A Review of ‘The Most Human: Reconciling with My Father, Leonard Nimoy’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Cover Art for ‘The Most Human: Reconciling with My Father, Leonard Nimoy’ Courtesy of Chicago River Press.

Caution: This article contains minor spoilers for the book, ‘The Most Human: Reconciling with My Father, Leonard Nimoy’.
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It is definitely safe to say, that our parents have a profound emotional impact upon our lives, and understandably so. After all, they are… quite literally… our creators. They nurture us, care for us, and raise us to be the best versions of ourselves we can be and because of that, we instinctively know to trust them… obey them (until we hit our teenage years) and take what they say to heart. Which is where… things get interesting for us growing up. Because our parents are their core, people, who make mistakes and sometimes… aren’t the great person they expect us to be. And some can be downright sour and ugly and their negative actions and missteps, do a lot to us.

In fact, their actions can create trauma that we pass on to our own children and skew us off our path because trauma and emotional pain can do just that. Which is why when people speak of a bad or imperfect childhood, they speak often to the dark moments and pain they endured, to make it feel real, to reconcile and engender understanding and receive much needed validation. To the point where folks that write books about their experiences growing up focus on the same things because of how badly we want to feel seen when we hurt, and there’s nothing wrong with this. It’s just how we process the echoes of our past… but it doesn’t always have to be that way.

Because what we often forget is that at some point, we do put in the work to heal and reconcile and somehow that story is outweighed by the pain. But in this era of understanding regarding mental health and healing, we are seeing a shift in how these stories are told, wherein they focus on the way forward while acknowledging the pain and it just so happens… that a powerful story in that vein is available now in bookstores and online. For Adam Nimoy’s latest autobiography, The Most Human: Reconciling with My Father, Leonard Nimoy, paints quite the picture of Adam’s life and his relationship with his father, the iconic Leonard Nimoy. Who so many know a Captain Spock from the Star Trek Universe, and well… Adam wastes no time in this book pointing out that he and his father… had a tumultuous relationship while he was growing up.

Which to some, could immediately hint that this is a book that explores in great detail, a side of Leonard that fans never knew existed, giving rise to a salacious tell-all that will forever change our perception of the man that played one of the most beloved characters in science fiction history. But that is where this book surprises. Because it isn’t tabloid fodder, and it isn’t just about the psychological harm that Leonard’s mistakes imparted upon young Adam, it’s about… what Adam did with these experiences and that brings about, quite the powerful book. One that explores the lasting impact of Adam’s youth, and how as he grew older and started his own family and charted his own course… he had some decisions to make.

Specifically, what to do with that pain, and whether or not to let it and his struggles with substance abuse, control him long term. Which in turn brings forth a story about healing. Wherein, Adam chronicles how we heal from that kind of pain and how we chart a path forward, giving rise to a supremely inspirational story that speaks to what we are capable of, in a moving and impactful manner. Since Adam is an open book here and holds nothing back about how hard growth can be, especially when life throws more curve balls our way. But Adam also speaks to how we maintain hope and how we forge ahead regardless of those curve balls, especially when it does come to Adam and Leonard’s frayed relationship.

For Adam also chronicles the struggles of reaching his dad and connecting with him. But the title of the book speaks to reconciliation, and Adam has no qualms speaking as to how that takes place either and how that relates to the healing process. For Adam also chronicles what healing helps us to acknowledge, helps us to recognize and how best to approach those who we want to be close to, but have yet to traverse the same path we are upon, and that too is powerful and impactful. Since it provides us with a story that some are desperate to experience as a reality, and it is wonderful that this book… gives them a guide in doing so. So, they can finally have that parental peace and that internal peace they’ve been searching for… for ages.

All of which gives rise to a brilliant and moving autobiography. One that is painfully and wonderfully relatable on so many levels, and that’s important to point out. Because not everyone has a rough relationship with their folks, but there’s so much life in this book that everyone can find something to latch onto here and share in, such as healing, such as the tough times we experience at random in life and that truly does make for a human story. One that reminds us that the human experience can be quite the wild ride. One filled with sorrow, but also great beauty, and if we find balance within ourselves and put in the work to maintain it… and open our hearts… we can indeed, live long and prosper.  

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