A Paper Life

On Wednesday, December 19, 2007 I wrote:

Hi this book was a quick read. I really liked it, but then I started to realise (during the chapter of her marriage with John) she is always playing the victim, it is always the other person's fault.I do think she just wrote this book to take revenge on John and her dad. Tatum is also very big on name dropping. Even if she met a famous person once, she managed to write it in this book and make friends out of them. LMAO.She managed to make me not like her, (I did before reading) but still an enjoyable read. Now I am going to give it to my mom. Thanks for sharing!!!!

I really liked this book and really felt for Tatum, who I love. BUT after her relapse in '08, I too am now questioning how much of what she wrote is true.

It's sickening how her parents treated her though, and I can relate to that, to an extent. Here is this strong-willed child, who just needed to be loved.

Her dad is a dick though.

Tatum Beatrice O'Neal is the oldest of Ryan O'Neal's four children. As the child of Ryan and his first wife - the actress Joanna Moore - she and her brother Griffin, and their half-brothers Patrick and Redmond have grown up in the limelight. Her acting career started early as she often co-starred opposite her father in some of the best-known films of the 1970's and 1980's.

At the age of ten, Tatum O'Neal became the youngest Academy Award winner in history - winning the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 1974 for her performance in the film classic Paper Moon. She was hailed by the entertainment industry as a new kind of child star - sassy and precocious - someone who resonated with the emerging generation of hip, yet cynical moviegoers. As show more her father's sidekick, Tatum soon became a fixture at the most glamorous Hollywood parties. Appearing on the arm of one of the most flamboyant and fashionable stars in Hollywood - the man-about-town, Ryan O'Neal - she counted celebrities from Cher to Stanley Kubrick among some of her closest childhood friends.

Yet behind the glittering facade of Tatum's very public life lay her very private pain. A life full of heartbreak: abandonment, abuse and neglect. Her mother - the actress Joanna Moore - was a struggling alcoholic and drug addict, and drifted in and out of her daughter's life. Her father - raising both Tatum and her brother Griffin - grew increasingly punitive and distant from his children as time passed. By her late teens, Tatum - despite being a working actress with ten movies to her credit - had nevertheless begun a perilous slide into self-destruction.

Then, just before she turned twenty-one, Tatum met the man who would become her husband: the legendary tennis player, John McEnroe. The couple had three children together - but their eight-year marriage was a turbulent one - and led to one of the messiest high-profile divorces on record. With the subsequent demise of her marriage, Tatum very nearly succumbed to the demons of her past. She has since emerged from the darkness - living a clean and sober lifestyle - rediscovering herself as an actress, a mother, and a wonderfully vibrant woman in what she considers the prime of her life.

A Paper Life is a story of indomitable strength and courage: telling the life story of Tatum O'Neal - one of Hollywood's brightest, yet troubled young stars. Her story is deeply personal yet unflinchingly honest, poignantly funny, and unfailingly uplifting. This is a triumphant tale steeped in Hollywood lore - and is an inspiring testament to the healing power of love.

I must say that I have always enjoyed reading autobiographies about movie stars, and Tatum O'Neal's autobiography was no exception. I really enjoyed reading this book, and was happy to learn that she was continuing to stay strong in her sobriety. This was truly an inspirational story, although I would certainly agree that Tatum holds nothing back about her various relationships. I give this book an A+!

That being said, I was saddened to learn that in June of 2008 she was in trouble with the law again. I wish her all the best for the future, and hope that she can strengthen her relationship with her father. show less

I wondered how a woman so beautiful and rich could be so miserable to want to escape all the time. Now I know. I would definately recommend this book. Tatum bares it all!

Reading her father's book and than her book, back to back. I must say that I am sure that the truth is somewhere in between the two. I do admire Tatum for admitting that she had issues. Ryan's book was a little more blaming than self-loathing. A quick read.

A screwed up mess of people who should all stop breeding. A depressing life from so many directions.