Customer Reviews

Grace is Enough

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have to admit I didn't know what to expect, but once I opened this book I couldn't put it down. I read through the whole thing in two evenings! It was honest, raw, and inspiring. Even if you are not a fan of Willie Aames, you will be moved by this book. I encourage everyone to read it and I will definitely buy several more copies to give out!

Hollywood has long been known for its star-struck effect on those seeking fame and fortune. Sadly, many who seek these elusive states of abstraction are driven down hard on the Boulevard of Broken Dreams. A number of those who pursue The Dream are broken before they even arrive.

Grace is Enough gives a harsh glimpse of what it can be like to grow up without a real childhood, without hope of dreaming of a "Hollywood" life. Grace depicts the lives of Willie Aames and Maylo Upton-Aames, shattered by the evils of less-than-well-intentioned family members in their upbringing and the continued challenge of overcoming addiction into their adulthood.

The book painfully describes the ancestry and contemporary family relationships the Aameses experienced, suffered through and survived. Though their plight sounds hopeless, their faith is not. Their deep and abiding faith in a Higher Power lifted them out of their lives of despair to a lives well-lived through the warmth and light of the love of God.

The Aameses overcame years of pain and dysfunction in their own lives, only to be tested by the paradigm Hollywood would have us believe: that fame and fortune bring a life of wealth and admiration. Through candid storytelling, the Aameses demonstrate a life lived through faith and belief awards more riches than celebrity status could ever offer. Their story is achingly heartfelt and surprising uplifting, reminding us in our darkest moments that there is a spiritual force beyond us. No truer words have been uttered...grace is enough.

Armchair Interviews agrees.

All I can say is WOW!! I just never knew. So many times we look to those in Hollywood as being privileged, special and some how immune from the heartaches that we "normal" people have to endure. After reading this book, I will never feel that way again.

I was so blessed and horrified by what these two "very normal people" had to endure to survive, behind the shadows of all of the glammer and glitz of Hollywood. I found, however, as I read their 'gut-wrenching' tell-all stories, that I could relate, in a small way to their very human reactions. The Hope that only God can give to one who reaches the end of oneself permeates every page, leaving the reader with a sense of enpowerment to live their lives by HIS GRACE too! His grace truly IS enough!!

It was a compelling and easy read, I couldn't put it down, although at times my heart was breaking as I read of the destable acts of cruelty forced upon them as young adults. If not for His grace...He certainly had a bigger plan for their lives!

I give this book a 5 star rating and would and do recommend it to anyone who has suffered and yet survived, knowing that it is only by HIS GRACE that we truly can live through anything!!

I truly enjoyed Grace is Enough because Willie and Maylo pull no punches. I didn't read a word in the book that didn't seem to ring true. I admire them both--although I had only known Willie from Eight is Enough prior to reading this book. It should be required reading for anyone who feels fame or fortune or drugs is the answer to life's enjoyment. I'm proud of them both because it is not easy to tell your life openly in a book.

This book is okay as far a biographies go . . . I definitely felt compassion for the rough, sordid life that both Willie Aames and Maylo Upton-Aames endured and admire them for rising above it. However, I wouldn't call the book uplifting. Too many details were given about the bad things that happened to them (e.g. instead of just saying Maylo was raped repeatedly by her mother's boyfriend, lengthy specifics were given.) Willie Aames also says at the beginning that some people will doubt that parts of the book are true. I do admit--I question a three to four year old constructing a noose and trying to hang himself.

I like Willie Aames and was interested in hearing about his Christian story--until I started reading this depressingly detailed book. The first 220 or so pages (out of 280) go into specific intimate details of regularly getting drunk at 14, doing lots of drug, bragging about rebellion--with no redemption in site. For some reason his wife's story is included along side his, even though she is not well known, and the final uplift only comes very near the end.

This is one messed-up couple. They go back and forth to chronicle their histories of being wild kids, parented by ignorant adults who allowed them to get into all sorts of things that children should not be doing at a young age. The wife's story in particular is really unnecessary, with the molestation and bizarre cult that the mother was involved in. Maylo should have been a minor character that came in near the end of Willie's story, but instead for most of the book she seems to get more of the focus.

Willie comes off like some grown-up college frat boy proud of what he got away with when he was young. There's not a lot of humility here, not even lessons learned from the terrible things he was involved in. He just treats it all like it was normal. He doesn't even have many good stories to tell about his TV years--maybe he can't remember them due to his constant drinking and drugging. For example, it's sad to hear him think it was funny to ride on a Christmas parade float with drugs that he had delivered in the middle of the parade route.

The title is deceptive--there's very little grace in this book. It's mostly focused on the bad things these people did. And by the middle of the book you will find yourself screaming "Please make it end!" There really is very little Christian content to it. The cover of the book focuses on the drugs and not the Christianity (which correctly reflects the book). And then there's the problem with the authors' names. Willie Aames is really named Willie Upton, but instead the book is authored by "Willie Aames and Maylo Upton-Aames." What's with that? Are they Uptons or Aames?

Both of these people need some serious help and direction. The book would have been better told by an objective biographer with little involvement from the couple because the way these two present their stories they make it sound like abnormality is normal and that they haven't learned many lessons from their past.

I had seen Willie and Maylo on Life Today with James and Betty Robison. I had wondered what happened to Willie after he left the Bibleman series. This book is wonderful. I quickly ordered it after seening them on the show. I couldn't sleep the other night so I read it in on sitting. So good. They are very humble giving all credit to our Savior, Jesus Christ. It is truly amazing that with all they have gone through that they have been married for over 20 years. They are a shining example that you can stay married, it is a choice, and a commitment not only to your spouse, but to God. Looking forward to reading Willie's new book.

I originally bought this book with the hope of reading about Willie Aames transformation into Christianity. While his recollection of his life as an actor was interesting, I found myself trying to rush through his dialogue to get to Maylo. Her story, one of courage and determination, is both devastating and inspiring. Aptly named "Grace is Enough", this book focuses very much so on the need for grace within the Christian community, reminding us that we are all human with human flaws.

About fifty pages into this book, I started to put it down because the writing is uneven. But something prompted me to keep reading. Glad I did. It's raw, it's honest, and deeply inspiring because of these qualities. In the end, the content was way more important than the quality of the writing. Isn't that the way it should be? Maylo's story was so wrenching that at times, I was reading and crying and amazed that she could reach out to her younger brother and sister with love when she, herself, was in so much pain and enduring so much abuse. Willie's story was equally compelling toward the end. My life has been enriched by reading this book. I want to thank Willie and Maylo for sharing their human frailty so fearlessly and for living their lives with such integrity. God bless you both.

I LOVE TO READ ABOUT GODS TRANSFORMING POWER IN PEOPLE'S LIVES. THIS BOOK IS EXACTLY THAT. GOD IS SO GOOD. YOU'LL ENJOY THIS READ.