As a kid, I first saw Ed Begley Jr. in either Roseanne or She-Devil (also starring Roseanne). I'm sure I learned his name from my mom, and from then on out, I frequently saw him in various TV shows and movies, where I'd say, "Hey, it's Ed Begley Jr.!" But even though I noticed him frequently, I never sought him out on purpose, nor did I read up on him. When I saw the cover of this memoir, I said, "Hey, it's Ed Begley Jr.!" and decided to read it. And I'm glad I did. What a rich, fascinating life. At first I couldn't believe all of the people he was close friends with but when I thought about how often he popped up on both the small and big screen, I realized it made perfect sense he would know so many stars. He had many stories to share with incredible wit that made me laugh out loud on several occasions. My only issue with this memoir, and it's not really a big deal, is it wasn't written with a linear structure. With a career spanning decades, this choice made it a little hard to follow.

Thank you #Netgalley

I have always enjoyed Ed Begley Jr as an actor and I did watch his living with Ed show awhile back, but I had no idea how connected he was in the Hollywood world or anything about this addiction struggles. I could not believe how much he drank in many of these stories and there he is still here today. The bouncing back and forth with timelines was a bit difficult to follow at times, but appreciated that he would reference different chapters to help connect the dots.

It's a hollywood nepo baby memoir! Conversational and fine way to spend your time. I didn't know of Begley's sordid past, so good on him for his transparency (and his eventual sobriety).

Ed’s memoir is more fluff than substance. While there are some interesting stories, the book itself is disjointed and didn’t hold my interest the way I’d hoped. Thank you to Hachette Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Celebrity memoirs are always on the top of my TBR, and this title was no exception. Laugh out loud funny and heartfelt, I didn't want this book to end. Can't wait to give it as a holiday gift this year!

I am familiar with Ed Begley Jr.'s television and film work and have enjoyed it over the years. He is a great character actor. He also has had some really interesting adventures in Hollywood over the decades which made this an interesting and fun read. It is brief and does not have a lot of self-reflection (just a bit) and instead could be titled "the crazy adventures of Ed Begley Jr." It is not a typical autobiographical read - instead is a series of interesting stories strung together. He would be fun to have a dinner party. In terms of a read, it was okay.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Books for an ARC and I left this review voluntarily.

I always like Ed Begley on St. Elsewhere but I never really followed his career before or after.
This is a quick read full of lots of information about lots of different people. Some could say there is a fair bit of name dropping but him being seventy four, that’s just lots of time to make lots of friends.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early release in exchange for an honest opinion. 4⭐️

If you are looking for an extremely in-depth look into Ed Begley Jr.'s life, this isn't the book for you. It is more surface level but does cover quite a bit. It is definitely interesting to read about all of his close friends and who they are. Filled with a lot of humor and does discuss his dealing with addiction, which led him to some interesting situations. He also is quite an activist and was driving an electric car before it was the "cool" thing to do. Recommend if you are interested in a peek into his life and the famous people he knows.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

What a great memoir! I loved reading all about Ed Begley, he has been a character actor in so many movies throughout the years. i didn't realize just HOW MANY celebrities he hung out with (and did drugs with). I appreciated his calm demeanor in writing and his humbleness. It was funny at times and insightful at others. Certainly will be looking out for more acting from him!

Ed Begley jr. has always been , in my mind, an actor that is under utilized. I know he is a vegan, an activist, a staunch Democrat and a little bit out of sync with the main stream. But he is also a pretty good actor.
This is his autobiography and it is really quite fascinating the number of people he has met, worked and partied with over the years. It is entertaining, insightful, an reflective of the time he grew up.
I did enjoy this book. I hope his remaining years are just as exciting and varied as his previous 74.
I do recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me this ARC.

I give this 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 stars since Ed seems like a pretty nice guy. This book was mainly him rambling on about who he knows and how he is friends with everybody including his ex wife. I thought the book didn't really have a point or any substance to it. I still don't know why or how he became an actor (maybe because his father was?), how he became sober, why he got divorced (did he cheat?, did his wife cheat?), or how he became such an activist. It was a lot of fluff and no substance. I did like hearing about all his friends and other celebrities and understand why he is in some many movies and tv shows.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

I enjoyed this book. The storytelling is very good and written with a certain lightness. I also appreciate that although Begley is a staunch environmentalist, he did not use the book as a pulpit. There is also no mudslinging here; it appears that Begley truly appreciates the people around him. I also liked the inside view of show business. On the other hand, I didn’t really find the book funny and Begley referred to so many people as dear friends or good friends etc, the terms lost all meaning. Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Books for the digital review copy.

I only had two reactions while reading this book. The first was that it was like listening to that friend of yours who thinks he's a lot funnier than he really is. And second, the entire book seems like one giant acknowledgements chapter.

It won't hurt you to read it quickly, but there's not much book there.

Thanks to Hatchette Books and NetGalley for the advance edition.

I did like Mr. Begley's book but he kept skipping back and forth and I did find it a bit confusing. His book was very humorous once you got used to the back and forth..
Mr. Begley is an environmentalist and though I am for protecting the planet I can't say I agree with him on some aspects. He did invent an electric car way before its time though it was definitely compact and would not be able to compete with electric cars today. I must, however , say that it was ingenious.If you like to relive the 70's, especially in Hollywood, this is the book for you.

Is there anyone in Hollywood he doesn’t know? Skate parties with Cher?! I loved reading this book, it felt very honest about his struggles and success and he was very kind about the many people he encountered over the years. I appreciated the detail about work after some success and returning to carpentry/woodworking after St Elsewhere and how doing a reality show paid well and was worth it. Maybe I am nosy but I’ve always wondered about that with character actors you see a lot but who often have smaller roles.

Quirky and interesting this book won't disappoint.
Thanks to to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this one but it was great, much better than I actually anticipated. Sometimes the beginning of an autobiography can really turn you off but this one, it started great and kept me engaged. Enjoyable!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley. Ed Begley Jr. writes a book that is part memoir and part sharing his beliefs in protecting the Earth and keeping it green. He is the son of Ed Begley and growing up in California maybe not a surprise he became an actor himself. He writes honestly about his being an alcoholic and keeping himself sober. He was very generous with his compliments on his fellow actors. He is "dear friends' with many actors. I liked getting to read about some of the movies and tv shows he has acted in. He shares about his beliefs in trying to keep a green Earth. He does not eat meat. tries to limit driving in cars and using less fuel. Tries his best not to add to pollution. I like that this is NOT a tell all book where he trashes other people. He kept his memoir "nice" so it was nice to learn about an actor I have seen over the years. Nice memoir I am glad I got the chance to read.

This memoir was pretty boring. It read exactly like listening to your dithering grandfather haphazardly telling you about his life. Begley isn't a gifted storyteller, he told most of the interesting things in his life in a very un-interesting manner. Found myself skimming the second half.

This book was provided to me from Netgalley, so I can read and review it before it’s published.

Hey, I know who Ed Begley Jr. is, but I have to be honest and tell you, I can only remember his appearances in several Christopher Guest movies. I know.

So, by the title of this, I thought it was going be about a spiritual journey, but boy, I sure was wrong and am very glad I chose this book to read. He’s the one who drives an electric car, correct?

I really enjoyed his stories of his life growing up, all the people who helped him along the way, and his family. I had no clue his dad was an actor; pretty cool to get some god genes passed down.

He worked as a comedian and opened up for some huge stars before his acting career took off. I didn’t know that.

I had no clue how close of friends he was with Harry Nilsson, Bruno Kirby, Michael Richards, Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando, Carrie Fisher, and Cindy Williams – just to name a few that were mentioned in the book. He had a brief run in with Charles Manson and met John and Yoko Lennon.

He also talked about his relationship with drugs and alcohol, and how it affected him – both good and bad.

The last few pages of the book, he talks about his Parkinson’s diagnosis from 2016 of which he is doing well.

As far as the overall read, it was easy for me to understand and flowed very well.