I have to admit to knowing Rob Lowe more for his role as Sam Seaborn on The West Wing than his earlier days as a sex symbol from the famous "Brat Pack" of the 1980's. That is not to say that I have had no exposure to him in those movies. I am more than familiar with the movies The Outsiders and St. Elmo's Fire, but most of his earlier opus is before my time.

I have seen Lowe on a number of celebrity talk shows like The Graham Norton Show, and I have always appreciated his honesty and his ability to seem so down to earth. What I really liked about this book is that those elements of his personality really shine through. He takes readers through his life from his early years in a troubled family through his leaving The West Wing, sharing little stories about the famous people he met, his experiences (both good and bad) as a celebrity, and the everyday challenges of his life, including his life-long confrontation of feeling like an outsider, which is ironic considering his first movie role as Sodapop in the film by that name.

He always new that he wanted to be an actor. The fact that his mother, brothers, and he moved to Malibu seemed to provide him easier access to the Hollywood machine, though he was always willing to try and showcase his skills even when they were living in the Midwest. His mother suffered from psychological issues that were clearly connected to her believed allergies. As time went by, she became more and more homebound. In some ways, this paralleled his own feelings of isolation as he grew up outside of the popular crowd at school.

He did find an outlet in his acting. He became close with many of his peers, including his neighbors Emilio Esteves and Charlie Sheen, Tom Cruise, Daryl Hannah, Jodie Foster, and some of his girlfriends like Melissa Gilbert and Princess Setphanie of Monaco. He also shares his political activity, which connected him with celebrities like Michael Dukakis, Jane Fonda, Whoopi Goldberg and a number of others.

Ironically, none of these relationships prevented him from falling into a need to escape from his loneliness through partying and alcoholism. He hated the instant (and shallow) connection his career built with those around him. They were relationships that were built without the individuals having a chance to get to know each other.

One of the things I really liked about the book was his sharing of experiences meeting celebrities, both idols and superstars he looked up to. These include Liza Minelli, Jim Belushi, Andy Warhol, and Paul Newman.

He also does a great job of sharing some of the details about the controversies that really shook up his life. They include the video sex-tape that really shook up his career, his need to seek rehab for his alcoholism, and his leaving The West Wing over contractual issues. He also carefully avoids trash-talking or exposing lurid tales about his celebrity peers. This is a story about his life.

He also carefully shares the love he feels for his family, including his mother, father, two brothers and their families, and, especially, his wife and two sons. In a way, Lowe comes across as being not so different from the rest of us, which is really nice. I would really love to sit down and have a cup of coffee with him. He is not only talented, but realistic about the business. He is intelligent, kind, and caring. He comes across as a generally nice guy ... just like Same Seaborn, which is really not a bad thing!