Mike Farrell's gripping and often hilarious book-tour memoir provides a framework for grassroots civic engagement.
Check out the hardcover and paperback editions of Mike Farrell's best-selling memoir, Just Call Me Mike.
"Mike Farrell's Of Mule and Man is a one-of-a-kind American road trip. It's a quite enjoyable ride with an observant and generous friend who is at home crisscrossing the country with a rental hybrid he calls Mule. Farrell travels through both the beautiful and busted landscape from desert to bayou, urban to rural, listening in and arguing silently with conservative talk radio found in even the most remote places, and ending each day at bookstores and community organizations to have conversations with activists, friends, and family who are doing the hard work of social justice in every neighborhood. 'Heroes abound in this world,' Farrell writes. He is one of them."
--Walter Mosley, author of The Tempest Tales
"Not since Steinbeck's Travels with Charley in Search of America has there been a more beautifully written andÊcompelling journey into the heartland of America. Mike Farrell celebrates his beloved country with great honesty and sincerity, with humility and grace. A beautiful and courageous book, an American classic."
--Ron Kovic, author of Born on the Fourth of July
"Farrell doesn't just take his case for human dignity and the value of life into the purified chambers of a liberal audience, but debates it in the unfriendly halls of those who are convinced that an eye for an eye is the way to go. He withstands shouts and vilification with an equanimity of spirit possessed only by those comfortable with their beliefs and willing to tolerate abuse on their behalf. It's what makes the soul glow."
--Los Angeles Times
"Saying Mike Farrell is an activist is like saying M*A*S*H was a cute little show. Farrell has been intensely vocal on behalf of . . . antiwar, antipoverty, anti-death penalty, and anti-torture movements."
--Minneapolis/St. Paul Star Tribune
In May 2008--shortly after being named by the Los Angeles Times as a "Person of the Year"--Mike Farrell drove himself across the country on a book tour like no other. Networking with political groups (and friends like Joseph Wilson and Valerie Plame), Farrell redefined the very concepts of book touring and "promotion" through a progressive lens.
Departing his hometown of Los Angeles with a trusty rental car--a Prius he quickly nicknamed "Mule"--as his only companion, Mike provides here a funny and fascinating account of his road trip across the country and back. In addition to his (and occasionally Mule's) musings are statements from some of the political groups that cosponsored his tour, including Death Penalty Focus, the ACLU, Greenpeace, Human Rights Watch, and many more.
Best known for his eight years on M*A*S*H and five seasons on Providence, Mike Farrell is also a writer, director, and producer. Farrell has served on human rights and peace delegations to many countries around the world. His first book, Just Call Me Mike, was a Los Angeles Times best seller.
Praise for Just Call Me Mike:
"A simply told, extraordinary story. It is the best in storytelling, as if Farrell is sitting in the room with you."
--Los Angeles Free Press
"This is the most revealing and honest personal story that I have read in a long time. A genuine gem."
--Senator George McGovern
"After years of searching and some spectacular professional successes,
Mike Farrell made an uncompromising commitment to his fiercest
passion--a love of global fairness, collaboration, and civility. This
is a fascinating account of that journey."
--Governor Mario Cuomo
"First of all, Mike Farrell is an honest guy. Then you add in that
he's a stand-up guy as well. The combination means his book, Just Call
Me Mike, will entertain and inform you far beyond most
autobiographies. Farrell's life is fascinating and his journey is well
worth your time."
--Bill O'Reilly, anchor, FOX News Channel
"I've 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. He's
really kind of irritating."
--Alan Alda
"These pages contain pure, luminous self-revelation. We watch Mike
Farrell's unfurling soul from an unsure, unsteady little boy longing
for his father's approval into a man of integrity and grace as he
reaches out to suffering people in Cambodia and Central America, the
condemned on death row, and gay people subjected to withering,
homophobic prejudice. No one can read these pages and continue to live
a narrow, anxious, self-absorbed life."
--Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking
"Mike Farrell's 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
"Mike Farrell's 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
"I have long since come to understand and appreciate Mike Farrell's
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 Mike's 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. Mike's work and courage puts us all
to shame. We can all do better. Thank you, Mike."
--Congresswoman Maxine Waters
"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. ÊWhether 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 Wilson
"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
"Mike Farrell's memoir is a sometimes funny but always serious
development of a committed artist's life. Read it and enjoy--and wonder
why there aren't more like him."
--Julian Bond
"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
"It's 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
"An intimate, compelling memoir by a popular actor and dedicated
humanitarian, Just Call Me Mike is even more: It's an exciting
page-turner, a modern spiritual odyssey, and, as the reader discovers,
an account of one man's courageous battle against injustice in all its
nefarious forms. Mike Farrell makes the world a better place--and this
book may change your life."
--Donald Spoto
"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
"With raw honesty as his constant companion, Mike Farrell reveals a
journeyman's 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
"lncapable of putting his conscience on hold, Mike Farrell beautifully
articulates why he is a rebel without a pause."
--Larry Gelbart
"Mike Farrell's passion for life and compassion for people are
formidable. Just Call Me Mike is not merely an autobiography, but
rather a roadmap and a book of directions for those desirous of making
positive change. He makes believable the principle that one person CAN
make a difference--we 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 Farrell's 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."
--Loretta Swit
"Each paragraph inspires . . . each page a sermon . . . the book, a
history lesson not generally taught. Mike Farrell is both poet and
fighter, his pen a sword that cuts through pretense and hypocrisy and
enables each of us to be courageous in pursuit of justice. His
greatest role is offstage acting on behalf of those who have been
silenced . . . His book is a gift for all. I am proud to 'call him
Mike'--friend to all."
--Rabbi Steven B. Jacobs, chair of the Progressive Faith Foundation
"Mike Farrell proves that ferocious conviction is the organizing
principle of an extraordinary life. In his memoir, Just Call Me Mike,
Mike 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 passions--from 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 to real-life surgery on a prisoner of war in El
Salvador. In a disarmingly honest and gentle voice, Just Call Me Mike
collects an extraordinary diversity of experiences, so diverse that
it's difficult to believe that one person could accomplish so much, in
art and in service to others."
--Kamala Harris, District Attorney of San Francisco
Of Mule and Man
