The Autobiography of James T. Kirk

A far-reaching, far from glossy, assessment of Kirk's experience from Kirk's point of view. I was attracted to this book for its promise of the personal perspective, and was not disappointed. The portrait of Captain Kirk here is more fragile, conflicted and sensitive than the action-oriented, adventure-heavy novels a Star Trek fan like myself is used to, and I'm sure this surprising but pleasant trajectory was intentional, and used to good effect, building up a more complex figure over the course of the entire 'novel'. Goodman's prose suitably mirrors my perception of Kirk: he adopts a conversational voice with uncomplicated lexicon (when it is, it is mostly due to Spock in dialogue), ultimately his voice is convincingly sincere and consistent throughout. This book is a survey, and several events are consequentially glossed over. Readers who are not deeply familiar with the series may find themselves confused, but these occasions can also be perceived as invitations to know more, a rippling of surfaces that promise greater depths in other novels or the episodes themselves.

While enjoyable, the book felt less like an autobiography than a "secret history", comprised most of scenes that happened directly before or after scenes in the TV show and movies. The best parts of the book all happen before Kirk takes command of the Enterprise, which is basically the first half. The second half could have been less narrative and more reflective. What did Kirk think of his place in history? What did he think about his relationships with his crew? Instead, we find out who ate the pizza that Gillian ordered in Star Trek IV.