From Publishers Weekly While attending parochial school in upstate New York， Kennedy formed a lofty goal: to join her beloved saints in heaven by way of Broadway. As she explains in her good-humored， vivacious， combined growing-up-Catholic/showbiz memoir， she embraced the theater because it was spiritually safe， a place where she could act out earthly temptations without endangering her soul ("Oh life! How to love you， and get away clean?!"). After graduating from Smith College and moving to New York City， however， Kennedy found her career ambition upstaging her Catholic morals. She writes honestly and amusingly about the special hells of acting: casting couches， to which she admits sinking in search of an agent; brutal competitiveness among actors ("Hi， you're cute， you're never going on" was how Lucie Arnaz greeted Kennedy， her understudy， at rehearsal). She also details her interactions with celebrities including Andy Warhol， Sid Caesar and Stella Adler， and her sudden reversals of fortune?after being toasted in Hollywood as the star of the hit TV pilot Three Girls Three， she learned of the series' cancellation months after the fact. No martyr， Kennedy has learned life's lessons as she once did her catechism. After the births of her children， she accepted her more limited roles in the spotlight with grace and joy?qualities in abundance in this spirited reminiscence. Photos. Author tour. (Aug.) FYI: This fall， Kennedy will appear regularly on Aaron Spelling's series Savannah.Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information， Inc. From Library Journal Actress Kennedy's face may be more familiar than her name， but she has racked up over 20 years of show business credits， including a stint in the original production of Grease and lead roles in several TV shows. Kennedy knew early on she wanted to be an actress?it didn't hurt that her cousin by marriage was actress Ruth Warwick (Phoebe on the soap All My Children)?and followed the usual rocky road to New York. This isn't just a gossipy film memoir， though there are plenty of humorous anecdotes involving "names." It is the candid， self-effacing story of an American girl of the Baby Boom generation who just happened to want to be an actress， and there is much here beyond the theater that anyone of that generation can appreciate. This is an especially well-written， funny， and insightful work， especially regarding the machinations of breaking into the theater. Recommended for large collections. [Kennedy has just been signed for a major role on Savannah.?Ed.]?Rosellen Brewer， MOBAC Lib. System， Monterey， Cal.-?Rosellen Brewer， MOBAC Lib. System， Monterey， Cal.Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information， Inc. See all Editorial Reviews