William Shatner is quite the wordsmith.
The “Star Trek” actor, 95, will release a uniquely personal book Oct. 27, USA TODAY can exclusively announce. Each chapter of “Wisdom & Worries” contains reflections
in verse, plus a note of context for what inspired it. Shatner described the process of writing the book as a path to self-discovery, meditating on his religious upbringing, his career in Hollywood, his passion for science and his 2021 trip to space.
“In ‘Wisdom & Worries,’ I’ve explored my deepest emotions and thoughts. The words on these pages are my attempt to put my own life, feelings and observations into context, and my wish is that, through them, readers can find insight and meaning into their own lives,” Shatner told USA TODAY in a statement.
“Wisdom & Worries” is another addition to Shatner’s already lengthy bibliography, which includes memoirs “Star Trek Memories,” “Boldly Go,” “Long Live And…” and many others. In August, he released “William Shatner… And You,” a collection of stories from famous friends, fans and close collaborators.
“We were struck by the emotional power and authenticity of Wisdom & Worries,” said Open Road CEO David Steinberger in a statement. “Reading this book is as close as one can get to knowing the true essence of William Shatner.”
Read an exclusive excerpt from ‘Wisdom & Worries’
In “So Far from the Moon,” Shatner reflects on the year 1969. Just as Americans were landing on the moon, his hit show "Star Trek" was getting canceled and his first marriage was dissolving.
Shatner previously told USA TODAY that the cancellation of “Star Trek” was "a low point in my life” and "the last chapter as far as I was concerned at that time. But as life does, sometimes, what is down comes up."
So Far from the Moon
I was doing dinner theater
Somewhere I don’t recall
Carpetbagging town to town
The summer to the fall
Sleeping in my pickup
Feeling like I’d hit a low
My marriage had been canceled
And so had my show
Well it was four in the morning
And dawn was coming soon
I was bound by gravity
And so far from the moon
So far from the moon
The Apollo mission took off
The planet watched enthralled
But man’s greatest achievement
Made this man feel so small
I stared up at the sky
The stars like little pins
Armstrong took a giant leap
While I fell down again
It was four in the morning
And dawn was coming soon
But I was bound by gravity
And so far from the moon
So far from the moon
Well, I rode a plastic spaceship
A flashlight laser beam
But some piece of that fiction
Helped push along the dream
I even met the astronauts
A year before they flew
So some small part of me
Was up there with them too
I waited there all night
Until the break of day
Then rolled up my sleeping bag
And drove away
It was four in the morning
And dawn was coming soon
But I was bound by gravity
And so far from the moon
It was four in the morning
And dawn was coming soon
But I was bound by gravity
And so far from the moon
So far from the moon
Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY’s Books Reporter, covering buzzy releases, chatting with authors and diving into the culture of reading. Find heron Instagram, subscribe to our weeklyBooks newsletter or tell her what you’re reading at cmulroy@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: William Shatner, 95, to release unique memoir | Read an exclusive excerpt
