Description:

Writer, activist, and actor Charles Grodin delivers a fascinating collection of more than eighty intimate and revealing stories from friends and colleagues in the worlds of entertainment, sports, journalism, politics, and business-inspiring, entertaining, and heartfelt accounts of mistakes they've made and the lessons they learned. Carol Burnett writes about an ill-fated meeting with Cary Grant. Rosie O'Donnell remembers her inability to express her love for a close girlfriend. Senator Orrin Hatch regrets voting against Martin Luther King Day. Goldie Hawn considers her last day on *Laugh-In*...and that's just the beginning! Alan Alda overprepares for an interview. Ben Stiller wonders whether he should have stayed in school. Kenneth Cole gets mixed up during an important speech. Lily Tomlin reconsiders a wardrobe choice. And what do Shirley MacLaine and Paul Newman regret? You'll have to read to find out. IF I ONLY KNEW THEN... is that rare book that could change your life. We aren't always aware we're making mistakes. These wonderful stories offer insights that could keep us from erring in the future. Don't make the mistake of not reading this book! *All of Mr. Grodin's proceeds from this book will be donated to HELP USA, a not-for-profit organization with a mission to empower the homeless and others in need to become and remain self-reliant.* ** ### From Publishers Weekly When actor and TV commentator Grodin (*It Would Be So Nice if You Weren't Here*) asked Shirley MacLaine about her biggest mistake, she suggested he go ask President Bush about his. Others of the 82 celebrity contributors to this collection who look back at lessons learned the hard way squirmed to evade Grodin's truth or dare, while many have risen to the challenge with painful memories of nervousness, humiliation, social embarrassments, shame, regret, denial and guilt. Recalling an incident when she was 13, Mary Steenburgen can still feel my face burn with shame at my own snobbery. After Leonard Nimoy ignored a publisher's warning, fans wrongly interpreted the title of his memoir, *I Am Not Spock,* to mean he was rejecting the character and all things connected with *Star Trek*. Walter Cronkite's biggest mistake was retiring too soon. The standout piece is by Pete Hamill, who compresses his entire life into five pages as he reflects on the aftermath of his decision to drop out of high school. (Grodin will donate his royalties to HELP USA, which serves the homeless.)* (Nov. 1) * Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. ### About the Author Charles Grodin has acted in over 40 movies and plays, but is probably best known for *Midnight Run*, *The Heartbreak Kid* and the *Beethoven* movies. He was a commentator for *60 Minutes 2* and hosted his own talk show on CNBC. He is currently a commentator on WCBS Radio in three shows daily, and a playwright.