Sonny Boy

A Memoir

By: Al Pacino

Narrated by: Al Pacino

Length: 12 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

The Instant New York Times Bestseller

“The book is a beautiful trip.” (New York Times Magazine) • “Soulful . . . Feels like hanging out within a history of American movies over the last 50 years.” (Los Angeles Times) • “Startlingly cinematic ... A fine memoir.” (The Guardian)

From one of the most iconic actors in the history of film, an astonishingly revelatory account of a creative life in full

To the wider world, Al Pacino exploded onto the scene like a supernova. He landed his first leading role, in The Panic in Needle Park, in 1971, and by 1975, he had starred in four movies—The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, Serpico, and Dog Day Afternoon—that were not just successes but landmarks in the history of film. Those performances became legendary and changed his life forever. Not since Marlon Brando and James Dean in the late 1950s had an actor landed in the culture with such force.

But Pacino was in his midthirties by then, and had already lived several lives. A fixture of avant-garde theater in New York, he had led a bohemian existence, working odd jobs to support his craft. He was raised by a fiercely loving but mentally unwell mother and her parents after his father left them when he was young, but in a real sense he was raised by the streets of the South Bronx, and by the troop of buccaneering young friends he ran with, whose spirits never left him. After a teacher recognized his acting promise and pushed him toward New York’s fabled High School of Performing Arts, the die was cast. In good times and bad, in poverty and in wealth and in poverty again, through pain and joy, acting was his lifeline, its community his tribe.

Sonny Boy is the memoir of a man who has nothing left to fear and nothing left to hide. All the great roles, the essential collaborations, and the important relationships are given their full due, as is the vexed marriage between creativity and commerce at the highest levels. The book’s golden thread, however, is the spirit of love and purpose. Love can fail you, and you can be defeated in your ambitions—the same lights that shine bright can also dim. But Al Pacino was lucky enough to fall deeply in love with a craft before he had the foggiest idea of any of its earthly rewards, and he never fell out of love. That has made all the difference.

©2024 Al Pacino (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“A movie superstar of rare stature . . . In Sonny Boy, Mr. Pacino still sounds like the actor who dazzled in his heyday. The book, written with Dave Itzkoff, preserves Mr. Pacino’s personality, with all his intelligence, his wit and his eagerness to talk about the theater history he loves.”—Farran Smith Nehme, Wall Street Journal

“At its best, reading [Sonny Boy] feels like pulling up a stool next to the actor as he unspools one anecdote after another . . . A glimpse into the idiosyncratic mind of our most mercurial movie star, who’s more than happy to wax poetic about the lifesaving qualities of Chekhov or to share his imagined conversations with Bertolt Brecht.”—Chris Stanton, Vulture

“Startlingly cinematic . . . A fine memoir. From fish out of water to Hollywood star, the method actor traces his path to success, spending as much time on the films that flopped as the greatest hits.”—The Guardian

I loved this so much!!! But….

I only have one complaint about this engaging, fascinating, tender and funny memoir. Al reminisces about several high profile love affairs- is kind and generous about each one. But never mentions the mothers of his children, the sweet memories of their birth and young lives as it pertained to what was happening in his at the time. It didn’t make any sense! Maybe he was being respectful of them? Or maybe he doesn’t speak to Any of them? I don’t know, but I thought it was a glaring hole in the retelling of his life. That frustrated me!

powerful and authentic. loved that the author read the book.

I liked the honesty. The stories were very real and I found myself thinking about my own immortality.

truly had no idea who he was

such a revelation of an actor I've loved forever and a day. he is truly an original and an inspiration. he is so generous in this book in revealing so many moments of real vulnerability. I missed him the moment he was over and felt like I was missing a friend who always had the best stories to tell. what a balm in this broken world. thank you Al

The Best Performance of Them All

I loved it every minute, it’s a must listen. I’m better informed about life now. Start at the beginning and don’t skip a word. I feel I have had Al Pacino over for dinner with my family and we sit around the kitchen table and we listen to him tell his story. Oh what a night!

Honest, Unvarnished Memoir

Sometimes after reading a memoir I feel a sense of regret, usually because the truth of the author's life doesn't match the exalted status I had given them in my imagination. On the other hand, it reflects that our heroes are just human beings who had a particular talent or extreme good fortune. This is the case with Sonny Boy. Al portrays himself honestly and doesn't spare the details of his difficult early life. He had an undeniable gift at a young age for acting and thank goodness he pursued that dream. He was immensely blessed by the early opportunity to portray Michael Corleone in the Godfather. He is one of my favorite actors of all time. He is more of a Bohemian Artist than I ever would have guessed. He was terrible with money. He reads the book himself, and is often (likely) paraphrasing/improvising rather than reading. His performance adds to the experience and was what made me decide to listen.

Introspective, relevant, and beautifully told memoir

Pacino‘s memoir delving into his life as a whole, and especially his look back on his early life was so beautiful. Not only did he paint a picture of what New York City would’ve been like in that time but he gives the reader a small snapshot of the people in his life. I hope he’s proud of how he brought them to life with his words. His descriptions of what fame really is like, of work on the stage, on the true role and value of entertainers to the rest of the world are so realistically told! His words are relevant. His candidness on mental health, money, friendships, children enthralled me. This book is an amazingly deep look into the real life and thoughts of an artist.

LOVED IT !

Touching and Heartfelt reading and performance and STORY -passionately Told by an unapologetically HUMAN …. Yet-Larger-Than-Life Character

Charlie Bott

Pacino’s unmatchable voice

Incredible guided tour through Pacino’s remarkable life and career. And delivered so masterfully and intimately by the man himself.

Interesting...and Good!

Definitely good not great... I was looking forward to more Godfather more movie roles point of view... but does not really nothing except for the things you're already now ...this is his life and how he saw it... I would definitely recommend it.... more as a person's point of view than a movie star....

Love Al

I’m not even sure he is reading his book word for word which makes it seem like Mr. Pacino is telling us a story off the cuff. It’s fun. I adore his humble walk through his life, movies and theatre work.