Review: Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe

After seeing Rob Lowe on Oprah and the way he was with his kids, I knew I had to read his autobiography.  (Check out this link "Rob Lowe's Family" at Oprah.com.)  Although I've always thought he was handsome in a pretty obvious way, I can't say that I'd ever really followed his career that closely.  After his interview on Oprah, talking about his autobiography, I was pretty intrigued and put his audio book on hold at my local library.  Believe it or not, I took me until the middle of September to finally get my hands on it, but it was well worth the wait.

Synopsis:  From Goodreads, "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. These stories are as entertaining as they are unforgettable."

Review:  This was probably one of my favorite autobiographies to date.  Having Rob Lowe read his own life story, you get a feel for the emotion behind certain chapters in his life, which was such a bonus.  The experiences he shared from his childhood, of his parent's divorce, being uprooted from Ohio, and his mother's mental ups and downs really do correlate to the addictions and issues he struggled through later in life.  Interestingly enough, he had a constant, internal dream of the stable family with a wife and children he loved.  Despite his good looks, his easy women, and his foray into addiction, Hollywood seems to be something that he has figured out and given a spot in his life, but not given the spotlight.  That journey was really interesting to sit back and experience with him.

One of the things I found most interesting about this autobiography was Lowe's constant identification with his passions.  Acting is obviously something that he is incredibly passionate about.  He loves acting, and it shows in the way he talks about the movies and television shows he has been in.  Rather than always playing the lead role, he learned that he had an aptitude for playing the supporting role in comedies.  Now he is engaged in searching out great films that he can direct and be involved in producing.  It's nice to see how passionate he is about acting and to hear about the craftsmen side of things.  

Lowe with his sons Matthew and John Owen.

Stories I Only Tell My Friends is a juicy read, filled with Hollywood tales and insider stories.  Rob Lowe has seemed to rub shoulders with presidents, stars, and royalty alike and has the stories to back them.   However, his end goal seemed to be more about finding happiness, which he has done with a wife that is his match in friendship and love, and with the jewels of his life, his sons.  The passion he feels for his family and acting make his life story even more interesting.  I enjoyed listening to this audio book and would definitely recommend giving it a try. The biography feels true to Lowe as a person and allows us a nice insider view.

*FTC Disclosure:  Review was based on a library copy of the audio book.