Priceless Memories by Bob Barker

Priceless Memories by Bob Barker

            Bob Barker is a famous television host from the 1960s and he reminisces his past in his book, Priceless Memories. Priceless Memories was published in 2009 by Center Street. To sum it up, Barker talks about his memories with his wife, his host activities, his experience as a Naval Aviation Cadet, his pets, his passion for animal rights, and many more. Barker is most known as host of a game show called Truth or Consequences for about eighteen years, another game show called The Price is Right for thirty five years, and Beauty Pageants for twenty years. He shares his fun experiences on the shows like audience interactions, pranks, funny moments, touching moments, and etc. When Barker was young, he trained as a Naval Aviation Cadet and talks about his years of training to fly planes like the SNJ, BT-13, FM-2, and many more. Eventually, he gained his gold wings but was never actually summoned to duty. Barker also shares his memories with his wife, Dorothy Jo, who was his high school sweetheart and has been happily married with him until she died on October 19, 1981 from lung cancer. They’ve been married for thirty six years and Dorothy Jo was the one who influenced Barker to become a vegetarian and learn about animal rights. Barker is passionate for animals and especially takes a stand on neutering and spaying. He created his own foundation known as the DJ&T Foundation which grants money to organizations that benefit animals. As an animal lover, Barker talks about all pets/animals that he and Dorothy Jo have rescued which includes dogs, cats, rabbits, and even ducks.

            “Have you pets spayed or neutered.” (Barker 221)

            In this section, Barker stressed the importance of spaying and neutering pets to decrease populations of homeless animals. He talks about the tragedy of euthanizing millions of animals every year and hopes to reach out to readers to spread awareness. This quote is what got me to read this book because I’m interested in his stance of animal rights and I want to know who he was. I love animals and I’ve heard about him because he is passionate for animals and donates many money to organizations to benefit animals. An example would be his donation of $5,000,000 to Sea Shepherd Conservation Society which is an organization that protects whales against Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean. Reading this book helps me understand why Bob Barker was so famous and what his achievements were. I respect Barker and hope to advocate for animal rights as well.