By Eliana H.

I grew up watching Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Jean-Luc Picard will always be my captain. With family connections to Yorkshire, his home county in England, I’m especially fond of Sir Patrick Stewart. He grew up a scant three miles from the hotel where we used to stay when visiting relatives. Even if you are not a Trekkie, you probably would recognize the classically-trained actor from his depiction of Professor Charles Xavier in X-Men and its sequels. If you’ve missed all of those, you might have spotted him in the recent Super Bowl ad for Paramount+, in which he wore a very old-fashioned football uniform and threw a “Hail Arnold” as Creed sang in the background. I enjoyed his performances throughout the Star Trek franchise as well as in the X-Men films, Jeffrey, and more, so I was excited to see that Sir Patrick Stewart had a new memoir out. I have very positive associations with his voice and was especially delighted to see that he narrates the audiobook. 

Making It So is a nod to one of his signature lines as Captain Picard, one that my father happened to enjoy using as well. I don’t read a lot of memoirs, so I was glad that it kept my interest. I learned a lot about Patrick Stewart’s humble beginnings, the work he had to put in to succeed in the world of British theater, and how he ended up playing his most recognized iconic roles. I will admit that some of what I learned about his personal life tarnished the shine a bit, as he was not always a good partner. Still, it was a pleasure to feel more connected to one of my childhood icons. I found myself wishing that I could go back in time to see some of the stage performances that I wasn’t aware he was engaged in during my adult lifetime! Thankfully, Sir Patrick Stewart indicates in the book that he has more to share with the world, so I anticipate opportunities to appreciate his artistry in the future. In the meantime, I’m working on watching Blunt Talk, one of his more recent television shows. 

Making It So is available from Howard County Library System in print, in e-book and e-audiobook formats, and as an audiobook on CD.

Eliana is a Children’s Instructor and Research Specialist at the Elkridge Branch and co-chair of the HCLS Equity Committee. She loves reading, even if she’s slow at it, and especially enjoys helping people find books that make them light up. She also loves being outside and spending time with friends and family (when it’s safe).