Tom Selleck’s charming memoir chronicles the highs and lows of a life in acting.

On this episode of Fully Booked, Tom Selleck joins us to discuss You Never Know: A Memoir (Dey Street/HarperCollins, May 5), now available in paperback with essential new content. Selleck’s engaging memoir, written with award-winning journalist Ellis Henican, was an instant New York Times bestseller when it was first published in 2024. “A celebrity memoir worth reading,” Kirkus writes, “in which the beloved actor shares his splendid life and career.

Selleck is best known for his iconic role as Thomas Magnum in the original Magnum P.I. television series. His many unforgettable roles include PI Lance White on The Rockford Files, Peter Mitchell in Three Men and a Baby,Matthew Quigleyin Quigley Down Under, and Peter Malloy in In & Out. He was beloved as Dr. Richard Burke, Monica’s older boyfriend, on Friends and starred for 14 seasons as NYPD Commissioner Frank Reagan on the hit crime drama Blue Bloods.

Here’s a bit more from our review of You Never Know: “In this well-written memoir, co-authored by Henican, Selleck (b. 1945) tracks an ascent in the entertainment industry that largely began in the late 1960s at the program for new talent at Fox and was solidified by his role as the star of the hit TV series Magnum P.I. The book is often Magnum-heavy.…Yet even if readers have never seen a single episode of the show that made his career, the author’s style entertains, edifies, and effectively bridges the bookends of his career.…Selleck neither avoids difficult topics…nor stints on details.…Unless the author is a master of deception, the text is like the man himself: witty, charming, and honest.”

In a stimulating conversation, Selleck reflects on his approach to memoir writing: “I wanted to do a book that was a conversation.” We talk about his early roles in commercials, what it was like to train in the Fox Talent Program, and his iconic roles in Magnum P.I. and Blue Bloods. He shares insights into his writing process, the challenges of collaboration, and the importance of reading your own work aloud.

At the end of our main author interview, Selleck recommends to listeners a baseball book written by a friend of his. Follow @kirkus_reviews on Instagram, DM us the title of that book (along with your email and location), and you’ll be entered in a drawing to receive a $100 Visa gift card, courtesy of Kirkus.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

So Many Are the Drowned by Anthony Josephson

Conspirator in Chief by Stephen F. Knott

American Jap Girl by Richard Okumoto

The Words We’ve Lost and Found by Jody Doll

Mirage by Tony Burnett

Fully Booked is produced by Jessica Lockhart and Megan Labrise.