Title: Life On Air
Author: David Attenborough
Type: Non-Fiction
Page Count/Review Word Count: 384
Rating: 4/5
This book is one of David Attenborough’s memoirs and pretty much focuses on his career on air as a broadcaster. That in itself was fascinating because of how long he’s been in the business.
In fact, the first couple of chapters take a look at how he first got into working in television, back when he didn’t actually own a TV of his own. It was interesting to see how TV worked back then, with all sorts of little insights like the fact that they had no way of recording programs that were broadcast live and that lenses couldn’t be changed in the middle of a broadcast.
The fun thing about this book in particular is that it links to Attenborough’s other books due to its very nature. Sure, he’s writing about his television and radio projects, but most of those led to books being written, such as his Zoo Quest series. It was fun to learn some more about the circumstances in which they came about.
It also helped that I was listening to the audio book, which was narrated by Attenborough himself. Not every author can do a good job of narrating their work, but Attenborough is a natural because of his… well, life on air.
I think that Attenborough’s writing is so interesting and approachable that even if you’re not a particular fan of his, you’re going to find plenty to enjoy. But of course, if you are an Attenborough fan (and who isn’t?), you’re in for a treat.
I’ve read a half dozen or so Attenborough books by this point, and I’ve enjoyed them all to different extents. This one is probably the most readable, but only because the others have all dug deep into natural history and I’m not exactly an expert. I love animals, but I don’t know as much about them as I’d like to.
All in all, Life On Air was a fascinating read and a reminder of just why David Attenborough is such a national treasure. It’s also one of the best memoirs that I’ve read over the last year or so, and so if you’re a big fan of non-fiction, get it.
