Stories I Only Tell My Friends
An Autobiography
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4.3 • 2.5K Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Actor Rob Lowe's memoir presents a wryly funny and surprisingly moving account of an extraordinary life lived almost entirely in the public eye.
A teen idol at fifteen, an international icon and founder of the Brat Pack at twenty, and one of Hollywood's top stars to this day, Rob Lowe chronicles his experiences as a painfully misunderstood child actor in Ohio uprooted to the wild counterculture of mid-seventies Malibu, where he embarked on his unrelenting pursuit of a career in Hollywood.
The Outsiders placed Lowe at the birth of the modern youth movement in the entertainment industry. During his time on The West Wing, he witnessed the surreal nexus of show business and politics both on the set and in the actual White House. And in between are deft and humorous stories of the wild excesses that marked the eighties, leading to his quest for family and sobriety.
Never mean-spirited or salacious, Lowe delivers unexpected glimpses into his successes, disappointments, relationships, and one-of-a-kind encounters with people who shaped our world over the last twenty-five years. Rob Lowe's New York Times bestselling autobiography, Stories I Only Tell My Friends, shares tales that are as entertaining as they are unforgettable.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Lowe, actor and 1980s teen idol, delivers a keen and insightful look at how the movie industry packages a celebrity, the phenomenon of "objectification," and being "The Next Big Thing." His astute look into a Midwest childhood, as well as counterculture Malibu as a young adult, raises lifelong issues of isolation and detachment for him as he adapted the persona of "a people pleaser with very few personal boundaries." Lowe vividly records the making of Coppola's The Outsiders, witnessing the emergence of Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, and Patrick Swayze alongside his own career launch. He offers insightful anecdotes about people he knew throughout his career, such as Jodie Foster, Andy Warhol, Roman Polanski, Jane Fonda, Michael Dukakis, and Princess Stephanie of Monaco. In an era that he describes as self-indulgent, he discusses his alcoholism, his video escapade, and his life as defined by the term "Brat Pack." In the end of this honest memoir, Lowe tells of his reformed life, in which he got married, had a family, and landed a career-defining role in The West Wing.
Customer Reviews
Incredible True Stories.
Unbelievably enthralling and utterly entertaining. Mostly just unbelievable. Rob Lowe’s life has been nothing if not eventful as he seems to have perfected the art of being in the right place at the right time. If you have any interest in great stories, the entertainment industry or fascinating people in general this book is a must. I read the preview and was immediately sold. You will be too.
Stories already in the tabloids
This is more a story of Lowe's ego and how to further stroke it. There were very few moments of overcoming trials in life. It was more about who he knows, what great thing came his way, and bragging. Quite a boor with no substance.
Surprised
I really wasn't a Rob Lowe fan when I started this book. It is very well written and, as some folks noted in the reviews, a bit of a story of his success with some bragging. However, as an outsider, I felt his "bragging" was balanced with his faults and weaknesses. Let's face it, who knew he had interactions with so many celebrities throughout his entire life? Certainly not me. I'd seen St Elmo's Fire and Tommy Boy, but not because of Rob Lowe. I will go back and watch Hotel New Hampshire… Just because he was proud of it. Not sure how much of this is his true writing (versus that of a ghost writer/strong editor), but it is a very well-written book.