I really love Billy Crystal — his movies, yes, but he also just seems like a wonderful man. I read his autobiography a few months ago and loved it. 700 Sundays is much shorter, and feels more like stand up — I can’t remember if he based his HBO stand up special on the book, or vice versa — but it’s just as enjoyable and gives the reader an even better picture of a wonderful man.
“Consider the rose…The rose is the sweetest smelling flower of all, and it’s the most beautiful because it’s the most simple, right? But sometimes, you got to clip the rose. You got to cut the rose back, so something sweeter smelling and stronger, and even more beautiful, will grow in its place”
700 Sundays refers to something quite sad — it’s about the number of Sundays that Crystal spent with his father before his heart attack when Billy was only 15. Crystal uses this slim book to tell stories about his father, about his family, and the things that brought them together — baseball, music, comedy. It’s well-written, with raunchy humor to balance out the sad parts. A must for any comedy fan.