Random Acts of Badness: My Story [Hardcover]

Danny Bonaduce (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 7, 2001

At a time when the term child star is more a curse than a blessing, Danny Bonaduce stands as a symbol of success and inspiration. Now, the co-star of the 1970s hit television series The Partridge Family, one of the most popular sitcoms in syndication, reveals how he not only survived the hazards of success at an early age, but lived to joke about it. The real Danny is as cheeky and irreverent as the pre-adolescent Danny Partridge he portrayed on television, and he tells his story with outrageous wit and refreshing candor. He talks about stepping into the spotlight at a painfully young age; about life on the set of a hit TV show; and about the relationships he formed off camera with the shows stars and executives. He recounts his life after cancellation and the quick slide from star to tabloid fodder; the numerous ways he medicated himself against the hurt and disappointment; and bottoming out financially and emotionally and even, briefly, criminally. But Danny Bonaduce bounced back, and here he tells the incredible story of his journey to personal redemption, including a one-night stand that led to a lifelong commitment, a new family, a successful career, and a new lease on life. As hilarious as it is touching, and told in Bonaduces own irrepressible voice, Random Acts of Badness is a story about a Hollywood prodigy that concludes not in tragedy, but in triumph, and about a career and a life that are not ending, but just beginning.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bonaduce is primarily known for two things: costarring as red-headed Danny on TV's The Partridge Family from 1970 to 1974 and his downward spiral into drug addiction, culminating in his arrest for assaulting a transvestite prostitute in Arizona. There are very few Partridge anecdotes here; instead, there are tales of a volatile, violent childhood, crack addiction, living in a car and numerous arrests and rehab attempts. Bonaduce's acerbic sense of humor, mixed with genuine contrition (he often breaks from a tale to apologize to someone) and awe that he survived such perils makes this lively, albeit episodic tour through tabloid squalor a guilty pleasure. He's a good-natured guide who never falls into self-pity ("Before I sat down to write this book, I thought of my little stories as charming and myself as a color character... it turns out I was nothing more than a piece of shit"). His redemption comes from his wife, Gretchen, whom he met and married on the same day, and a new career as a radio disc jockey both of which turned his focus away from drugs. While Bonaduce's nice-guy persona helps him to avoid alienating readers with the seedier incidents, he skims over his actual recovery from crack cocaine (willpower, on-the-job drug tests and his wife's eagle eye is his explanation, which seems a little too easy). He is forthcoming on his various brushes with the law, his boxing match with Donny Osmond, his often humiliating radio jobs (one station required him to call himself "Danny Partridge") and his belief that all child stars don't have to meet a bad end. (Nov.)Forecast: Fans of Howard Stern's two books will enjoy this tell-all by one of Stern's favorite guests and rival DJ, who is booked to appear on The Today Show, David Letterman, Entertainment Tonight and Extra, as well as on a four-city tour.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Bonaduce covers child stardom's highs (fan adulation, show-biz perks) and lows (post kid-gig unemployment, substance abuse) and then turns to the raucous world of radio hosting, in which he restarted his gravy train. Most crucially, he tells his side of the notorious boxing match with "Mr. Puppy Love"--Donny Osmond (cf. Osmond, D., Life Is Just What You Make It, 1999), which erupted from a chance meeting at Chicago's gym-of-the-stars, the East Bank Club. Donny mocked Danny for striking poses in the mirror and said so later on the radio--at Danny's urging! But then "Donny started to sound serious," and Danny called in. One thing led to another, and three rounds were scheduled. Knowing that Donny's nose bloodied easily, Danny went into the ring with what he admits "was a shitty plan." Thanks to a lucky nonpunch, Donny ended up with a bloody nose, and Danny won in a split decision. 'Twas a bigger triumph than baring his tattooed butt on Arsenio Hall. Does show-biz autobio get any better than this? Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1 edition (November 7, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786867221
• ISBN-13: 978-0786867226
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,223,787 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A man, his demons, and the woman who save him, October 25, 2001

By 

Dinah S. (Conifer, CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Random Acts of Badness: My Story (Hardcover)

On air, Danny seems to be an open book; those who believe that they've heard Danny's stories or those who generally shun the celebrity "tell all", will be blown out of their seats by this book. The most shocking aspect of "Random Acts of Badness" is that his expected sharp wit and humor is intertwined with truly poignant moments. Thanks to Bonaduce's comic timing, this reader was in tears through the whole book, caused, one moment, by the sadness of a life almost wasted and the next because of a hilarious one liner, usually at the expense of the author. This is NOT another in an endless parade of celebrity tell alls this is the true story about a man, his demons, and the woman who saved him.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Damned Good Book, June 8, 2002

By 

Donn Kean (New London, CT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Random Acts of Badness: My Story (Hardcover)

I read Mr. Bonaduce's book from cover-to-cover in a single night. I knew him vaguely in Los Angeles, in 1980-something (I really don't remember those years too well), via mutual friends, and he was a wild, messed-up [person] -just like everybody else back then and there, in Hollywood...a lovely, wild, fun place, much like Sodom and Gomorrah must have been before they put in the mini-malls. The delightful thing about Danny Bonaduce is that he is, and has always been, purely Danny Bonaduce, without excuses. It's not "The Partridge Family" movie; it's Danny Bonaduce being honest, and funny, and always accepting the fact that he had been a f..k- up at one time in his life...okay, many times in his life. He doesn't blame his family, his up-bringing, or his "child-stardom"...that would be too easy of a way out-Danny Bonaduce doesn't do anything easy, or simply, even if it may have seemed like the easy way at the time. ...then you get bored with it, or find someone who gets bored with you when you are that way. Mr. Bonaduce got lucky-he found someone who loved him enough to make him love himself. I've never met his wife, Gretchen, but, after reading his book, and hearing him speak of her, I'm fairly certain she is one of those few angels who have found their way to earth.

Crux of review: Mr. Bonaduce doesn't take that now-boring route of blaming his problems on his childhood, his "too-early" success, or being afflicted by some mysterious inherent disease-he just tells it like it is, pure and simple. Mr. Bonaduce merely admits that he was an a__hole for a long time, and that now he's better. He cured himself-with a little help from his friends...mainly, his best friend, his wife. We've all read the ... tear-jerkers, and have seen the "former child-stars in AA" specials, and, frankly, it becomes a little tiresome...really gets to be a bit too much to ask you to weep for someone making [more dollars] a year, ..., when most of the country is still cooking up new versions of spam-casserole and wondering if that long-distance call to mom last week may just put you over budget. It's nice, for a change, to hear an honest story about a man who isn't afraid to tell us he is just human, and remind us that we all make mistakes sometimes, and that we can overcome those mistakes, even without the benefit of gazillion dollar rehab centers and scandal magazines that set out to shame you, or at least attempt to, just for a few extra sales points. Mr. Bonaduce didn't have to tell his story to the world, but he did-maybe it's just the entertainer in him, always willing to please his public and give them what they want. Maybe he will help a lot of people who went through what he did, and many are still going through it. No matter how you want to define it, Danny Bonaduce gives you a good read, without apologies, and with apologies. He's a complex man, and he gives you the simplicity of pure truth. He's no longer "Danny Partridge". He's Danny Bonaduce, the grown-up man, and the star he always was-you can take that on both a professional and personal level-either way, he's a star. Good luck, Dan, if you should ever read this, and thanks.

Donn Kean

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AN HONEST, GRITTY AND TOTALLY ENJOYABLE READ!!, November 4, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Random Acts of Badness: My Story (Hardcover)

I absolutly loved reading Danny's book. Like most folks I had heard about the crazy Danny stories but reading all the sordid details straight from the man who lived them was awesome. I really couldn't put it down. You can almost hear him saying the words on the page. So often celebs have ghost writers help them look good on paper... but not Danny. He actually wrote the book. My husband saw me reading it and we ended up spending evenings reading to each other. This is one child actor who went from good to bad to worse to nearly dead to reborn success. It's an excellent read and You will not be disappointed.