Books 2024: Lights, Camera, Action — Atlanta as a Stage

Book: Mike Nichols: A Life

Author: Mark Harris

Reviewed by: Gene Kansas, founder and CEO of Gene Kansas | Commercial Real Estate and author of the forthcoming book Civil Sights: Sweet Auburn, a Journey Through Atlanta’s National Treasure

Mike Nichols, the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony)-winning actor and director of classics like Barefoot in the Park, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, The Graduate, and Charlie Wilson’s War, led a life as captivating, complicated and character-driven as his productions. Mark Harris‘s biography offers a fascinating glimpse into the mind of this creative and resilient genius.

The book resonated with me as years ago, in high school, taking the Johnson O’Connor aptitude test uncovered a surprising and welcome personal strength—directing.

While what I’ve come to view as my stage isn’t Broadway or a Hollywood studio, it’s a compelling backdrop nonetheless: the ever-evolving landscape of Atlanta.

As a real estate developer with a cultural focus, I orchestrate sets and scenes in the ongoing story of urban life, which made it all the more fascinating to gain a peek into the mind of a master director.

Harris intricately weaves Nichols’ personal and professional life, revealing how his experiences shaped his unique vision. Beyond filmmaking, this biography reminds us of the agency we all possess: Whether crafting a career or navigating relationships, we make choices that shape our narratives and those of others.

Nichols’ story, with its triumphs and setbacks, inspires us to approach life with intentionality and vision, consciously directing our own unique films. Whether we take this to heart as individuals could have great consequences for the planet, as our country and city continue to be leading actors on the world stage.

Editor’s notes: Global Atlanta will receive a 10 percent commission on any purchase of this book through the links on this page. 

Each year, Global Atlanta asks influential readers and community leaders to review the most impactful book they read during the course of the year. This endeavor has continued annually since 2010.

See last year’s full list of books on BookShop here, and see our Global Atlanta shop with picks back to 2013 here.

All books were chosen and reviews written independently, with only mild editing from our staff.