3.5 stars. This was gut-wrenching to read, I can't imagine what it must have been like for Matthew to write. The book provides a great insight into an addict's mind, but suffers from a good amount of repetition. A couple more passes by an editor would have bumped this up to a 4. ( )

How Raw! Matthew Perry (dear Chandler Bing) has had a really tough life. He is so forward about addiction and all that it has cost him. Kudos to him for writing this book and all of his honesty about his affliction. ( )

Did not enjoy this rambling memoir. There's an important message here, but it was buried in repetitious themes, especially Matt's story about flying as an unaccompanied minor. Please, lord, give us a break and get over it. Your parents were trying to do the right thing and your therapists should have helped you resolve this issue to a point where it isn't ready to pop out continually. ( )

Will write a longer review later but in reading other reviews here, I think a lot of people need a hefty dose of media literacy and empathy! Maybe it's because I listened to the audiobook, maybe it's because I have a halfway decent knowledge about addicted brains, but it was pretty obvious to me that behind any arrogance/bragging/womanizing there's a huge sense of self-loathing. Anyway, shout out to Keith Morrison. ( )

I got this in hardcover for my wife last Christmas, but I never got around to reading it myself despite her recommendation. Fortunately, that meant it was still eligible to be a road-trip audiobook as I zip back and forth between Omaha and Madison while helping my daughter settle into her new digs. I find celebrity memoirs read by their familiar voices to be great driving companions.

Matthew Perry's memoir is pretty heavy as he uses his close brush with death in 2018 as the framing sequence for his life story. But even in his darkest hours, he cannot help but snark and bring on the cutting humor. So, he has some pretty typical celebrity problems -- drug addiction and a rotating slot of leading ladies in his personal life -- but he does offer up some engaging anecdotes about making Friends and hanging with other celebrities.

Perry is a witty guy, in his stories and in his writing, and I wish him the best of luck in his recovery and thank him for all the joy he has given me over the years.

Side note 1: I do admit that his slow and slightly slurred narration threw me off, so I upped playback speed to 125% so his voice sounded more like the jaunty one I remember so well.

Side note 2: The audiobook version I listened to had the controversial Keanu Reeves digs removed, but my wife's hardcover is an early enough edition that still has them. ( )