Gretchen Bonaduce - Surviving Agent Orange: And Other Things I Learned From Being Thrown Under the Partridge Family Bus

Praise for

Ill never forget the first time I met Gretchen Bonaduce. I went to the Gower Street Fair where I knew she was playing. I dont normally seek out singers or actresses but she I was not going to miss. I saw her on the Dr. Phil show and was so taken by her inner strength to stand her ground even when Dr. Phil tried to sway her to give her marriage another chance. I loved her immediately and respected her deeply. Little did I know that we would become as close as sisters and she has helped me through good times and bad. Gretchen is force to be reckoned with. She is love, she is talented and strong. I am so proud to call her my sister and, having written an auto-biography myself, I know the guts it took for her to write this. Now she can add another category to her vast rsum. Hell of a writer!

Cherie Currie , author of the bestseller Neon Angel ,
lead singer for The Runaways

Gretchens story is a must-read for anyone surviving a marital breakup with anyone, famous or otherwise. I know Gretchen personally and she is one of the kindest, loving, and honest person I know. Surviving Danny with grace and dignitynot many could do. This is NOT a trashy Hollywood tell-all, but rather a glimpse into her side of Dannys story. Loved the book and love Gretchen.

Geri Jewell , actress from The Facts of Life

Gretchen is a woman who is full of tenacity and whose heart feels for everyone around her. She accepts all challenges with a positive attitude, which is reflected in her book. Her unique story pulls you in as she walks you through the gallery of her life experiences. Some of the portraits are beautiful and others are not so pretty, but she values and learns from them all. Shes a lovely human being and Im proud to call her my friend.

Allison DuBois , the inspiration behind the hit television show Medium , television producer, and a New York Times bestselling author

What a fantastic read. I laughed out loud on so many pagesand then on others, all I wanted to do was reach out and give [Gretchen] a hug. I love the truththe no holds barred of it all. It is light in the heaviest of ways, and I am honored to know and love the writer. I cant wait to read it again!

Marie Currie , artist, singer, songwriter, and actress

I love this book and could not put it down. Gretchen Bonaduce is one of the coolest chicks I know. A terrific mother and an even better friend, her life has been fascinating and crazy at the same time. There are many life lessons in her story. To top it off, it is written in a conversational and relatable way.

Jackie Kallen , author of Hit Me With Your Best Shot
and Between the Ropes

Heres the thing about Grechen Bonaduce: shes a real person whos lived a surreal life. I watched every minute of Breaking Bonaduce when it exploded on to the reality TV scene, and Ive never seen a show come close to being as raw or realbefore or since. As a reality TV editorial writer and podcast host, I was riveted by Gretchens account of what went on behind the scenes of filming that show, and the decisions that led her into marrying and eventually divorcing Danny. But Gretchens memoir isnt just about her marriage; its about being a woman. Shes a child whos lost a parent, a sister, wife, friend, and single mother reinventing herself with every breath she takes. Reading her memoir is like sitting down with a good girlfriend and playing a kick ass game of Never Have I Everexcept in Gretchens case, she most likely HAS! Warm, funny, vulnerable, and 100 percent relatable in its emotional impact, Surviving Agent Orange is a must-read for all of us who are just trying to figure it out, and learning to let go along the way.

Erin Martin , writer and host of
the Pink Shade With Erin Martin podcast

Gretchen proves that all those things we learned when we were little really do work. Shes made of the right stuff. Throw that into a crazy mixture of sex, drugs, rock and roll, and total chaos and you have a fascinating story. I am so glad she is sharing her story with us all. May she inspire others to find their own inner strength. Im sure that is one of her main reasons for writing thisto help others; because, yes, she really IS that nice!

Susan Olsen , actress on The Brady Bunch

This is a Genuine Rare Bird Book

A Rare Bird Book | Rare Bird Books
453 South Spring Street, Suite 302
Los Angeles, CA 90013
rarebirdbooks.com

Copyright 2018 by Gretchen Bonaduce

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever, including but not limited to print, audio, and electronic. For more information, address:
A Rare Bird Book | Rare Bird Books Subsidiary Rights Department,
453 South Spring Street, Suite 302,
Los Angeles, CA 90013.

Set in Minion

Photographs courtesy of Gretchen Bonaduce

epub isbn : 9781644280010

Publishers Cataloging-in-Publication data
Names: Bonaduce, Gretchen, author. | Curry, Adrianne, 1982, foreword author.
Title: Surviving Agent Orange: and Other Things I learned from being Thrown under the Partridge Family bus / Gretchen Bonaduce; foreword by Adrianne Curry.
Description: First Trade Paperback Original Edition | A Genuine Rare Bird Book | New York, NY; Los Angeles, CA: Rare Bird Books, 2018.
Identifiers: ISBN 9781945572852
Subjects: LCSH Bonaduce, Gretchen. | Bonaduce, Danny. | Entertainers spousesBiography. | Television personalitiesUnited StatesBiography. | Reality television programsAnecdotes. | BISAC BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Entertainment & Performing Arts
Classification: LCC PN1992.4 .B635 2018 | DDC 791.45/028/092dc23

To Boo Berry and Yung Red

Contents

Foreword

By Adrianne Curry

I d like to start this intro off by saying thisGretchen Bonaduce is one of the very few people I can call a friend in Los Angeles. In this cesspool of self-serving filth, she has always been a shining beacon of light to me. I am a very guarded person when it comes to this city, and she has single-handedly torn down every line of defense Ive put up to protect my heart. In doing so, she has enriched my experience here and opened my eyes that not everyone who lives here and works in the industry is the spawn of Satan.

I first met her in 2005 at the VH1 Big in 05 awards. I was still with my exchild star ex, as was she. We were both on hit reality shows and had similar enough backgrounds to hit off some conversation. I immediately knew she was from the Midwest. Her velvety alto voice was a pocket of home I had been missing so much in the beast that is LA. I could tell right off the bat that she was a good person and figured Id be seeing more of her in the future.

I wasnt wrong. Over the years we have faced many trials and tribulations with each other as guidance. I watched as she left her marriage and struggled to find her own footing after so many stormy years with the father of her children. I witnessed the depth of her kindness when she didnt fight him in court for more than she was being offered (which she would have received if she had asked for it) and marveled at how compassionate she was toward her ex. I saw her tell her children only glowing things about their father, and I appreciated the fact that she tried to keep them out of the whirlwind that was their divorce.