{"product_id":"killing-willis-todd-bridges-9781439148990","title":"Killing Willis: From Diff'rent Strokes to the Mean Streets to the Life I Always Wanted","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe former child star--best known as Willis Jackson on \u003ci\u003eDiff'rent Strokes\u003c\/i\u003e--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. \u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFor 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 \u003ci\u003eLittle House on the Prairie, The Waltons, \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eRoots, \u003c\/i\u003eBridges burst to the national forefront on the hit sitcom \u003ci\u003eDiff'rent Strokes \u003c\/i\u003eas 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Now, for the first time, Bridges opens up about his life before and after \u003ci\u003eDiff'rent Strokes: \u003c\/i\u003ethe 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Todd Bridges\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1439148996\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781439148990\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Atria Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/08\/2011\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 288\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.57lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.30h x 5.50w x 1.00d","brand":"Todd Bridges","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43996240904447,"sku":"9781439148990","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_e3bb93a3-4166-43b8-8402-fbaaf762b902.jpg?v=1683340559","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/killing-willis-todd-bridges-9781439148990","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}