Symptoms of Withdrawal: A Memoir of Snapshots and Redemption (Paperback)
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Description
The firstborn child of famed Rat Pack actor Peter Lawford and Patricia Kennedy, sister to John F. Kennedy, Christopher Kennedy Lawford grew up with presidents, senators, and movie stars as close relatives and personal friends. When he was a toddler, Marilyn Monroe taught him how to dance the twist. He recalls being awakened late at night to hear his uncle Jack announce his candidacy for president. His early life was marked by the traumatic assassinations of two beloved uncles—and during his teen years, he succumbed to the tragic allure of the 1970s drug scene.
Symptoms of Withdrawal is Lawford's unflinchingly honest portrayal of his life as a Kennedy—a journey overflowing with hilarious insider anecdotes, heartbreaking accounts of his addictions to narcotics as well as to celebrity, and, ultimately, the redemption he found by asserting his own independence.
About the Author
Christopher Kennedy Lawford is the New York Times bestselling author of Symptoms of Withdrawal. He has worked extensively in Hollywood as an actor, lawyer, executive, and producer. He has three children and lives in Marina Del Rey, California.
Praise for Symptoms of Withdrawal: A Memoir of Snapshots and Redemption…
“A moving tale of self-discovery and redemption . . . a writer of talent and grace.”
-Publishers Weekly
“Christopher Lawford . . . is in possession of a naturally good style. . . . Three cheers.”
-Norman Mailer
“...jazzy, rocking, sometimes dark but, in the end, bright with hope.”
-Frank McCourt
“...[an] honest, funny, touching and shocking account...A deeply cautionary tale.”
-Tom Hayden
“...a well-written account of growing up surrounded by movie stars and political heavyweights.”
-USA Today
“...an engaging memoir of privilege, struggle, and recovery.
-Library Journal
“Thoughful, honest, and at times humorous, Lawford’s memoir is recommended...”
-Library Journal
“...a frank, funny account of his battle with drugs.”
-Newsweek
“SYMPTOMS OF WITHDRAWAL is [Lawford’s] unsparing story of two generations of drug and alcohol addictions.”
-Parade
“JFK’s nephew Christopher Kennedy Lawford...spills some family secrets in his new memoir.”
-New York Post (Page Six)
“Mr. Lawford has taken on his Kennedy heritage with both scrappiness and introspection.”
-New York Times
“SYMPTOMS OF WITHDRAWAL is as revealing in tone as it is in detail.”
-New York Times
“Mr. Lawford packs so much material into one book...SYMPTOMS OF WITHDRAWAL...has poignant legitimacy.”
-New York Times
“A rare and worthy first-person glimpse into the pitfalls of being a Kennedy...”
-Kirkus Reviews
“Classier than the usual tell-all; an honest account of a personal pilgrimage through privileged self-destruction.”
-Kirkus Reviews
“...the pages absent Frank, Marilyn, Sammy, and Jackie are every bit as interesting as those where they’re featured. ”
-Booklist
“...gives good dish.”
-Entertainment Weekly
“...a suprisingly candid memoir.”
-MSNBC/Newsweek.com
“This book didn’t have to be well-written to be riveting, but it is, nonetheless...”
-People
“...the most riveting and accurate details of the celebrated family’s most intimate moments.”
-InTouch Magazine
“Written in a style that is both conversational and deeply compelling, humorous as well as harrowing....”
-Salon.com
“Vigorously honest...”
-Salon.com
“Lawford is so honest...A dishy Kennedy memoir is a rare thing.”
-New York Times
“[Lawford’s] candor may cause some Kennedys to wince.”
-Boston Globe
“...unlike most Kennedy books, it’s free of an agenda.”
-PopEntertainment.com
“Chris Lawford...dishes up plenty of humorous dirt in SYMPTOMS OF WITHDRAWAL.”
-Chicago Sun-Times
“Entertaining...[Lawford] is candid.”
-Boston Globe
“Lawford is laughing hard at his own stories, and you laugh along with him.”
-New York Times Book Review
“More entertaining than most celebrity tell-alls.”
-Hartford Courant
“Lawford’s memoirs are a powerful read because of their frank style and brutal honesty.”
-Irish Voice