Killing Willis: From Diff'rent Strokes to the Mean Streets to the Life I Always Wanted [Hardcover]

Todd Bridges (Author), Sarah Tomlinson (Contributor)

Book Description

Release date: March 16, 2010

The former child star—best known as Willis Jackson on Diff’rent Strokes—shares the shocking but inspirational details of his struggles with addiction, brushes with the law, and fierce fight to carve a path through the darkness and find his true identity.

For Todd Bridges early stardom was no protection from painful childhood events that paved the road to his own personal hell. One of the first African-American child actors on shows like Little House on the Prairie, The Waltons, and Roots, Bridges burst to the national forefront on the hit sitcom Diff’rent Strokes as the subject of the popular catchphrase, "What’chu Talkin About Willis?" When the show ended, Bridges was overwhelmed by the off-camera traumas he had faced. Turning to drugs as an escape, he soon lost control.

Now, for the first time, Bridges opens up about his life before and after Diff’rent Strokes: the incredible reversals of fortune brought on by fame and the precipitous—and very public—descent that followed; the persecution from police; the drug addiction that nearly consumed him; the criminal charges that almost earned him a life sentence; and his successful legal defense led by Johnnie Cochran. Through it all, Bridges never relented in his quest to fight his way back from the abyss, establish his own identity—separate from Willis Jackson—and offer his ordeal as a positive example for those struggling to overcome similar challenges. His triumphant story of recovery and redemption is recounted here as well.

Todd Bridges has lived a life of remarkable twists and turns—from the greatest heights to the lowest lows imaginable. In this shocking but ultimately hopeful memoir, he proves that what he was really talking about was survival.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Todd Bridges was born in San Francisco, California in 1965. He became the first African-American child actor to have a recurring role on a successful TV series, The Waltons. He also appeared on Little House on the Prairie, and in the landmark miniseries Roots. He was a regular on the Barney Miller spinoff Fish, before landing his best-known role as Willis on Diff'rent Strokes.

Bridges has a brother and sister who are both actors, Jimmy Bridges and Verda Bridges. His father, James Bridges, Sr., became one of the first prominent black Hollywood agents, while his mother, Betty A. Bridges, was also an actress and later became one of Hollywood's greatest managers and acting coaches.

Today, Todd is a working actor, director, and producer and he and his brother James Jr., have partnered to establish their own production company, Little Bridge Productions. Todd is married and has a son, Spencir, and a daughter, Bo.

Sarah Tomlinson is a Los Angeles-based journalist and writer. Her articles and music reviews have appeared in publications including The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, Salon.com, Spin.com and The Huffington Post. She is the co-author, with Tila Tequila, of “Hooking Up with Tila Tequila,” and the co-author, with actor Todd Bridges, of “Killing Willis.” She has also written two as-yet-unpublished novels, “Because the Night,” and “Sizzle.” Visit her online at www.sarahtomlinson.com and follow her alter ego, Duchess of Rock, on Twitter, http://twitter.com/duchessofrock.

 

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; First Edition edition (March 16, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439148988
• ISBN-13: 978-1439148983
• Product Dimensions: 1 x 6.5 x 9.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (86 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #689,408 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Todd Bridges was born in San Francisco, California in 1965. He became the first African-American child actor to have a recurring role on a successful TV series, The Waltons. He also appeared on Little House on the Prairie, and in the landmark miniseries Roots. He was a regular on the Barney Miller spinoff Fish, before landing his best-known role as Willis on Diff'rent Strokes.

Bridges has a brother and sister who are both actors, Jimmy Bridges and Verda Bridges. His father, James Bridges, Sr., became one of the first prominent black Hollywood agents, while his mother, Betty A. Bridges, was also an actress and later became one of Hollywood's greatest managers and acting coaches.

Today, Todd is a working actor, director, and producer and he and his brother James Jr., have partnered to establish their own production company, Little Bridge Productions. Todd is married and has a son, Spencir, and a daughter, Bo.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 71 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Raw, Honest, and Inspiring March 15, 2010

By School Teacher

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Knowing only that he had been on my favorite show as a kid and had been arrested as an adult, I was not prepared for the rollercoaster of emotion this book provided. Todd lets the reader into the deepest, darkest parts of his mind, thoughts, emotions, confessions, and life: the parts most of us are afraid to look at in ourselves, much less admit to others. The voice is so raw and honest, I felt as if I was snooping in someone's personal diary and that I should not be privileged to the information I was reading. The reality of his story is harsh, and at times I felt as if I were a child who should cover my ears while someone told a story I couldn't handle or shouldn't hear. He lays it all out on the table and holds NOTHING back. As painful as it was to read, I couldn't put it down and read it all in one day!
I cried so much reading this book that I was sick. I felt so terrible for him, and all the kids like him still in these situations, that there were times I had to stop and walk away. He makes intelligent and self-aware connections to how abuse and racism can lead to self-hatred which then leads to depression and other problems.
He makes no excuses for his mistakes, but shows how the mistreatment and abuse children receive in this world today, especially child stars, can scar them for life, and, as children, they are unable to deal with those events and unprepared to make the difficult decisions that are placed in front of them. He also shows how quickly depression can take its toll and how fast life spirals out of control once drug use begins. Readers get a true look into the lives of many who faced racism during that time period, as well as glimpse into the nasty world of many drug addicts. He shows no fear in telling it exactly like it was....
He learned a lot of life lessons the hard way, and all while still a young adult. He tells some disturbing, gut-wrenching stories about his recovery. But, he also describes the tough climb back up, and the humbling experience of starting over with his past as an obstacle.
In the end Todd completely changed his life, himself, and his outlook on the world. He also discusses his mission to educate others in hopes that teens can learn from his mistakes and make better choices for their lives. Reliving his pain day after day and admitting his faults to strangers cannot be easy, but in this book, he really inspires people to step up and be better to themselves and to their children and to face those difficult questions and situations in our lives head-on. He is not just a child star gone bad, he is a real person with real experiences and problems in his life just like everyone else. Fortunately, he is one of the survivors. Read more ›

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Chilling memoir March 27, 2010

By Cydney Rax

Format:Hardcover

While reading KILLING WILLIS, especially as I came upon account after account of Todd's experiences with child abuse, drugs, and violence, all I could think was, 'How is this guy going to make it through?' On one hand, his memories of how he got into show business and his success from acting are thrilling to read. It was great to see how much his mother supported his interests; on the other hand, some of the other childhood memories are difficult to stomach. Some of the people he was around during his formative years had a negative impact on his life and he explains all the notorius and famous headlines that were made as he grew older. I must admit: I've never read a book like this before. At times the material took my breath away. It was a tough read. But Todd appears to be so forthcoming that you cannot fault the man for telling the truth. If you enjoy reading celebrity biographies, this one should definitely be included at the top of your list. You'll find yourself rooting for him and hoping he makes it out okay. No human being, actor or not, should ever have to go through what he endured. Excellent read.

24 of 30 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Raw, but not in a good way. April 6, 2010

By shaxper

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

If you're looking for a raw, no holds barred depiction of drugs, sex, and violence, then this may be the biography for you. However, if you're looking for anything heavier than that: introspection, self-awareness, and maturation, this may not be the place to look. I couldn't bear to keep reading after around 200 pages, not because of Todd's raw depiction of the street life, but rather because his chronicle feels thoroughly deficient in other, more important, respects.

First of all, Todd demonstrates little understanding of himself and often seems to be stroking his own ego. He goes on and on about what a big deal he was as a child/teen star, often seems like he's bragging when he discusses his exploits and promotions in the drug world, and constantly paints himself as an innocent victim, even going as far as to say that none of what he did was his fault other than taking drugs in the first place. How about his running two crack houses and intentionally getting several women hooked? How about all the crime and death he indirectly promoted through his drug dealing activities? At one particularly important point in the book, he finds himself wrongfully accused of murder and never connects the dots to realize that the murder was committed by his people in his crack house against his arch rival. No, Todd claims he never fired a gun, but many guns fired because of him. Todd sees himself here as an innocent victim of racial profiling and personal grudges in much the same way as he was when the police repeatedly pulled him over earlier in life and hassled him for being black. The two situations are far from the same. It's not that Todd needs to show more remorse over the things he did; it's that he doesn't show any because he doesn't see himself as deserving blame.... Though he often talks about how far he fell and how ashamed of himself he'd become, it was never for anything other than being a drug user who no longer cared about his career. He'll spend entire pages talking about pioneering a way to make crack in the microwave or rising to become a small time drug lord in such a short amount of time, but these read like bragging rights, not confessions.

Secondly, there are several times in the book where Todd's accounts seem highly unreliable. Though there are times where he knows that what he's saying sounds hard to believe and says as much, there are other accounts that simply don't add up. At one point in the book, Todd is cheated out of his entire fortune and is left with nothing. Yet, in the next few chapters, he mentions his nice five bedroom home, his Ethan Allen dining room table, and his BMW (and he has another car too). Sure, he may have lost most of his fortune, but he's clearly still affluent and goes on to survive comfortably and support a heavy drug addiction without working or stealing for many years after. At another point in the book, Todd's drug lord mentor has four crack houses, but when Todd takes over his business a few pages later, there are two crack houses. In a third memorable instance, Todd's old rival gets revenge on Todd by knocking him down, running into his crack house, and locking him out. This makes absolutely no sense. Drug lords seeking revenge outside of a crack house at night fire guns and kill. They do not run into houses and lock people out. The fact that this is all part of Todd's alibi for how he had nothing to do with this man ending up in his crack house and being brutally murdered makes this account even more suspicious. There's also a time when Todd is on death row for killing "Henry," and the cops add an armed robbery charge to the mix. Todd tells them that Henry is the one who did it, and to go look for him. Why would he have said that if Henry's death is the whole reason Todd was on death row in the first place?

Finally, the general writing style is exceptionally poor and non-engaging. Todd often sounds like he's just rambling and heading toward a general direction in his narrative. There's also an excessive usage of commas in the middle of sentences and before the word "because" any time that it is used. I'm not sure what co-writer Sarah Tomlinson actually did for this book, but it feels completely unedited.

Please don't get me wrong. Todd Bridges has led a fascinating and incredibly painful life, he has been the victim of many unfortunate circumstances including abuse, sexual abuse, and blatant racism, he has pulled himself out of the abyss, and (in at least one instance) he has performed a heroic feat that saved someone's life. I have nothing against Todd Bridges as a person, but I could certainly do without Killing Willis. Read more ›

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Todd Keeps it Real March 25, 2010

By Yolanda Hunt

Format:Hardcover

I really did enjoy this book. I even cried while reading certain sections( read the book and u will know what section I'm referring to)... I'm the same age as Todd, and grew up in Los Angeles so I could really relate to a lot of the drug stuff he talked about that went down in our community. He was a part of it, and lived to tell about it which is a miracle in it's self. Todd laid it all out in this book, and I think fans will really enjoy it like I did.