From last week's New York memoir, let's shoot back to the West with a brand new memoir by an actor who rose to stardom in the '80s. It's likely you'll still recognize the charming 47-year-old. A first look:
Author: Rob Lowe
Title: "Stories I Only Tell My Friends" (2011)
Number of Pages: 306 in the 2011 Henry Holt edition
Polite Name-Dropping: Endless
I don't know how familiar you are with Rob Lowe. You might identify him with his rise as a teen heartthrob in "The Outsiders" (1983) and "St. Elmo's Fire" (1985), or his more serious and acclaimed turn on the television show "The West Wing" (1999-2006). Maybe you have discovered him more recently from "Brothers & Sisters" (2006-2011) and "Parks and Recreation."
This summer, I checked out "Masquerade" (1988), which was devilishly entertaining. Featuring Kim Cattrall, who played Samantha on "Sex and the City" (1998-2004), and Doug Savant, who played Tom Scavo on "Desperate Housewives," it was still Lowe who most captivated me among the sexy backdrop of the Hamptons.
From that point on, I ended up on a sort of Rob Lowe movie binge, but, to be honest, I've grown up being captivated by him. He was from Dayton, Ohio — my hometown — and his father was my grandmother's attorney. My mom still laughs when she tells stories about how the older Mr. Lowe would give her signed headshots. He couldn't hide his disappointment when Johnny Depp took over her walls. And, I wouldn't be lying if I admit that I kind of wished they dated.
When I saw Lowe's memoir, I was naturally intrigued. However you might know him, the memoir brings his fresh and multi-faceted personality to light.
Lowe is a talented writer. His story flows honestly as he walks readers through his difficult childhood and high-pressure career. These stories about a young man thrust into the spotlight are particularly poignant for our age group — if not entirely applicable to college students. Can you imagine starring in an iconic Francis Ford Coppola movie at 19? Moreover, what does all that fame even mean?
What surprised me most is just how outlandish Lowe's story seems. His anecdotes read like glitzy Hollywood fictions, rather than true excerpts from a man's life. He talks about moving from Dayton to Malibu and dining with Sarah, who turns out to be Sarah Jessica Parker. He writes about his experience consoling Janet, who then becomes Janet Jackson. At every turn, Lowe surprises you with his experiences of meeting people before they fulfilled their dreams — and he very humbly takes his readers along for the ride.
Lowe triumphantly and adeptly describes his dark childhood. The book's early chapters on his upbringing are by far the best; they document the tragedy of growing up with a broken family in beautiful but unsettling surroundings. Lowe faces untimely deaths and heartbroken people at an impressionable age.
Meanwhile, Lowe's escape into show business is just as disquieting. His tide of fame rises and falls with little to no control on his part.
Since we tend to expect Hollywood stars to have fairytale backgrounds, Lowe's dramatic story draws readers in. You'll be hooked as the story follows Lowe's troubled teenage years, during which he acted out a bad boy, to the eventual solace he finds as a family man.
It's up to you whether or not you believe Lowe's story or choose to regard it as a well-done publicity ploy. But, taken as fiction or non-fiction, "Stories I Only Tell My Friends" is entertaining and thought-provoking. In a self-deprecating way entirely his own, Lowe comes across as the best kind of character — he does not wallow in his difficulties or lavish in his own successes, and you'll naturally want to root for him.
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Alexandria Chu is a junior majoring in English. She can be reached at Alexandria.Chu@tufts.edu.
