{"product_id":"killing-willis-from-diffrent-strokes-to-the-mean-streets-to-the-life-i-always-wanted-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\u003eNow, 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\u003eTodd 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\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Bridges, Todd\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/08\/2011\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Atria Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781439148990\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 288\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":"Default Title","offer_id":39389777723467,"sku":"9781439148990","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0021\/1697\/6715\/products\/img_af062aae-e681-4504-b365-c4fe69c6a34e.jpg?v=1623122803","url":"https:\/\/blackbookstore.com\/products\/killing-willis-from-diffrent-strokes-to-the-mean-streets-to-the-life-i-always-wanted-9781439148990","provider":"Black Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}