It's the literary equivalent of a summer night, a good friend and a gin-and-tonic: Shannon is a deft writer; a natural storyteller with a wicked turn of phrase and frighteningly specific memory (David Schwimmer's acting class antics are hilarious!). As someone who was also a young adult in the '80s and '90s, I felt like I was visiting the parallel universe I'd only wondered about: What happens when you have a brain AND big hair--when you want to be An Actor but everyone wants you in Spandex? My favorite parts, though, are when Shannon reveals--without a drop of sentiment--the deep pain and losses in her childhood that drive her into wanting to be Somebody. Well worth reading!

Shannon Bradley-Colleary is funny as hell, and she has STORIES. As a child of the 80's who stumbled into adulthood in the 90's, I absolutely loved reading her memories of icons of the era like David Schwimmer and INXS. Her poignant recollection of her relationship with the late Brandon Lee is especially touching - and haunting. But what I found most compelling was to consider this aspiring actor in the context of her life history. She clearly - and deftly - uses humor to deal with extreme hurt, and her perseverance in the face of disappointment is admirable. What does it mean to be a perceptively-thinking, deeply feeling young woman in a business that seeks to reduce you to your dress size? Shannon Bradley-Colleary invites the reader behind the scenes, and will have you laughing until you cry - and sometimes just pausing to consider the strange directions in which our dreams can take us, and the places we may find true success.