For me, this book is more than a passing walk down memory lane—especially the entertaining chapter during which Rogak describes what a typical day of Jeopardy! taping looks like ... Who is Alex Trebek? offers an entertaining overview of both Trebek’s remarkably successful career and his singular personality ...Unlike your average celebrity tell-all biography, this lack of juicy gossip doesn’t seem to detract from fans’ hopes and expectations for Trebek. They might be amused by details of his unhealthy breakfast habits or an anecdote about his accidental ingestion of more than one hash brownie in an unfortunate episode. But Rogak depicts Trebek as exactly the man most viewers imagine, or hope, he would be—generous, curious about the world, genuinely enjoying the work he does and taking it seriously ... readers will come away from Who is Alex Trebek? with a fierce desire for Trebek to be able to leave the show the way he has always done things: on his own terms.
With Trebek’s public battle with pancreatic cancer, it’s hard not to ascribe a eulogistic tone to this work. Nevertheless, Rogak’s work is a well-crafted biography that will especially appeal to Jeopardy! fans.
... loyal Jeopardy! fans might well know enough answers about the beloved emcee to sweep the category. For everyone else, Rogak’s sprightly biography fills in the highlights ... Rogak’s heartfelt portrait acknowledges Trebek’s numerous contributions to the game show genre and masterfully illustrates how and why he remains a treasured entertainment icon.
