You know who actor Daniel Stern is, don't you? He's Marv, the tall and bumbling burglar who serves as sidekick to Harry (Joe Pesci) in Home Alone. He's Phil, who joins his two friends Mitch (Billy Crystal) and Ed (Bruno Kirby), on a western cattle drive in City Slickers. And these are just two examples of Daniel's abundant on-screen work. In his memoir, Home & Alone, he shares his background. He explains how these movies happened, in addition to many others. He is candid about being dyslexic. And he uncovers how he finally found a way to work through the challenge, in a career that relies on being able to read and to interpret the printed word.

One of the more unique aspects of this celebrity memoir is that Daniel is forthcoming and honest about what he has been paid for his work. These figures make for eye-opening reveals to those of us who are NOT in the movie business. We peasants understand that entertainers make far more money than we do. FAR more. But here, we get the specifics. The tallies are pretty impressive, too. An editor even chose to write the amounts here in longhand and not as numerics. For Home Alone, Daniel's agreement was for "three hundred thousand dollars for six weeks of work." For the sequel: "I did get more money than I had ever made in my life: one point five million and 1 percent gross point of the film. Of course, I still had to pay my former agent 10 percent, and lawyer 5 percent, and accountant 5 percent, and 35 percent for taxes, so I probably came away with five hundred dollars in fresh cash, which was awesome!" Wow. Good for you, Daniel. Good to know. Thanks for being transparent, so to speak.

I admit that I have not followed Daniel Stern's career. I have not seen most of his movies, although the titles sound familiar. I now know at least two films that I should watch someday. The Milagro Beanfield War was directed by Robert Redford. Daniel describes it as "one of the sweetest movies I've even seen, let alone been in." Daniel directed Rookie of the Year, about a young boy who gets to pitch for the Chicago Cubs. The crew got the chance to film right at Wrigley Field. I'm always up for a feel-good sports story.

Making such movies as Rookie of the Year and Home Alone -- as well as starting to raise a family of three children, along with wife Laure Mattos -- inspired Daniel to take on "kid empowerment" as a personal goal. The Sterns began to advocate for new gathering spaces for young people within their local community of Malibu, California. Their efforts led to close and long-term connections with Boys & Girls Clubs. In fact, Daniel is forwarding all royalties from this book to the Boys & Girls Clubs. It's been a near life-long commitment for him now. He also had the unique chance to join a USO Handshake Tour to visit American troops in the Middle East during the war with Iraq. Brave man. He finds ways to give back, to his fans and the public at large.

In recent years, the actor has found another outlet for his creative energies: sculpture. He has created unique pieces, sold many, installed more as public artworks, and kept some for his own enjoyment. Who knew?

With Home & Alone, Daniel Stern proves to us that he is much more than someone who is adept at portraying fictional characters on sets and stages. He is a real person. He has real interests and real projects and personal missions. Getting to know him through this book is a treat. I highly recommend that you sit down with this one, especially if you know him only as Marv the bumbling burglar, the "Wet Bandit." Then get ready to make a list of the movies you will be prompted to watch or to revisit, to witness more of Daniel's work. The resulting slate will keep you busy for a while.