Illinois favorite son honored by Skokie Public Library as it brings celebrity Top Ten novel "My Fractured Life" to its collection and welcomes star to the community.

Illinois' Skokie Public Library, 5215 Oakton Street, has ordered an inventory of the popular novel "My Fractured Life" for its adult literature collection.

The novel, named a Top 10 Featured Entertainer Biography by Amazon.com, is written by Skokie resident Rikki Lee Travolta.

Slated for adaptation into film, "My Fractured Life" has been compared in reviews to the bestseller "Running With Scissors" by Augusten Burroughs and "Postcards From the Edge" by Carrie Fisher

An article in Indiana's Tri-State Today identified "My Fractured Life" as one of the holiday season's high demand gift purchases, comparable to the craze for Cabbage Patch Kids in 1983, Tickle-Me Elmo in 1996, and Michael Jordan signature shoes throughout the 1980s.

Leading bookseller Barnes & Nobel's Internet site barnesandnobel.com sold out of its stock of "My Fractured Life" for the fifth time the week of Christmas forcing a rush inventory restock in order to guarantee delivery to customers by December 24.

A front page article in the leading U.K. newsgroup publication 999 Today likens Travolta's "My Fractured Life" with New York Times bestsellers "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown, "Bleachers" by John Grisham, and "The Kennedy Curse" by Edward Klein while reporting on the book's 97,000 point jump in sales in the period of one week.

"My Fractured Life" is described as the story of a promising young actor turned suicide victim as told from the perspective of the fallen star who discovers the body.

In addition to the details of life in Hollywood for actors struggling to make names for themselves, the book chronicles life among the cast of Chicago's "Tony n' Tina's Wedding."

Brought to Chicago in 1997 to revitalize the "Tony n' Tina's Wedding" franchise as its first celebrity guest star, Travolta is credited as reinventing the role of the groom. He went on to define the role in appearances throughout the world – making it the longest running stage comedy in history.

Based on the critical and commercial success of Travolta's appearances throughout the United States, Mila Kunas ("That 70's Show"), Frankie Avalon ("Grease"), New York Met Lee Mazzilli, and Joey McIntyre (New Kids on the Block, "Boston Public") have performed in association with "Tony n' Tina's Wedding."

"Tony n' Tina's Wedding" opened Valentine's Day, February 14, 1988 in New York City and has been staged in over 100 cities worldwide including Chicago, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, and Maui in the United States; as well as in Canada, Japan, and Australia.

"Travolta has a great way of looking at Hollywood and the lifestyle of show business," states the Spokane Spokesman Review Book Club.

Reviews at BarnesandNobel.com call the book "groundbreaking."

"Tony n' Tina's Wedding" opened Valentine's Day, February 14, 1988 in New York City and has been staged in over 100 cities worldwide including Chicago, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, and Maui in the United States; as well as in Canada, Japan, and Australia.

Travolta became a Skokie resident in anticipation of his real life Valentine's Day wedding this year to Niles West graduate Sonia Rihani.

Like the character of the groom that he made famous on stage in "Tony n' Tina's Wedding," Travolta will walk down the isle this Valentine's day in a white tuxedo. However his hair has changed dramatically since he first donned the white threads of eternal groom Tony Nunzio.

Sporting shoulder length bleached blond hair grown for his role as legendary lover Sir Lancelot in the upcoming DVD "Camelot Excalibur," Travolta has managed to break the comparisons to relation John Travolta in exchange for those to fellow model and spokesperson Fabio.

Fabio and Travolta take the comparisons of what About Chicago describes as their mutual "long golden hair, athletic builds, and porcelain features" in good humor. In November the two fashion archetypes posed together for pictures in Chicago during the launch of a new clothing line.

Struck by the family-like face-to-face similarity with Fabio, Travolta was also asked by Fabio's representatives to pose for pictures with the romance cover model's cousin who was on hand for the promotional event.

"They could be brothers," reflected Travolta's manager Drake Miezel of the three men.

Fabio has been described as the "sexiest man in the world" by Cosmopolitan. Travolta has been called "tall, dark, and stunningly handsome" by Playbill Online's Critic's Circle.

HOW SWEET
A Valentine's Day wedding was a natural choice for Travolta, his bride, and their daughter Jessica Sara Rihani Travolta. They got engaged on Sweetest Day.

The couple met when Sonia enrolled daughter Jessica in a fine arts seminar Travolta was conducting. Travolta served as spokesperson for National Dance Week 2003 and is the managing director of Skokie's North Shore Dance and Drama Center.

"Our eyes met and time stopped. It was like we’d already met," Travolta explains. It turns out they had.

Only after dating and becoming engaged, they realized one day while comparing stories that they had met in a chance encounter 7 years before – when Travolta had first come to Chicago to star in "Tony n' Tina's Wedding."

"It's like I've spent my whole life looking for her," says Travolta.

HIS KIND OF TOWN
Travolta is ranked with Donnie Osmond, soap opera actor Brian Lane Green, and original Broadway star Bill Hutton as one of the preferred stars for productions of the musical "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" staged around the country.

Now that he's found his bride, Travolta's "Joseph" appearances will be closer to home – a benefit for Chicago audiences. As a husband and father, Travolta expects to be doing more acting and promotional work throughout Chicago and less traveling.

Last year he made headlines as the first member of his family to appear as Danny Zuko in the musical "Grease" since the 1977 film.

He agreed to the guest starring appearance in order to raise money to bring fine arts programs to underprivileged youths. In recognition, Round Lake mayor and former Chicago Bear Bill Gentes named a holiday in Travolta's honor.

National upscale fashion retailer Carson Pirie Scott, a member company of Saks Incorporated, played host to Travolta at its Lincolnwood location as a part of its Social Expo, Saturday, November 8.

As a part of their "History in the Making" season, the Chicago Bulls hosted Travolta as a courtside guest and ambassador of Chicago's entertainment community at the United Center for its January 9 competition against the visiting Portland Trailblazers.

Soon be on shelves at the Skokie Public Library, Travolta's book features cover art exclusively in the team colors of the Chicago Bulls.

Upon return from honeymooning in Mexico, Travolta will look to take the stage again in Chicago.

"I'd like to do what I can to bring recognition to all the fine theaters in Chicago," says Travolta. "It's because of this city that I found my wife. I'm the luckiest man in the world."

"My Fractured Life" by Rikki Lee Travolta is available at Skokie Public Library and also online at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com (bn.com), and BooksAMillion.com (BAMM.com), and can be ordered through any Borders Books or Barnes and Nobel retail outlet.