I gave this book to my dad a couple of years ago for Christmas, thinking he would enjoy it. (He's never told me if he read it so I don't know if I was right or not.) True to form, that meant I had to read it too. I used to listen to Mike Rowe's podcast, also called The Way I Heard It, and thought that it would be interesting to learn more about the charming, witty, and down-to-Earth host through this combination of podcast vignettes and memoir.

The vignettes are all stories he'd already told on the podcast rather than the new pieces I had hoped for. That's on me but it meant that having heard the podcast, I was already familiar with the bulk of the book. In and among the 35 stories from the podcast, Rowe has dropped short anecdotes from his own life. Readers get to know his parents, see the path he took through show business, from his years at QVC to hosting Dirty Jobs, and stop in at some of his other unconventional life choices along the way, finally culminating in the founding of his mikeroweWORKS foundation. He is a public figure and much of what he shares in the book has been shared elsewhere, on air or online, as well, so there's not a lot of new material here. It is a pleasaant read, filled with self-deprecating humor, a little bit Paul Harvey, a little bit memoir. Readers unfamiliar with the podcast and wanting just little snippets of stories where they can try to guess the subject as the tale goes on will enjoy this book and the way [Rowe] heard it. ( )

Sort of like "The Rest of the Story" with a different twist. There are stories of various people where the identity is hidden till the end, some you may guess. Then Mr. Rowe will add why he thought of this person. It is a good read and very enjoyable. ( )

If you liked Paul Harvey's "The Rest of the Story," you'll like this. I'm a huge fan of Mike Rowe and everything he does. "The Way I Heard It" mixes in his favorite stories from his podcast (so if you've heard those episodes, you'll be familiar with the book versions) along with autobiographical anecdotes that in some way tie in to the "mystery stories" you just read. Much of this I knew too because again, I'm a fan. But it's still a fun read and well worth a spot on your bookshelf. ( )

I'm bailing at 48% (3:47:26 in audio). It's fine—I've just had enough. It's reminiscent of the old Paul Harvey radio series "The Rest of the Story." ( )

From the man who gave dignity to people who work the necessary “Dirty Jobs” that Keep the world running and who introduced us to people who make the world a better place. A couple of years back Mike Rowe started a Podcast and attempted to fill the late Paul Harvey shoes by telling little known stories about people and places we thought we knew. The Podcast is called, “The Way I Heard It” and this book is part a collection of those stories and part bio. It’s just fun to read. ( )