I was on my online library and looking for books to put on my waitlist. I am allowed to put 10 books on the list and I do what I can to keep the list full. That’s because sometimes the wait is up to six months before I get the books and I’m pretty frugal about how much I spend on books…so I wait. So I keep the list full.
One of the books that’s been on my list for a long time is this book, The Boys by Ron and Clint Howard.
I was immediately attracted to the book as I immediately recognized Opie Taylor for the Andy Griffith show. I loved the show and thought it would be great to read a book about Opie.
The book was great. It was actually written by Ron Howard and Clint Howard…and they both read the audiobook. The book tells the story of their rise to fame and their lives along the way. I knew Ron went on to be Happy Days and direct some of the great movies like Appollo 13.
What I didn’t realize was that Ron’s little brother Clint was the child star in the show Gentle Ben. Clint is also a famous actor. He played in many different shows.
I enjoyed reading about their family dynamic and how they rose to fame. I greatly admit the boys’ parents and wish every child star family would take note of the good work their parents did.
Here is what Amazon has to say:
“What was it like to grow up on TV?” Ron Howard has been asked this question throughout his adult life. in The Boys, he and his younger brother, Clint, examine their childhoods in detail for the first time. For Ron, playing Opie on The Andy Griffith Show and Richie Cunningham on Happy Days offered fame, joy, and opportunity—but also invited stress and bullying. For Clint, a fast start on such programs as Gentle Ben and Star Trek petered out in adolescence, with some tough consequences and lessons.
With the perspective of time and success—Ron as a filmmaker, producer, and Hollywood A-lister, Clint as a busy character actor—the Howard brothers delve deep into an upbringing that seemed normal to them yet was anything but. Their Midwestern parents, Rance and Jean, moved to California to pursue their own showbiz dreams. But it was their young sons who found steady employment as actors. Rance put aside his ego and ambition to become Ron and Clint’s teacher, sage, and moral compass. Jean became their loving protector—sometimes over-protector—from the snares and traps of Hollywood.
By turns confessional, nostalgic, heartwarming, and harrowing, THE BOYS is a dual narrative that lifts the lid on the Howard brothers’ closely held lives. It’s the journey of a tight four-person family unit that held fast in an unforgiving business and of two brothers who survived “child-actor syndrome” to become fulfilled adults.”
Amazon readers give the book 4.7 stars. I would agree. I loved the book and highly recommend it to anyone who was a fan of the work Ron and Clint Howard have done.
You can find the book HERE if you are interested.
Sounds like a good book, thanks
It seems to me that several of the books on my list become available at the same time. I can sometimes delay the delivery. I have read several books that you have recommended. Thank you.
I only started downloading audio books from the library a couple of months ago and I love it. Where the Crawdads Sing is excellent and I’m currently listening to American Dirt. This one is a little hard to hear at times but it’s reeled me in.
I’ve read them both and loved them.