In this honest autobiography, Farrell, who played B.J. Hunnicutt in the TV series M*A*S*H
, provides intimate accounts of growing up working-class in the shadows of wealthy Hollywood, overcoming personal demons as he starts his acting career and finding happiness in the popular sitcom and what he describes as a supportive and cohesive cast and crew. Throughout the series, Farrell also began to pursue an interest in politics and human rights that took him to Cambodia, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador, and his passionate descriptions of the human rights abuses in those countries show why Farrell currently is considered one of Hollywood's most prominent activists. He moves easily between diarylike descriptions (which sometimes are dry) of his further travels as an activist after M*A*S*H*
ended in 1983, and a look at his present-day career as both an actor and producer. Best of all, his chapter on his involvement in the film Patch Adams
is one of the best looks at "game-playing, duplicity, ineptitude, wasted money, manipulation and ass-covering" behind the production of a major Hollywood film. (Mar.)
