Autobiography

Life's Work: A Memoir

Life's Work: A Memoir

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  • Create Date：2022-09-27 20:21:36
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：David Milch
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Summary

The creator of Deadwood and NYPD Blue reflects on his tumultuous life， driven by a nearly insatiable creative energy and a matching penchant for self-destruction。 Life's Work is a profound memoir from a brilliant mind taking stock as Alzheimer's loosens his hold on his own past。

"I'm on a boat sailing to some island where I don't know anybody。 A boat someone is operating and we aren't in touch。" So begins David Milch's urgent accounting of his increasingly strange present and often painful past。 From the start， Milch's life seems destined to echo that of his father， a successful if drug-addicted surgeon。 Almost every achievement is accompanied by an act of self-immolation， but the deepest sadnesses also contain moments of grace。

Betting on racehorses and stealing booze at eight years old， mentored by Robert Penn Warren and excoriated by Richard Yates at twenty-one， Milch never did anything by half。 He got into Yale Law School only to be expelled for shooting out streetlights with a shotgun。 He paused his studies at the Iowa Writers' Workshop to manufacture acid in Cuernavaca。 He created and wrote some of the most lauded television series of all time， made a family， and pursued sobriety， then lost his fortune betting horses just as his father had taught him。

Like Milch's best screenwriting， Life's Work explores how chance encounters， self-deception， and luck shape the people we become， and wrestles with what it means to have felt and caused pain， even and especially with those we love， and how you keep living。 It is both a master class on Milch's unique creative process， and a distinctive， revelatory memoir from one of the great American writers， in what may be his final dispatch to us all。

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Reviews

Jim ，

I've just finished reading my friend and mentor David Milch's extraordinary autobiography， LIFE'S WORK。 Pushing aside as best I can the bias of immense love I have for David， I believe I can still honestly say this is the most illuminating look at creativity I have ever read， as well as a brutally， deeply brutally honest story of a man recounting his life and the indignities heaped upon him and those he feels he heaped upon others。 And， finally， most painfully but enlighteningly， it is the most I've just finished reading my friend and mentor David Milch's extraordinary autobiography， LIFE'S WORK。 Pushing aside as best I can the bias of immense love I have for David， I believe I can still honestly say this is the most illuminating look at creativity I have ever read， as well as a brutally， deeply brutally honest story of a man recounting his life and the indignities heaped upon him and those he feels he heaped upon others。 And， finally， most painfully but enlighteningly， it is the most literate and powerful look into what Alzheimer's Disease is truly like from the inside。 No one who knows anything about David Milch doubts， I think， his brilliance with the written word。 But I daresay few are prepared for the level of eloquence he brings to bear on the topics he herein shares his deepest thoughts on。 It is a magnificent book， from a magnificent and excruciatingly human man。I love him with all my heart， for his kindness， his generosity， and for allowing me a small part in his artistic genius at play。 If you care about art or creativity or the human experience， you simply must read this book。 。。。more

Jim ，

David Milch's "Life's Work: A Memoir" is pieced together with the help of his family， because fate has subjected David's brilliant mind to a severe form of dementia。 The very publication of this book is an heroic journey itself， and a lasting testament of arguably the greatest dramatic writer in the history of television。Milch is also a brilliant educator， and clues to what it takes to succeed as a writer are sprinked throughout the book via examples from his masterwork NYPD Blue， as well as man David Milch's "Life's Work: A Memoir" is pieced together with the help of his family， because fate has subjected David's brilliant mind to a severe form of dementia。 The very publication of this book is an heroic journey itself， and a lasting testament of arguably the greatest dramatic writer in the history of television。Milch is also a brilliant educator， and clues to what it takes to succeed as a writer are sprinked throughout the book via examples from his masterwork NYPD Blue， as well as many other fine works including Hill Street Blues and Deadwood， and in techniques taught him by his mentors。 How to “turn the problems of spirit into problems of technique” is best taught by examples。 There are many here， and David's generosity of spirit led him to record many of his lectures， interviews， university talks and private classes on video and audio。 Those include detailed episodic analysis of many more of the episodes of NYPD Blue， for instance， than were included in this book。 I hope there will be an appendix， sequel， or public distribution of the videos of his private classes for writers to complete the literary record。 This is one of the foremost writers of our time， and future literary/video historians will want an even fuller record。 I would have also liked to hear more about Milch's collaboration with Blue co-creator Steven Bochco， another top TV genius who did an extraordinary job steering the series at its creation， and during and after Milch's soaring tenure。As a biography， the book also covers David's upbringing， not an easy one。 Of course if he hadn't endured one particular atrocity detailed in the book， we might never have seen Detective Simone's big cross-examination scene in "Lost Israel， Pt。 2。" A horror for the writer， which he made great for posterity。 The scene in the book where the real perp's name is mentioned on air is a shocker。Some of the autobiographical elements are more positive。 David's friendship with retired NYPD Detective Bill Clark， for example， which led to the full formation of Milch's greatest character， Detective Andy Sipowicz as portrayed by Dennis Franz。 Those of us who read "True Blue: The Real Stories Behind NYPD Blue"， which Milch and Clark co-authored in 1995， know how the program's brilliant first season was constructed out of the unlikely collaboration between a top cop and a formidable mischief maker。 Also encouraging for those inclined to good news is the truce of the two Davids， Milch and Caruso， thanks to a familial connection years after their celebrated conflict。 Just as Bertha Russell and Mrs。 Astor were forced together by their daughters in HBO's current The Gilded Age， Milch and Caruso got a push at home。There are many insights into the television production process in "Life's Work。" In his bestseller "The Ride of a Lifetime，" ABC's Bob Iger talks about the year long negotiation with Steven Bochco over broadcast standards before NYPD Blue was permitted to air。 Here we learn how beneficial that delay was to Milch's preparation of the characters and stories。 A long run-up to production also gave Milch time for deep research preparing for Deadwood。 In the 1990's and early 2000's， network audiences valued a strong scent of verisimilitude in the best TV dramas。 That's missing today， with horror， fantasy， and visual spectacle displacing too much interpersonal drama。 True to their "It's Not TV， It's HBO" brand， the premium network gave Milch the creative freedom most writers crave。 Naturally， he praises their executives。 Still， the show got cancelled after three fine seasons。 Did its internal advocates misread the audience， or was the problem caused by the international rights owed Paramount because of Milch's old deal there， as suggested in the book？ Perhaps a more sympathetic and historically accurate portrayal of the George Hearst character could have paved the way toward more complex conflict， backing demands for a full fourth season。 In retrospect， no one would argue that HBO's preference for John from Cincinnati was inspired。 We get a bit too much on that one in the book。 The subsequent HBO series Luck， set in the world of horse racing， was more coherent， but alas David's penchant for betting on the ponies with self-destructive abandon completely overshadows that chapter。Finally the book goes into close detail on David's tragic struggle with progressive dementia。 He speaks lovingly of his wife Rita throughout the book。 What an extraordinary woman she must be to have stayed by him through all his behavioral excesses and financial irresponsibility， and now she endures his painful loss of memory and identity。 We hear a lot about the great male writers of history， but let's keep in mind the great women who love them and whose sacrifices make their creative output possible。 。。。more

Geoff Clarke ，

This is an amazing， if uneven， book， which might reflect David Milch’s whole life， or current mental state， or both。 Milch comes across as an incredibly deep thinker。 A gifted writer。 But also a mercurial perfectionist。 A nightmare to live and work with。 A man who seems more interested in the stories of men， even though female characters are still well-drawn。The prologue is sublime， and those 4 pages may justify the rest of the book。 His first 3 chapters of his early life are scattershot， and wh This is an amazing， if uneven， book， which might reflect David Milch’s whole life， or current mental state， or both。 Milch comes across as an incredibly deep thinker。 A gifted writer。 But also a mercurial perfectionist。 A nightmare to live and work with。 A man who seems more interested in the stories of men， even though female characters are still well-drawn。The prologue is sublime， and those 4 pages may justify the rest of the book。 His first 3 chapters of his early life are scattershot， and while he acknowledges his privilege once， it really needed to be centered more， since that got him to Yale and （apparently） got him some world-famous mentors。 The next chapters， about his TV career， are much tighter， more interesting， and more reflective。 This might be because there was more supporting material to draw on。 The final chapter is a bunch of dense stuff that seems wise but that I’ll need to study further。 Milch is often insightful， and tries to tell it straight。 I don’t know whether he succeeds in his overall goal to tell his story and the repeated themes therein， but he does hit high points that I couldn’t get elsewhere。 。。。more

Zach ，

One of the most powerful and beautiful memoirs I've ever read。 When I was an undergrad in English Literature at an American university， I always preferred the professors who would take hold of a class and never cede control; why did I always need to hear what my classmates （many of whom never read a sentence of the novels we were "discussing"） had to say？ Milch is the best professor you could ask for: he's read widely and deeply and thought through every angle of the stories he's telling。 His th One of the most powerful and beautiful memoirs I've ever read。 When I was an undergrad in English Literature at an American university， I always preferred the professors who would take hold of a class and never cede control; why did I always need to hear what my classmates （many of whom never read a sentence of the novels we were "discussing"） had to say？ Milch is the best professor you could ask for: he's read widely and deeply and thought through every angle of the stories he's telling。 His thoughts on television and his own writing are valuable， but even more rewarding are the moments where he engages with the generations of writing and thinking that have preceded us and him and everyone else。A true gift。 I'm so glad his family helped him work through his dementia to complete this beautiful book。 。。。more

Steve Sanders ，

Milch had one final masterpiece left。 It’s often heartbreaking， particularly the addictions that cost him his fortune and the dementia that will eventually cost him his life and memory。 But by getting his story down now he crafted his own Shakespearean tragedy and produced one of the greatest tributes I’ve ever read to the power of storytelling and the craft of writing。 And the story of his rapprochement with David Caruso is worth the price of admission alone。

Mediaman ，

Bizarre， crazy David Milch has made a few successful TV shows that I didn't watch， but I found this book somewhat interesting because the guy has a mouth （or pen or keyboard） that won't shut up。 It was so refreshing to see a Hollywood insider praise George W。 Bush and slam John Kerry （Milch went to Yale with both）， "hate" Les Mooves （well deserved）， and slam the pay network that made him rich （HBO）。At the same time the nutcase reveals a horrible life filled with drugs， gambling， and drinking。 An Bizarre， crazy David Milch has made a few successful TV shows that I didn't watch， but I found this book somewhat interesting because the guy has a mouth （or pen or keyboard） that won't shut up。 It was so refreshing to see a Hollywood insider praise George W。 Bush and slam John Kerry （Milch went to Yale with both）， "hate" Les Mooves （well deserved）， and slam the pay network that made him rich （HBO）。At the same time the nutcase reveals a horrible life filled with drugs， gambling， and drinking。 And he seems to be proud of it。 He may have damaged his family along the way， repeatedly saying how mad his wife was and how inappropriate he raised his kids （they were under ten and allowed to watch NYPD Blue， then give him critiques each week！）。 At some point he is diagnosed as biopolar and just as with other celebrities that have mental illness he fails to connect it to the many years of abuse that he put his body through。Most odd is that the man has Alzheimer's so you may wonder how he wrote a memoir。 Well he （or his family） explains it up front， saying that he isn't doing the writing--his wife made notes over the years， he had saved production notes， and family members helped assemble a narrative。 It's a very odd way to put together an autobiography and Milch admits that some of it may be incorrect memories。 There are also huge gaps where he simply doesn't recall major events and full years。If you are a big fan of his shows there is plenty here to pick through since he goes into great detail about each series but in the midst of each he often makes wild choices or very bad decisions， such as not accepting HBO's offer of a reduced fourth season of Deadwood。 Milch bemoans the hundreds of people who lost work then， but he was totally to blame。 Meanwhile he was flying private jets and living a posh lifestyle， even guest lecturing at colleges。 He was a hypocrite that lacks proper self-reflection。At the same time he seems to brag about increasing immorality on television with violence and profanity previously unseen。 He started being a rebel at age four and never really stopped。 Some will call him creative， I think he was just a verbal anarchist。Milch is disgusting as a human and not that good of a writer， yet he praises himself and thinks that rubbing shoulders with famous authors at Yale or the Iowa Writer's Workshop makes him something special。 He's not。 This is actually a very sad story about a guy who was given it all with a privileged upbringing and quality education who stumbles into a TV career feuled by years of drug abuse and alcoholism。 No apologies。 No shame。 Just like his raunchy life's work。 。。。more

Mac ，

Years ago， I attended a David Milch presentation， and it was a delight， laugh-out-loud funny and full of perceptive insights as well。 With that fond memory as a preconception， I wanted to read his memoir， Life’s Work。 But before I share a few comments， I’ll say this is not the same David Milch of years ago; now he is plagued by dementia， and this memoir needed to be shaped and supplemented by his daughters。While reading the memoir， my first reaction was disappointment。 It’s not nearly as funny a Years ago， I attended a David Milch presentation， and it was a delight， laugh-out-loud funny and full of perceptive insights as well。 With that fond memory as a preconception， I wanted to read his memoir， Life’s Work。 But before I share a few comments， I’ll say this is not the same David Milch of years ago; now he is plagued by dementia， and this memoir needed to be shaped and supplemented by his daughters。While reading the memoir， my first reaction was disappointment。 It’s not nearly as funny as his presentation years ago。 And the writing is uneven; insights of depth are interspersed with sections that are difficult to understand。 Then my disappointment evolved to appreciation that Milch entered the arena yet again， willing to share observations about his life even though he’s no longer at the top of his game。 And finally， I ended with admiration that he writes so openly about his dementia， sharing examples of the world closing in on him and describing how art （here， a description of his life's work） can give shape and meaning to his life。So I had myriad reactions， most positive， but some negative because Life’s Work failed to match my expectations。 That said， those expectations shouldn’t be a standard because Milch has written a revealing， heart-rending memoir， and perhaps the book’s imperfections mirror the imperfections in his life。 We all have imperfections; and most of us try to hide those flaws。 Milch can be respected because he has the courage and skill to share his personal journey， his demons， and his life’s work with others。 。。。more

Michael Malone ，

Intriguing look at the life of a famed TV producer。 Milch's work includes NYPD Blue and Deadwood and， like any show creator， loads of series you never heard of， including The Money and John From Elsewhere and His Friend Tex。 Milch also details his drug and alcohol abuse， and the ridiculous sums gambled， and lost， at the track。 It all makes for a pretty riveting read。 Intriguing look at the life of a famed TV producer。 Milch's work includes NYPD Blue and Deadwood and， like any show creator， loads of series you never heard of， including The Money and John From Elsewhere and His Friend Tex。 Milch also details his drug and alcohol abuse， and the ridiculous sums gambled， and lost， at the track。 It all makes for a pretty riveting read。 。。。more

IsabelRower ，

Absolutely insane， the way he writes about writing is genius and also made me so happy to not be a writer。

Doug ，

Highly philosophical with occasional insight into the writing process。 I liked the inside look into the shows he wrote。 If you skim through the philosophy and just read the juicy parts， you’ll have time leftover that you won’t regret wasting。

John Schorg ，

For every fascinating instance of a writer describing the creative impulse， there is an equal passage that details the unceasing behavior of an addict and narcissist。 Worth reading for the parts about the author's work on NYPD Blue and Deadwood， especially the latter。 This is a good primer in showing how a writer works。 For every fascinating instance of a writer describing the creative impulse， there is an equal passage that details the unceasing behavior of an addict and narcissist。 Worth reading for the parts about the author's work on NYPD Blue and Deadwood， especially the latter。 This is a good primer in showing how a writer works。 。。。more

Matt Kehoe ，

David Milch plays the hits， one more time！ And what a blessing it is to read them， all in one place， chronologically in this memoir。 If you’ve listened to Milch lecture you’ve undoubtedly heard many of the stories that are contained within， which is not to say there’s no new material related to his personal and professional odysseys。There has always been Milch the writer and Milch the speaker talking about the writing。 Both are compelling。 There is a lot of the latter in this book， with detailed David Milch plays the hits， one more time！ And what a blessing it is to read them， all in one place， chronologically in this memoir。 If you’ve listened to Milch lecture you’ve undoubtedly heard many of the stories that are contained within， which is not to say there’s no new material related to his personal and professional odysseys。There has always been Milch the writer and Milch the speaker talking about the writing。 Both are compelling。 There is a lot of the latter in this book， with detailed analysis of scenes in HSB， NYPD Blue， Deadwood， and JFC。 There’s also clear and powerful summation of Milch’s overriding philosophy: that the process of writing is a courageous act of spiritual faith that unlocks deep mysteries of the self and of how that self connects to the rest of the world。For some people， when they hear Milch speak， it rings true， even if some of it inevitably goes over their heads。 I am such a person。 There are many truths in this world， and many different people communicating in different ways attempting to express these truths。 In the most general sense St。 Paul， the Buddha， and Milch are all expressing messages that have a lot in common: our separateness is an illusion and our spiritual development is founded in recognizing our connection to a larger body。 If I read the works of St。 Paul or Buddhism， that sort of thing rings true to me。 When I read Milch， I actually feel it in my stomach。 That’s why he’s my favorite writer。 I suspect I’m not alone in this。The end of his story， in one sense， is awfully sad。 Miss after miss subsequent to Deadwood， the loss of a fortune， the Alzheimer’s diagnosis， and the related depiction of growing confusion， solitude， and indignity。 In another sense， it’s also beautiful。 Milch’s worlds were always full of private dramas in public places。 He is one of the very few with this diagnosis that acknowledges it， describes it， and shares it with the rest of us。 It’s our job not to flinch as we face of it。 He describes invitations to sit with dying brethren （Mr。 Warren & Father Kaiser） as gifts bestowed upon him。 This is his gift to us。 Milch lived life all the way up。 Reconciling the destructive and selfish character of his youth to the generous and devotional figure he developed into requires the same approach necessary for his best characters。 He owns all of it。 I admire his bravery in the face of growing indignity and death and his steadfast dedication to the practice of writing， of reaching out， when most others would have called it。 Don’t listen to what people say， pay attention to what they do， Milch advises us。 I’ve been paying attention， and in his final years Milch’s actions reveal the conviction in the ideas he preaches。 He’s not peddling bullshit， this is his life’s work。 I hope he’s right about it all and I think he is， at least in a way that makes sense to me。It hurts to read this as goodbye from Mr。 Milch。 His work has served as a philosophical anchor for me for almost 20 years， a reminder to keep myself available with an open heart。 If this is the end， I will attempt to convert my sadness in his departure into the future tense of gratitude and joy。 Sometimes thoughts follow behavior， not the other way around。 Maybe there’s more to come but it’s alright if there isn’t。 For me， David Milch has honorably expressed the presence of a coherence in this world that is unparalleled in its resonance。 He has best depicted what it means and feels like to be alive。 From a writer， it would be folly to ever ask for anything more than that。 。。。more

Michael ，

David Milch， one of the great writers of dialogue in screen history， gives us an odd finale of a memoir， akin to Bowie's final album， Blackstar--which to say I didn't always understand what he hoped to convey， but I never doubted I was in the hands of a genuine artist。 As he moves forward into what must be the constant confusion of dementia and letting go， Life's Work is a great insight into an unusually gifted writer who is also an irascible addict。 David Milch， one of the great writers of dialogue in screen history， gives us an odd finale of a memoir， akin to Bowie's final album， Blackstar--which to say I didn't always understand what he hoped to convey， but I never doubted I was in the hands of a genuine artist。 As he moves forward into what must be the constant confusion of dementia and letting go， Life's Work is a great insight into an unusually gifted writer who is also an irascible addict。 。。。more

Kirsten ，

https://www。nytimes。com/2022/09/12/bo。。。 https://www。nytimes。com/2022/09/12/bo。。。 。。。more

Enzo Gattuccio ，

David Milch was a complicated artist， who did some very good and some very bad things。 His long-suffering wife， Rita Stern Milch， memorably compared him once to Longfellow's "girl with the curl。" When he was good， he was good--but when he was bad， he was horrid。Life's Work pays an excellent tribute to Milch's artistry， biography is blent skillfully with digressions on art， faith and creativity in much the same way that he peppered his creative work with moments and pieces from his own life。 It t David Milch was a complicated artist， who did some very good and some very bad things。 His long-suffering wife， Rita Stern Milch， memorably compared him once to Longfellow's "girl with the curl。" When he was good， he was good--but when he was bad， he was horrid。Life's Work pays an excellent tribute to Milch's artistry， biography is blent skillfully with digressions on art， faith and creativity in much the same way that he peppered his creative work with moments and pieces from his own life。 It treats very fairly with Milch's shortcomings and prejudices， making no attempt to be exculpatory。 Major contributions were made by Stern herself and the book， it seems， was largely arranged and edited by the Daughters Milch （Olivia and Elizabeth）， who have done a fantastic job sustaining a sense of authorship while retaining a basic narrative legibility （an incredible feat， given the author in question）。 Real heads will recognize a fair amount of this material as cribbed from much older interviews and lectures， but the book also contains many novel biographical revelations and flights of analysis。 More than anything for me， the gift of this book is a legible chronology of Milch's strange life--which before could only be pieced together through reconciling a set of apocryphal， and sometimes contradictory legends。All told， Life's Work is a deeply felt and much-needed legacy document for one of the greatest mass-media dramatists to ever live。 Those interested in the subject should also check out Ted Mann's tribute to Milch for Tablet Magazine。 Mann， a writer-actor and one of Milch's longest running collaborators， brings a keen eye to the subject。 。。。more

Michael Burke ，

David Milch is a monumental talent。 I became aware of him through the DVD commentaries of the brilliant HBO “Deadwood” series he created。 His actors sang his praises and spoke of him in reverential tones。 He voiced a number of the features himself and brought insight into the characters and plotting。 It was fascinating to hear him break down the creative process behind the arc of the show。 Like all die-hard fans， I was crushed by the premature cancellation after only three seasons。 Skip thirteen David Milch is a monumental talent。 I became aware of him through the DVD commentaries of the brilliant HBO “Deadwood” series he created。 His actors sang his praises and spoke of him in reverential tones。 He voiced a number of the features himself and brought insight into the characters and plotting。 It was fascinating to hear him break down the creative process behind the arc of the show。 Like all die-hard fans， I was crushed by the premature cancellation after only three seasons。 Skip thirteen long years to 2019 and word came out that finally， against all odds， HBO had greenlit a special “Deadwood: The Movie”， maybe giving closure to the fans。 The announcement was bittersweet， however， as the joy was tempered with the news that David Milch was suffering with Alzheimer's， news that was only released when it was obvious his condition could not be hidden with all the press surrounding the new movie。“Life's Work: A Memoir” opens with Milch describing the unbalanced state his world is in now， a tricky memory and distorted sense of reality。 He worked on it with the help of his family， relying on recollections they have of stories Milch had relayed in the past 。Especially helpful were writings his wife had been composing for years about his writing process。David Milch is a man of extremes。 He graduated at the top of his class at Yale。 He was praised by Robert Penn Warren who said， “No one writes dialogue better than you。” While in the Iowa Writers’ Workshop he dropped down to Mexico to manufacture acid。 He developed a heroin addiction。 Attending Yale Law School passed the time until he was arrested for shooting out street lights with a shotgun and then turning his sights on the flashing lights of a police car。 All this before he was even out of school。“Hill Street Blues，” “NYPD Blue，” and “Deadwood” are just some of the projects his writing has given us。 Milch goes into great detail about struggling to instill depth into each character。 He often worked out personal issues in the scripts， including his own molestation as a child by a family friend。 A racehorse owner， his love for the track was reflected in “Luck，” a series he created for HBO。 Again， his extreme nature is stressed when his wife discovers his gambling has blown up– he had spent twenty-three million dollars at the track during a ten year period。 Much like William Goldman’s wonderful “Adventures in the Screen Trade，” this book gives tremendous insight into the nuts and bolts of the writer’s art。 In “Life’s Work” we see the author striving to make his craft personal， weaving his world into the script to reflect truth。 A captivating read by an amazing man。 Thank you to the Random House Publishing Company and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review。 #LifesWork #NetGalley 。。。more

Suzanne ，

LIFE’S WORK: A MEMOIR is a fascinating compilation of memoir， stories from a Hollywood life， possible reflections of a troubled second son， and profound comments by a writer slipping into dementia。 Any one of those reasons would be sufficient to read this book; together they practically grab readers and compel them to read。 And the book is filled with fascinating anecdotes， insights， dramatic scenes and weird and sundry tidbits。 David Milch is first and foremost a writer with an exceptional sens LIFE’S WORK: A MEMOIR is a fascinating compilation of memoir， stories from a Hollywood life， possible reflections of a troubled second son， and profound comments by a writer slipping into dementia。 Any one of those reasons would be sufficient to read this book; together they practically grab readers and compel them to read。 And the book is filled with fascinating anecdotes， insights， dramatic scenes and weird and sundry tidbits。 David Milch is first and foremost a writer with an exceptional sense of the dramatic。 The only difficulty with this book is whether or not the reader believes what is written as truth or nonfiction or even， memoir。 And there the author often demurs。 He shares that he know longer knows the truth， if he ever did。 Does it matter much？ Readers will need to decide on their own; the book is a good one。 I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley。 。。。more

Kim ，

Gosh I loved this。 The memoir works it’s way through David Milch’s life and then into his television writing show by show， or rather pitch by pitch as some of these sadly never made it to light。 Of note to longtime fans like myself will be the detailed insight into NYPD Blue stories as well as the story behind John From Cincinnati。 It’s heartbreaking to know that Milch is suffering from dementia。 Some of Milch’s own life and anecdotes told in this memoir would make good tv themselves。 Imagine a Gosh I loved this。 The memoir works it’s way through David Milch’s life and then into his television writing show by show， or rather pitch by pitch as some of these sadly never made it to light。 Of note to longtime fans like myself will be the detailed insight into NYPD Blue stories as well as the story behind John From Cincinnati。 It’s heartbreaking to know that Milch is suffering from dementia。 Some of Milch’s own life and anecdotes told in this memoir would make good tv themselves。 Imagine a series about young Milch at Yale。 。。。more

Dan ，

My thank to both NetGalley and the publisher Random House Publishing Group- Random House for an advance copy of this memoir/ confession of a writer looking back at what he can remember。 At the end I guess it all comes down to balance。 A skill at writing balanced by an addictive personality。 A great friend， with a bad father， success at his art， with millions lost to gambling。 A love of words and family， that slowly become forgotten as the day goes on。 David Milch，writer and creator of acclaimed My thank to both NetGalley and the publisher Random House Publishing Group- Random House for an advance copy of this memoir/ confession of a writer looking back at what he can remember。 At the end I guess it all comes down to balance。 A skill at writing balanced by an addictive personality。 A great friend， with a bad father， success at his art， with millions lost to gambling。 A love of words and family， that slowly become forgotten as the day goes on。 David Milch，writer and creator of acclaimed shows like NYPD Blue and Deadwood， has written a memoir of his life in Hollywood， growing up damaged and forgetting everything and everyone he knows。 Life's Work is a book that is haunting， beautiful， annoying hopeful and full of creativity and hope， just like the man who wrote it。 The book begins with his family， a father who was a doctor， but addicted to pills and gambling， a bond that the son would share with his father。 Alcohol came early as was betting the ponies with his father， a feeling Milch would spend most of his life chasing。 Attending Yale he was mentored by the writer Robert Penn Warren， who would become a second father to Milch， and began an association with the writer Richard Yates which was never friendly， even though Milch tried to get him jobs in Hollywood， later。 Fireworks， shotguns， run- ins with the cops were part of his college career， but so was learning to write。 Soon he found love with a wife who must have the patience of a saint， and Hollywood came calling with script work， more gambling， more pills and more drugs。 His show NYPD Blue broke new ground， his later show Deadwood was loved and acclaimed， unlike later shows which brought his old demons back with great cost。 And his health began to fail， and his memory began to lapse。 The book is extraordinarily written， balanced between a guy who loves his family， friends， and his art， but loves drugs， being a jerk， and gambling。 Milch has his reasons， I won't ruin anything， and his extracurricular activities hurt really don't matter， or shouldn't but to him everything seems to have a reason。 For a man who seems so real and now， he is very spiritual， and it comes across in the writing。 At points readers will not like this selfish jerk， in others readers won't see the page with the tears they have。 Especially in writing about his health now。 The worst part is reading about all the things Milch would like to have done， but knows he will not， an the pain he has caused his family， a pain he knows at this time he can never fix。 One of the best memoirs I have read in awhile。 Draining and beautiful。This is a book that is a lot deeper than I expected， even though I knew some of the health issues Milch was suffering。 He loves words， how to put them together to tell a story， and make a stranger across the country wipe their eyes even while typing a review。 A book for a lot of people。 Creative types wanting to learn the art of being creative。 Hollywood types who should learn not to give their Vicodin dealer points in a show， and how Hollywood accounting works， gamblers who might like the tales of the raceways。 Children of parents who are dealing with dementia， and for people facing a time when sundown means that everything they thought they knew is suddenly gone。 A really wonderful book I can't recommend enough。 。。。more

Andrew ，

Oldh is obviously a great writer and creator of tv shows。 Deadwood alone places him in the pantheon。 But I didn’t live this book。 I，found the parts about his life， growing up and addictions fascinating。 Same with how，Deadwood was created。 And NYPD Blue。 But the lengthy discussions about the art and philosophy of creative writing were not that interesting， at least to me。 So a mixed bag。

Jackie ，

David Milch was a difficult person to like in this memoir。 He seems to revel in his drug addiction （even though he is a husband and parent。） Milch also gambles away thousands upon thousands of dollars， despite pleas from family to change his ways。 He writes about his years writing scripts for Law and Order and。NYPD Blues， but I found his writing style in this book to be very off putting。

Leslie Nipkow ，

David Milch's memoir， Life's Work， is a unique glimpse into the thoughts of a storytelling genius facing the loss of his mind to Alzheimer's and dementia。 He knows and observes what is happening， then lets us in on the experience from the inside in much the same way he illuminated his inimitable characters over the years。 Those include Deadwood's Al Swearengin， NYPD Blue's Andy Sipowicz， and many more， each of whom contains a dash of Milch。In his memoir， Milch shares his faults and missteps with David Milch's memoir， Life's Work， is a unique glimpse into the thoughts of a storytelling genius facing the loss of his mind to Alzheimer's and dementia。 He knows and observes what is happening， then lets us in on the experience from the inside in much the same way he illuminated his inimitable characters over the years。 Those include Deadwood's Al Swearengin， NYPD Blue's Andy Sipowicz， and many more， each of whom contains a dash of Milch。In his memoir， Milch shares his faults and missteps without apology or bravado。 He is what he is and built his writing process and personal life around his failures， addictions， and illnesses， from early OCD to his latest diagnosis。Milch's love of storytelling and the workings of his writer's mind infuse every page of his book。 It's very nearly a masterpiece on how to write character but never reads like a textbook。 Rather， Life's Work is a gripping read that avoids the slough of sentimentality that often pervades the "illness memoir。" This is no authorial attempt at redemptive wrap-up and we are all the better for it。 Milch finds his way through life by the art of storytelling and continues to do so with Life's Work， a superbly-written， frank， and generous memoir of a life of the mind from beginning to。。。 。。。more

Marika ，

Writer and television producer David Milch recounts his life， both personal and working in this sharp-witted memoir。 It begins with this sentence: “I’m on a boat sailing to some island where I don’t know anybody。 A boat someone is operating and we aren’t in touch。” These two sentences perfectly sets the tone of Milch's unease about his future after being over the recent diagnosis with Lewy Body dementia。 This is not an easy memoir to read and for many reasons， but it is a revelatory one for sure Writer and television producer David Milch recounts his life， both personal and working in this sharp-witted memoir。 It begins with this sentence: “I’m on a boat sailing to some island where I don’t know anybody。 A boat someone is operating and we aren’t in touch。” These two sentences perfectly sets the tone of Milch's unease about his future after being over the recent diagnosis with Lewy Body dementia。 This is not an easy memoir to read and for many reasons， but it is a revelatory one for sure。 If one didn't know it， this memoir would sound like a Hollywood screenwriting as it at times seems so unbelievable。。。but it is all fact。The facts include his all consuming gambling addiction where he lost millions of dollars annually， his drinking and stealing booze at eight， getting thrown out of Yale Law School and being expelled for shooting out streetlights， manufacturing LSD in Mexico and more。 What makes him all the more impressive is that he was able to write and create the highly popular series Deadwood and NYPD Blue during bouts of depression and being diagnosed and medicated for being bipolar （his words）This is not a tell-all memoir， not at all。 Rather it is self reflective work and one to be enjoyed at leisure。* I read an advance copy and was not compensated 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Life's Work: A Memoir

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Life's Work: A Memoir&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Life's Work: A Memoir&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0