laugh and make you cry, and realize how much a part of our lives Alex Trebek has become and how much we are all going to miss him.

[henrog-315853 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Although written by Alex Trebek, this book is not really an autobiography. Trebek talks about his life, of course, but the focus is on his work, how he got to be where he is, and his experiences on Jeopardy. He shares many little stories about contestants on Jeopardy and his family. The book ends with his outlook on life as he deals with his illness. A good, fast read.

[bunny0055 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed Alex Trebeck's The Answser Is... very much. Knowing he has pancreatic cancer and how he has lived and continues to live in a loving, thoughtful and positive way was such an uplifting book. I hated to finish it. I passed the book on to a friend who is going though life, with her husband who had leukemia. I hope it is a bit of giggle, aha moments and heartwarming feeling for them as it was for me.

[bookczuk · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lovely pandemic read, that brought back all sorts of fond memories for our Jeopardy viewing years.

[jfe16 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This somewhat autobiographical look at the life of television quiz show host Alex Trebek is an entertaining one. Peppered with some behind-the-scenes observations from “Jeopardy,” this brief look at the life of the man is an insightful reminiscence.Following the format of the beloved quiz show, each chapter is either a question or an answer that offers a tidbit of information, some entertaining insights, or a glimpse into Alex’s life. Personal anecdotes, family pictures, and the television host’s own thoughts on a wide variety of topics make this an inspiring book readers will find difficult to set aside before turning the final page.Highly recommended.

[bdartnall_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A book parts autobiography & parts anecdotes about work as a TV personality With an authentic but definitely breezy style Alex tells about the ups & downs of his life & work, only alluding to his cancer diagnosis for many chapters; he addresses his approach to his treatment & options, his family’s response & his thoughts on “ end of life” only in the end chapters. Very entertaining; I’m convinced the smooth, friendly personality we see on Jeopardy every night is part of what reflects the genuine Alex Trebeck!

[hcnewton · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.---WHAT'S THE ANSWER IS...:REFLECTIONS ON MY LIFE ABOUT?Trebek starts off talking about why he wrote the book at this time, how it's not an exhaustive autobiography, and really too brief to be a memoir, instead, it's some sort of French term that I didn't catch—little vignettes about his life, some brief stories or impressions of a time/place, some are longer reflections about something.He talks about his childhood, his parents, his education (including feuds with particular teachers—including a petty-sounding beef with a priest he in prep school that he hasn't totally gotten past), his early days in TV in Canada, moving to the US, and starting on Jeopardy!. He even talks a bit about the impressions that Eugene Levy and Will Ferrell did of him. Beyond that, Trebek discusses the charity works he does, his family, and, of course, his cancer.He talks a little about American culture and the state of the nation right now (exacerbated by COVID-19), and gets a little more political than we're used to him being (more political than I think he's used to being). While I think if he got more detailed and in-depth with his analysis, I'd probably differ with him on the details—but he didn't, so I could only nod along with him. We need a few million more people saying what he said (and living the way he seems to).You get a little bit of everything—some is lighthearted, some is heavier, a lot just comes across as a humble and grateful older man reminiscing. Which is exactly what this is.A LITTLE ABOUT THE NARRATIONKen Jennings was a great choice for narrator—it's hard to think of either of them without thinking of the other (well, since 2004, anyway). He sounds like a natural doing this and I'd enjoy listening to him narrate other audiobooks (he did the audiobook for his own, Planet Funny , and I bet it sounds pretty good).But Trebek read a few chapters himself—the one about why he swears so often (it surprised me, too), the one talking about notable Jeopardy! contestants (like Jennings), the one about his wife (Trebek didn't like the idea of someone else talking about his wife that way), and the last chapter, where he discussed his cancer and coming to terms with his impending death. I understand why he couldn't do the entire book himself, but I'd have preferred it (nothing against Jennings—I'd have been content with Jennings doing the whole thing). But I'm so glad he did those chapters, you could hear the sincerity in his praise for Jennings, Eddie Timanus, Cindy Stowell, and others; his love for his wife; and the resolution and contemplation he'd put into his final days (hopefully there are many more of them).I'm still tempted to grab a copy of the hardcover, just so I can see the pictures. But, I'm so glad I got to hear parts of this in Trebek's own voice.SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUTTHE ANSWER IS...:REFLECTIONS ON MY LIFE?You can argue that my evaluation of this book is all about sentiment, fanboy-ness, and is devoid of any sense of judging the skill of writing, the depth of insight, or anything like that. I won't disagree. Trebek's been a fixture in my life/consciousness for longer than I can really remember. Every time I've heard/seen an interview with him (which, admittedly, isn't often), I've been more and more impressed with him. I won't say he's a hero/role model or anything, but I admire the guy, respect his work ethic and attitude. I've got his Funko Pop figure in my cubicle at work. He's just...well, like a said, a fixture. So listening to stories about his life tapped into that sector of my subconscious that's been labeled "Alex Trebek" since I was a pre-teen and he started on Jeopardy!.This book would've had to have been really bad for me not to love it. Thankfully, it wasn't.And if you can hear him talk about his wife, his children, his cancer—and the effect that the cancer's having on his wife and children as he prepares for death without being moved? There's something wrong with ya. At that point, any thought I had about pretending to be objective and analytical went out the window.My sole complaint is that it's four-and-a-half hours long. It's just not long enough. I get that he wasn't trying to be exhaustive—and I don't necessarily want that—but when you start to hear these quick stories about his growing up, his getting established in the business (either in Canada or the States), his friendships...and of course, Jeopardy!—you just want it to keep going for hours and hours. So I dinged it half a star (but it deserves all 5).I loved this book, I laughed, I was surprised, I chuckled, I learned a little, I got choked up. Can't ask for much more.

[techeditor_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Like many of you, when my husband and I were dating in the 80s, we never missed an episode of “Jeopardy!” Keith even bought me a book about “Jeopardy!” for our first Christmas. But THE ANSWER IS. . ., by the host of “Jeopardy!,” Alex Trebek, isn’t really about “Jeopardy!” so much as it is about Trebek, himself. Trebek’s book is his effort to beat the tabloids. He has pancreatic cancer, but that’s not what he wants their or his book to be about. Instead, in informal language, he tells the parts of his life that made big impressions on him.We never stopped watching “Jeopardy!,” although we haven’t been watching as frequently. THE ANSWER IS . . . changed that. We’ll be watching every evening again.

[dele2451 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I've been a fan of Jeopardy! for years, but I really didn't know much about Alex Trebek. Enjoyed learning more about his early years, career path, family, charitable endeavors, and personal philosophy. The assortment of photos curated for the book are awesome. If you've got a Jeopardy! fan in your life, this would be a great gift to help them get through social distancing.