The Boys

A Memoir of Hollywood and Family

By: Ron Howard, Clint Howard

Narrated by: Ron Howard, Clint Howard, Bryce Dallas Howard

Length: 13 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

An AudioFile Best Audiobook of 2021

Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award: "This audiobook is simply a delight...a must-listen."

“This extraordinary book is not only a chronicle of Ron’s and Clint’s early careers and their wild adventures, but also a primer on so many topics - how an actor prepares, how to survive as a kid working in Hollywood, and how to be the best parents in the world! The Boys will surprise every reader with its humanity.” (Tom Hanks)

"I have read dozens of Hollywood memoirs. But The Boys stands alone. A delightful, warm, and fascinating story of a good life in show business.” (Malcolm Gladwell)

Happy Days, The Andy Griffith Show, Gentle Ben - these shows captivated millions of TV viewers in the ’60s and ’70s. Join award-winning filmmaker Ron Howard and audience-favorite actor Clint Howard as they frankly and fondly share their unusual family story of navigating and surviving life as sibling child actors.

“What was it like to grow up on TV?” Ron Howard has been asked this question throughout his adult life. in The Boys, he and his younger brother, Clint, examine their childhoods in detail for the first time. For Ron, playing Opie on The Andy Griffith Show and Richie Cunningham on Happy Days offered fame, joy, and opportunity - but also invited stress and bullying. For Clint, a fast start on such programs as Gentle Ben and Star Trek petered out in adolescence, with some tough consequences and lessons.

With the perspective of time and success - Ron as a filmmaker, producer, and Hollywood A-lister, Clint as a busy character actor - the Howard brothers delve deep into an upbringing that seemed normal to them yet was anything but. Their Midwestern parents, Rance and Jean, moved to California to pursue their own showbiz dreams. But it was their young sons who found steady employment as actors. Rance put aside his ego and ambition to become Ron and Clint’s teacher, sage, and moral compass. Jean became their loving protector - sometimes over-protector - from the snares and traps of Hollywood.

By turns confessional, nostalgic, heartwarming, and harrowing, The Boys is a dual narrative that lifts the lid on the Howard brothers’ closely held lives. It’s the journey of a tight four-person family unit that held fast in an unforgiving business and of two brothers who survived “child-actor syndrome” to become fulfilled adults.

©2021 Ron Howard, Clint Howard (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

Nice!

This was a very enjoyable read - it brought back memories of my childhood as they discussed programs I haven’t thought about in years.

Loved It!!! 💗

I grew up watching the Howard boys and absolutely loved the detailed sharing of their family life, stardom, personal challenges, and relationship with their parents and each other. It is a book you wish wouldn’t end. Both Ron and Clint are so genuine and honest in there reporting of how their lives were. I highly recommend this book. Thank you so much for the effort you all put into it.

his honesty,clarity and humor.

It started out a little slow but we'll worth a terrific listen. I ended up looking forward to getting stuck in LA freeway traffic.

Unique

This is a wonderful story of live and hope and talent and risk taking we are all the better for having had the Howard’s in our lives

Best as an audiobook.

The book is read by both Ron Howard and Clint Howard. Hearing them tell their own stories made it better. Sadly with an audiobook I don't get to see the included photos.

Heartwarming and so interesting!

We enjoyed this book while traveling. But the real journey was coming to know the Howard Family and their unique perspectives as participants in the fields of acting and movie making...and 20th century family life. In our opinion, this book is better in its audio version.

Awesome Book

One of the best books I’ve listened to ever. I loved the walk down memory lane, especially Ron’s story, since I’m only a year younger than him. Clint’s story of his addiction was very familiar to me, since my family had addiction issues, as well.
Great book! Hope many people will read/listen to it!

I was so sad when it ended!

As a child of the 60s, I remember both of these “boys” so well. It was a pleasure from start to finish to hear the behind the scenes stories from that era. Having the book read by the familiar voices of the authors added so much to the joyful experience of listening to this book. Such a loving, touching testament to their parents. I cannot recommend this book highly enough!

MUST READ

If you are looking for a good book to read, I highly recommend The Boys! Ron Howard and his brother, Clint, wrote this book together. It is fantastic! A lot of good “behind the scenes” from the shows that they were on as young kids. You will find out that Ron was not quite as “straight laced” as his Opie & Richie characters. Although, he was/is pretty clean-cut! He married his high school sweetheart and they’ve been together for 50+ years now.

His brother, Clint, who I think sometimes we forget about because he lives in his brother’s shadow, had some great childhood roles (Gentle Ben for example) too! He had his struggles with drugs and alcohol during his teens/20’s, but overcame them and has become quite a great character and voice over actor! He may not be as high profile as his older brother, but he’s never been jealous of Ron’s meteoric success. They have always supported and encouraged each other. Clint is in most every one of Ron’s movies!

His mom and Dad were also actors. You may not immediately think about them, but as you read the book, you will be going “Oh, wow! I didn’t realize that was Ron Howard’s dad or mom!” They were never begrudging of their son’s success, but instead helped them every step of the way. Their mom stepped away from acting to be their full time mom. Their dad took smaller roles so he could support his family. He even played several bit parts on Andy Griffith and Gentle Ben. They never lived beyond their means. They were not typical stage parents and only took 5% of Ron and Clint’s income as a manager fee, saving the rest of their money for them to have when they turned 18. They loved their boys and their boys loved them!!

Read this book!!!

Missing pictures

Audible allows attaching PDFs to audiobooks, and I would have appreciated seeing the pictures. It gives the impression that if I want to see the images, I have to buy the book as well.