Another movie star’s memoir saying how wonderful everyone has been? Not quite. James Carlton has a successful life in Hollywood where he becomes a household name and a rich man. But Jimmy has a past his fans know nothing. Winging It shows us his life with total honesty. He is frank about the men and women he meets in Hollywood: the (male) producer who trades a movie contract for a night with James; the virginal goddess film star who insiders know to be a nymphomaniac; the all-action male who always gets the girl in the last reel but with whom Jimmy has a passionate gay relationship. Then in a near-death experience, James sees the face of God. Haunted by this life-changing moment, he searches for the truth and a priest tells him that God’s hand is always outstretched—all we have to do is take it. He becomes a lay brother in a California monastery. When it closes, he goes home but not to his old, debauched life. As the end closes in, he prays on his knees for forgiveness. This is a study of a man’s life told so openly that, if you don’t want to know about the sexual exploits of a man who at first doesn’t care whether his partner is man or woman, you should not read it—but it is, first and foremost, a story of hope and the willingness of a merciful God to show us all the road to peace.