Author Guide · Memoir
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Rob Lowe was a teenager in Malibu when Francis Ford Coppola cast him in The Outsiders (1983), alongside the young actors who would soon be called the Brat Pack. Readers who know him from St. Elmo’s Fire, The West Wing or Parks and Recreation get his own account in two memoirs, written after the drinking he gave up in 1990. His one-man stage show, Stories I Only Tell My Friends: Live, takes its title from the first book. This guide covers his two key books, in order, and where to begin.
By Lisanne Swart · 2 key books · 2011–2014 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Rob Lowe has written two memoirs: Stories I Only Tell My Friends (2011), an autobiography of his early life and career, and Love Life (2014), a second memoir about marriage, fatherhood and work. Start with Stories I Only Tell My Friends.
Where to Start with Rob Lowe
If you want the full story from the beginning
→ Stories I Only Tell My Friends (2011) — his autobiography, from his early life to stardom.
If you want his life after fame settled down
→ Love Life (2014) — marriage, fatherhood and later success.
2 Rob Lowe Books, in Order
Stories I Only Tell My Friends
Lowe’s autobiography, published by Henry Holt, tells the story of his early life and career: a boyhood in Dayton, Ohio, the move to Malibu with his mother, and the fame that began with The Outsiders (1983). His one-man show, Stories I Only Tell My Friends: Live, shares its title.
Love Life
A follow-up memoir, published by Simon & Schuster, built from anecdotes. Lowe writes about his marriage of more than twenty years, about breaking down in tears as his first son leaves for college, about coaching kids’ basketball teams, about his past drinking and about his recent acting work.
In What Order to Read Rob Lowe
Read them in publication order. Stories I Only Tell My Friends is the autobiography of his early life and career; Love Life is the follow-up, about the years after.
The first title also lives on as his one-man stage show, Stories I Only Tell My Friends: Live.
A reading path
1. Stories I Only Tell My Friends (2011)
2. Love Life (2014)
The years · 1964–2014
Quick facts about Rob Lowe
- Known for
- Rob Lowe is known as one of the Brat Pack actors of the 1980s and for television roles in The West Wing and Parks and Recreation.
- 1964
- Born in Charlottesville, Virginia
- 1983
- Cast in The Outsiders
- 1990
- Gets sober
- 1999
- Starts The West Wing
- 2014
- Love Life
- Born
- 17 March 1964, Charlottesville, Virginia
- Grew up
- Dayton, Ohio, then Malibu, California
- Breakthrough
- The Outsiders (1983)
- Television
- The West Wing, Parks and Recreation
- Books
- Two memoirs, 2011 and 2014
- Stage
- Stories I Only Tell My Friends: Live, a one-man show
The red mark is 2011: Stories I Only Tell My Friends, his first memoir.
How Rob Lowe Writes: Anecdote First
Lowe builds his books from anecdotes. The title of the first book describes the approach: these are the stories you tell your friends.
Stories I Only Tell My Friends is a full autobiography of his early life and career; Love Life is a follow-up about the life he built afterwards, from his long marriage to his sons growing up.
He writes in the first person and includes his own mistakes alongside the success stories, including his past drinking. For more memoirs by actors and musicians, see the reading list of the best celebrity memoirs.
Watch
Rob Lowe on writing a book
Rob Lowe talks to The New York Times in 2011 about writing his memoir Stories I Only Tell My Friends.
Frequently asked questions about Rob Lowe’s books
How many books has Rob Lowe written?
Two: Stories I Only Tell My Friends (2011) and Love Life (2014). Both are memoirs.
What are Rob Lowe’s books in order?
Stories I Only Tell My Friends: An Autobiography (2011), then Love Life (2014).
Where should I start with Rob Lowe?
With Stories I Only Tell My Friends. It is the autobiography of his early life and career, and Love Life follows on from it.
What is Rob Lowe’s most famous book?
Stories I Only Tell My Friends (2011), his autobiography, whose title he also used for his one-man stage show.
Did Rob Lowe write his books himself?
Both books are credited to Rob Lowe alone, with no co-writer named on the cover.
Is Stories I Only Tell My Friends worth reading if you’re not a fan?
It is built from anecdotes about growing up and early fame, so it reads as a story about becoming famous young rather than a book that assumes you know his films.
What was the 1988 Rob Lowe tape controversy?
In 1988 a videotape recorded in Atlanta, the night before the Democratic National Convention, showed Lowe, then 24, having sex with two women, one 22 and the other 16. According to UPI, he reached an agreement with prosecutors in 1989. He later mocked his own behaviour as host of Saturday Night Live.
Is there a Rob Lowe stage show based on the book?
Yes. Stories I Only Tell My Friends: Live is a one-man show that takes its title from the book, which he has toured to theatres.
Footnotes
- Rob Lowe — Wikipedia
- Love Life — Shelf Awareness review
- Stories I Only Tell My Friends — Penguin Australia
- Stories I Only Tell My Friends: Live — Broadway In Chicago
- Rob Lowe reaches agreement with prosecutors (1989) — UPI
Bibliography last verified 9 October 2026. Where sources give different first-publication years, this page uses the year in library catalogues or the publisher’s own record.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
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