A Life in Parts by Bryan Cranston

Bryan Cranston’s journey as an award-winning and critically acclaimed actor has been anything but linear. Long before he ascended to the top of his profession, Cranston faced no shortage of personal and professional challenges—including many lean years when the phone wasn’t ringing nearly as often as it is today. As an enormous fan of Breaking Bad and his work since then, I had heard him talk about many aspects of his life during in-depth interviews. (His two-hour chat with Kevin Pollak was particularly enlightening.) Still, I wanted to know more about how he became, well, him.

Against this backdrop, I recently finished Cranston's memoir A Life in Parts. (Disclaimer: Cranston's publisher Scribner sent me an advanced review copy sans obligation.) In a word, it's excellent.