Shirley, I Jest! A Storied Life

In this delightfully amusing memoir, Williams, best known for her role as Shirley in the 1970s sitcom Laverne and Shirley, takes readers on a lightning-quick tour of her life and career. She walks readers through her childhood: she was born in 1947 in Van Nuys, Calif., then moved to Dallas where she was raised by her mother, who was a waitress at a high-end restaurant, and her alcoholic father. When she was a teen, her family moved back to California, and at age 21 she begins waitressing at Whiskey-a-Go-Go and then at an IHOP. Soon she meets director Garry Marshall, who directed Happy Days and, later, Laverne and Shirley. Williams recounts her various acting experiences, such working on American Graffiti with George Lucas, but also discusses the lean times before her big break when she nearly quite acting. She provides endearing stories featuring such celebrities as Johnny Carson, Cary Grant, and Bob Dylan, her music idol. Williams presents herself as genuine, witty, and down to earth, and her personality comes across on every page. Unfortunately, this brief and breezy book stops shortly after the end of the sitcom. (July)