“I used to think not crying meant you were tough. Now I think crying means you’re tough. It means you’re strong enough to be honest and vulnerable. It means you’re not pretending.”

Alex Trebek is a well-known person even though he wasn’t considered a super-celebrity persona. The host of Jeopardy! was made famous by that show, but it wasn’t even close to the first game show he hosted. Trebek wrote The Answer Is after being diagnosed with cancer to let the world know a bit more about who he was in his own words. He shares about his childhood, family, career and opines a bit on what’s important in life. 

I saw a lot of people reading this book after Trebek’s death in late 2020. I added it to my to-read pile and waited several months for it to become available as an ebook. I definitely wanted to find out more about the person behind the household name.

Trebek’s parents were divorced, but remained civil, which Trebek followed when he divorced his first wife. He wasn’t the greatest student, but he worked hard at restaurant jobs and finally found work in radio. His willingness to take almost any shift since he was single led to lots of experience with different kinds of radio hosting. That led to Canadian game shows and then American ones. His fame led him to help many people along the way. He donated to several causes and did USO tours.

The Answer Is is a very candid book. The chapters are short and you heard Trebek’s voice talking to you about his life and values. He just barely shows some of his political views in a chapter or two, but mainly just focuses on universal topics – living a good life, family and work.

Anyone who was a fan of Trebek would enjoy reading The Answer Is to learn more about the man behind the questions of Jeopardy! It was an easy read and kept my interest. I feel like I know a lot more about the man we all watched on TV so many nights.

Are you a Jeopardy! fan? Share a favorite moment of the show in the comments!

Buy The Answer Is: … Reflections on my Life here (affiliate link).