Mike Farrell - Just Call Me Mike: A Journey to Actor and Activist

More Praise for Just Call Me Mike

Ive always just called him Mike. But now I have to call him talented, brave, principled, indefatigable, thoughtful, generous, and a man driven by his conscience. I learned things about him in this book I never knew before. So now I have to call him humble, too. Hes really kind of irritating.

Alan Alda

If you question why Hollywood actors get involved in politics, Mike Farrell can give you a whole book full of very persuasive answers [An] engaging new memoir.

Los Angeles CityBeat

After years of searching and some spectacular professional successes, Mike Farrell made an uncompromising commitment to his fiercest passiona love of global fairness, collaboration, and civility. This is a fascinating account of that journey.

Governor Mario Cuomo

In this honest autobiography, Farrell provides intimate accounts of growing up working class in the shadows of wealthy Hollywood, overcoming personal demons as he starts his acting career and finding happiness in the popular sitcom His passionate descriptions of human rights abuses show why Farrell is considered one of Hollywoods most prominent activists.

Publishers Weekly

This informative, courageous, and sometimes scary account of the life of a modern American male grabs the attention early and never lets go.

Sidney Poitier

Take a break from the Paris-goes-to-jail countdown and read about a celebrity whos actually using his fame for good He provides countless insights into our world and the nature of service. Five stars.

Hour Magazine (Montreal)

I admire Mike Farrell for his citizen activism. He has used the influence that accompanies his celebrity as a force for doing good, and the lasting impact of his humanitarian work is his legacy. The story of his rise to stardom and his commitment to service is inspiring.

Rosalynn Carter

Just Call Me Mike is a riveting tale of personal, professional, and civic growth from sallow California kid to mature citizen committed to a more just social order. Whether Latin America, the Middle East, the death penalty, or a whole host of other human rights issues, Mike Farrell has confronted government abuse with courage, dedication, and tenacity. It is a life lived in a way that would make Voltaire proud. In short, I loved it.

Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson, IV

An inspirational tale of change for a wide audience, from prior fans of his career to newcomers

Midwest Book Review

Mike Farrells memoir is a sometimes funny but always serious development of a committed artists life. Read it and enjoyand wonder why there arent more like him.

Julian Bond, Chairman, NAACP

Mike Farrells personal journey is a wonder in itself. Those in the cultural community who have ever been concerned about the arts and political activism should have all their fears assuaged by this wonderful documentation.

Harry Belafonte

Its the illumination, the light that Mike Farrell kindles with his life, and the wonderful complexity of his humaneness that shine through this extraordinary book. It will ennoble and empower all who read it.

Rabbi Leonard I. Beerman

Mike Farrells passion to discover, portray, and improve the human condition shines through his book and brings credit to his profession as an artist and as an activist.

Warren Beatty

Mike Farrell may be best known for his years on M*A*S*H and Providence, but his new book is no mere collection of show business anecdotes. It is the story of the merging of the personal and the political realms in one mans journey through life.

Mail Tribune (Southern Oregon)

I have long since come to understand and appreciate Mike Farrells sincere devotion and commitment to justice, fairness, and equality. Despite being an accomplished actor and gaining notoriety as a human rights activist, he remains humble and focused. Just Call Me Mike confirms Mikes love and compassion for people. This book must be read by all of those who profess to be committed to First Amendment rights and human rights, but do not have the courage of their convictions to stand up and speak truth to power. Mikes work and courage puts us all to shame. We can all do better. Thank you, Mike.

Congresswoman Maxine Waters

Farrell doesnt hesitate to put himself on the line, whether writing about his troubled past, the behind-the-scenes conflicts on the M*A*S*H set, or his human rights activism.

Sacramento Bee

An intimate, compelling memoir by a popular actor and dedicated humanitarian, Just Call Me Mike is even more: Its an exciting page-turner, a modern spiritual odyssey, and, as the reader discovers, an account of one mans courageous battle against injustice in all its nefarious forms. Mike Farrell makes the world a better placeand this book may change your life.

Donald Spoto, author of Enchantment: The Life of Audrey Hepburn

Mike is one of the most gifted, committed, and interesting people I know. His book is a fascinating perspective on his own remarkable life, as well as our shared history. Full of great stories, valuable insights, and powerful inspiration.

Bonnie Raitt

In Just Call Me Mike, the author tells of his campaigns across our country and around the world on behalf of the poor, the forgotten, and the oppressed. To this battle, our modern Don Quixote brings a skeptical intelligence, a disciplined passion, and an informed contempt for those in authority ever ready to sacrifice human rights on the altar of imperial ambition. Without boast or brag, Just Call Me Mike testifies to the vital role played by citizens who ennoble our nation by their willingness to denounce abuses of power.

Ambassador Robert E. White

Mike Farrell proves that ferocious conviction is the organizing principle of an extraordinary life. In his memoir, Just Call Me Mike, he describes the fantastic, sometimes painful, and ultimately redeeming journey that his conscience has led him on. Like his life, the book dances seamlessly between his great passionsfrom fond memories on the M*A*S*H set, to nervous moments at military checkpoints on his way to help refugees in war-torn Central America, to scrubbing-in for real-life surgery on a prisoner of war in El Salvador. In a disarmingly honest and gentle voice, Just Call Me Mike collects an incredible diversity of experiences, so diverse that its difficult to believe that one person could accomplish so much, in art and in service to others.

Kamala Harris, District Attorney of San Francisco

With raw honesty as his constant companion, Mike Farrell reveals a journeymans stirring quest for truth, which brought him to work tirelessly on human rights, protection of the environment, abolition of the death penalty, and so many other issues on behalf of the voiceless. Just Call Me Mike is a riveting read, and left me inspired by the determination of one person to create a more just world.

Kerry Kennedy

Incapable of putting his conscience on hold, Mike Farrell beautifully articulates why he is a rebel without a pause.

Larry Gelbart

Mike Farrells passion for life and compassion for people are formidable. Just Call Me Mike is not merely an autobiography, but rather a road map and a book of directions for those desirous of affecting positive change. He makes believable the principle that one person CAN make a differencewe should all be that kind of citizen.

Stanley K. Sheinbaum, economist

This book never, not for a page, emerges as self-congratulatory, and yet one cannot help but be overwhelmed by Mike Farrells principles, his profound commitments, and his extraordinary courage. The account of his life experiences is so real, so moving, it went straight through my heart.