I found the book very readable and had a hard time putting it down. I was familiar with Chakiris' work in West Side Story (who isn't) and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, I did not realize he has an extensive film career working with many greats like Yul Brynner, Charlton Heston, Dirk Bogarde, and so many others and it was interesting to hear what they were like. Additionally, he also met many others such as Phyllis Diller, Brigitte Bardot, Marlene Dietrich, and Frank Sinatra and again, most interesting to hear of those encounters. However, what I did not understand is he had purchased a house for his mom and siblings after his father's death and then several years later his manager (who he did not seem to trust but stayed with) told him he had to sell it. I assume it was for money reasons but he never explained nor did he tell us how his family reacted. He is not the first actor to be fleeced by his manager and if he was, he should have come out and told us what happened since he brought it up. It would not be held against him. He seemed to feel that his management did not always have his best interested in mind but yet stayed with them but you never knew if he did eventually drop them or not.. While he might not have wanted to share these details, it may help others to have the strength to stick up for themselves in similar circumstances. ( )

Without a doubt George Chakiris is an unbelievably handsome man and an incredibly talented singer/dancer/actor who has lived an exciting and fascinating life. Sadly, while there are hints dished out here and there, you don’t really get a full-blown sense of that excitement and fascination from this book.

Mr. Chakiris admits he is an extremely private person. He is also clearly a class act who loathes to say anything negative about anything or anyone. These are immensely admirable qualities. Unfortunately, they have the unintended consequence of creating a rather dull book. My West Side Story is a worthwhile read, but it must be said that it is a very superficial, professional biography written with rose-colored glasses and a superb level of restraint.

This is first and foremost an account of George Chakiris’ professional life. There is a brief overview of his childhood and his early training as a performer, but the rest of the book is dedicated to outlining his professional activities and some of the social life that resulted from those professional activities. He mentions most, though not all, of his movie & stage roles to varying degrees; but—as the title indicates—most of his comprehensive commentary is reserved for West Side Story (both theatrical and cinematic). Those readers expecting a salacious tell-all full of wild details about Mr. Chakiris’ private life, as well as his no-holds-barred opinions about his co-stars will be sorely disappointed.

This book was clearly written through the rose-colored veil of nostalgia from the perspective of someone who was taught to never speak ill of anyone. That is ok, but it does render the book very one-dimensional and very unrealistic. Mr. Chakiris does express some negative feelings within his narrative: the firing of Jerome Robbins, the controlling behavior of his manager Ruth Aarons, and the unjust lawsuit brought against him by theatrical producer Hal Prince are all discussed with unhappiness, but remarkable civility. However, there is so much positivity in the book, it is downright syrupy. Almost every experience he ever had or everyone he ever met or worked with is always described as beautiful, charming, wonderful, or delightful. Frankly, I don’t buy it, and I don’t think most other readers will either. A more balanced
assessment of the trials and tribulations of the theatrical life, as well as a more honest evaluation of the personalities he encountered along the way (good, bad, and indifferent) would have made this a more engaging and authentic read. I’m a firm believer in integrity, but I don’t think it would have dented Mr. Chakiris’ self-respect to have injected a little more unfettered frankness into this work.

At one point Mr. Chakiris tells the story of crashing a party at Julie Andrews’ house. Chita Rivera and quite a few other notables were there. He had a great time, and he still can’t believe he got up the nerve to ring the doorbell and crash a Julie Andrews house party. The End.
That one anecdote is analogous to the entire narrative of the book. He describes what he did, who was there, and what his general impressions were of the event, and that’s all. He provides a lot of the broad substance, but virtually no compelling details; he never reveals the funny jokes people were telling, the silly gossip that was circulating the room, who was the life of the party, who was obnoxious, who was charming, who got drunk and insulted everybody, what amazing food was on the buffet, the weird cocktails that were invented, who was wearing the craziest dress, what he personally liked or didn’t like about the whole soiree…nothing in the way of intimate details at all. Even if he didn’t remember specific details, he could have made some silly stuff up. Isn’t it the law that all memoirs have to contain funny, outlandish fabrications in them? If it’s not, it should be; that is what makes them enjoyable.

This book proved to be a bit of a quandary for me. On one hand, I found it interesting & liked it; at the same time, I found it boring and couldn’t wait to get it over with. I think it depended on what chapter I was in as to which opinion dominated at any given moment. It’s not a bad book, but it’s not really that good either. Either way, it is a very quick afternoon read and should definitely be of interest to George Chakiris fans, as well as film buffs and fans of West Side Story. ( )