Rating: 
Summary: An excellent but sometimes melancholy autobiography ....
Review: I never thought I'd ever say this about anything "Brady", but this is a very multilayered book. Barry Williams is quite the storyteller, and Chris Kreski packaged "Growing Up Brady" very nicely. It remains the standard TV autobiography for the Gen X voyeur who wants to know the details of on-set romances, Hawaii wipeouts, guest star memories, etc. What I really enjoy about "Growing Up Brady" is the easy, affable way that Barry Williams publicly comes to terms with his Brady past. One can only imagine the inane questions, the ignorant comments, and the stares this man has had to endure. And, of course, no matter how good or bad his talents are, there will always be a Brady subtext to anything he does.Despite the superficial Hollywood tell-all there is a sad undercurrent to Williams' book. Robert Reed's unhappiness as Mike Brady was a surprise to me, although it wasn't unpredicatable. While his mannerisms and on-set antics seem trivial, the man seemed genuinely bothered by how insignificant he perceived his role to be. Watch anything non-Brady from the 1970s and you'll see Reed try to act as different from Mike as he can manage, to the point of extreme hamminess (catch "Pray For The Wildcats", co-starring the king of ham himself, William Shatner). Reed's limits were imposed by himself, and I find it very sad that despite trying very hard, he never seemed to come to terms with his most notable role. Reed's documented generosity and warmth towards his castmates seems to far outweigh any negative insight into his character. Almost as sad is the inevitable comparison of the actors' post-Brady lives with their former roles. Williams alludes to this many times in the book...fans addressing the cast by their "Brady" names, inane questions about fictional people, and surprised stares from the public when they demonstrate their natural personalities. From the anecdotes, the cast's self-consciousness sometimes manifested itself through refusal to be part of reunions, interview comments, etc. According to Williams, they all turned our remarkably well and very successful in their various pursuits, and hopefully they are all as well-adjusted as Williams seems to be. For now, I wish Barry well and hope that he and the entire cast can eat at a restaurant free of thoughtless idiots screaming out their "Brady" names. Hopefully we will see more from this talented man.
Rating: 
Summary: Greg tells all.
Review: Good thing Barry Williams has a sense of humor about all things Brady. I bought this book as a present for my wife and made the mistake of thumbing through it and got good and hooked. It is a breezy look at Hollywood life from a kid that got to live the star dream. Williams treats the tale more as an informal and self ribbing chat between pals and it makes the whole ugly tale a readable treat for both fans and haters of the show. Recommended, and I hated The Brady Bunch. Go figure.
Rating: 
Summary: Growing up with the Bradys
Review: I really liked this book. I remember growing up watching the Brady Bunch and then watching it in Repeats. This book is a great way to know the ins and outs of this very popular televsion series. If you ever watched an episode of Brady Bunch and Liked it, then this book is a book for you.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining Read for Brady Boomers!
Review: Honest and candid, Barry Williams gives us a funny, entertaining viewpoint of growing up as Greg Brady of "The Brady Bunch." What I like about this book is that he tells of his start in show business, then details life as part of "The Brady Bunch". He expresses amazement that people still love and want to see the Brady Family which resulted in several made-for-TV Brady movies with the old cast and the hilarious Brady Bunch movies with Shelly Long as Carol Brady. Of course Williams describes his crush on Maureen McCormack as well as other Brady Kid pairings once the cameras stopped rolling. It must have been frustrating for him and for the other actors portraying the Brady kids because most of them were not like their characters at all, yet the public expected them to behave that way. Can you picture that Thweet Little Thindy (Susan Olsen) is now a hard-drinking woman? Williams tells of them swapping Brady stories over drinks on an airplane. The only thing I didn't like was at the end of the book, a synopsis of each Brady Bunch episode was included to plump up the book. While that info might be useful for die-hard Bradyphiles, I would have preferred that Williams give us more anecdotes about his life as Greg Brady or better yet, life after Greg Brady, since the bulk of the book is focused on the Brady Years.
Rating:
Summary: All the awnsers to the Brady Bunch
Review: I really enjoyed this book its full of life and Barry Williams really did a good job in explaining the true facts of the Brady Bunch. But in order to understand this book you have to really be into the show or if you are not the book will still be kind of good but you will not get half of it. To all of those Brady Bunch fans who have not read this book read it you will know what I am talking about you will laugh all the way to the end. The book follows a great organized fashion where it has a episode guide, the history, how everyone was casted and who was suggested for certain roles, if you love the Brady Bunch you'll really love Growing up Brady one of the best books I have ever read although it may not be a real book even if you cant stand books you'll probably finish this one.
Rating:
Summary: Very well done
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed reading "Growing Up Brady". It's written in a lively, fast-paced style with plenty of hip humor and candid confessions. Williams discusses the good, bad, and ugly "Brady Bunch" moments. Particularly striking was Robert Reed's dislike of the show and his antagonism with Sherwood Schwartz, creator of the Brady Bunch. Schwartz really wanted Gene Hackman for the role of Mike Brady. If anyone but an actual Brady Bunch actor had written this book, it would be easy to dismiss much of it as idle gossip, but Williams was there and knows the truth. I think he tells it here.
Rating:
Summary: 16 year old Brady Fan
Review: I am a 16 year old Brady Bunch Fan, and found this book to be great but only to the Brady Fan. I think that people who only like the Brady Bunch will not like as much as the people, like myself, that love it! It told the whole story behind the Brady Bunch, including the Bob Reed/Sherwood Schwartz fights, love on the set, and just about everything esle you would wanna know about this classic television show. I would say read this book and watch Brady Bunch on Nick at Night, and enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Tragic mistake
Review: The book claims actor Eric Shea (who played Cindy's secret admirer) also provided the voice of Linus in the Peanuts cartoons. He did no such thing. Actor Christopher Shea supplied the voice of Linus. Maybe you can remember Chris Shea, he played Phillip the boy next door on the Odd Couple. The Growing Up Brady credits Chris Shea's work to the wrong actor.Very serious error indeed!
Rating:
Summary: Adorable
Review: Ok, it's not great literature, but why are you reading this if you're interested in an Uplifting Experience? It's an adorable little read by somebody who, by all accounts, IS a genuinely nice guy. Sounds as if he had a fairly normal upbringing with a good home life which certainly is refreshing after all of the dysfunctional celebs that abound in this era of tell alls. Bradys Forever!!
Rating:
Summary: Greg and ...Carol??? .. Sitting in a Tree.......
Review: Although this is not a book, that you will want to read cover to cover (unless you are a die-hard Brady fanatic), this is an interesting account of the behind-the-scenes Brady drama. I found some parts to be rather amusing(especially the ones where Barry claims to be such a heart throb among the ladies of the Brady cast--keep on dreaming, Greg!) It mostly provided me with interesting tidbits of decades-old gossip from one of my favorite childhood shows. Good fodder if you're ever in a Brady trivia contest, I guess.It was a pretty decent book, though nothing earthshattering. I just hope Greg, oops I mean Barry, can move forward with his life and find some new ideas for his career. One can only live off of one's former glory for so long before it gets old.
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