Rob Lowe :  Stories I only Tell My Friends

Written on 4/12/2015 at 4:54 pm by eBook-mom

Robe Lowe: Stories I Only Tell My Friends is a spectacular memoir that deserved all the attention it got when it was published in 2011.  I'm a little late writing a review but hey, I know you love me anyway.

Sharing stories like a close friend

The premise in this book is that Lowe is sharing stories that he would only tell a friend - like the nitty gritty of why and how that sex tape got made.  Or, the insecurities that led him to become a kind of plastic person for a while.  It's not all bad stuff though; he also shares the great moments in his life, like falling in love with his wife or the successes he has had in his career.

Opening doors with celebrity

Being a celebrity really did open a lot of doors for Lowe; and, a lot of times those doors opened up to encounters with really famous people and sometimes important moments in history (well, o.k. it's just film history, but I think that's important).

Here's some of the interesting stuff Lowe writes about:

• Auditioning and Filming The Outsiders - glimpses of Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, Patrick Swayze and Francis Ford Coppola
• Hanging out at Martin Sheen's House
• Getting advice from Martin Sheen
  
• Dating Princess Stephanie
• Dating Melissa Gilbert
• Meeting Lucille Ball backstage at the Oscars

Literally like sitting down with a friend

 As Lowe's character, Chris Traeger, in Parks and Recreation would say: This book is "literally" like sitting down with a close friend and swapping stories, except of course, in this situation, it's one way.  (Too bad, I have a story about meeting Helen Hunt while being an extra during a filming of a Mickey Rooney movie that I am sure Rob Lowe would enjoy and appreciate.  And, come to think of it, I also have a Mickey Rooney story he might like.)

A literary time machine

Rob Lowe's Stories I Only Tell My Friends is also a time machine of sorts that takes you back in time to the 80's and 90's and it's a very nice trip.  Sometimes when I'm reading these memoirs I hate it when they go all the way back to their non-celebrity childhood.  I mean, it kind of gets boring but in Rob's case, he had a pretty interesting childhood. 

For example, he stands in line to meet Telly Savalas and gives him a lollipop.  He also lived close to Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez and hung out at their house.  But it's more than just the fact that he went out on auditions and grew up in Malibu with other actors -- it's the fact that he has a keen eye for life and catches those life moments that are so important and writes about them with such great insight.

A memoir with a punch

Moreover, for me this book had a powerful impact because it is the first Hollywood memoir that  covered a time period that I was influenced by.  Usually I am reading about WWII or the 50's or 60's.  This time, I read about the 80' and 90's - and just like Rob Lowe, I was a young adult facing the same world events and iconic moments that he faced.  It was certainly a first experience for me and it was powerful. 

All in all, Stories I only Tell My Friends is a pretty awesome book.  I know "awesome" is over used but let's turn back time and go to a place when this word wasn't over used like April 16, 2011 when this book first came out?  I highly recommend reading this book.  This book started my celebrity memoir book binge. Rob Lowe: Stories I only Tell My Friends was "literally" that good.

eBook-mom question: What books have started you on a reading binge?