A Paper Life

From Publishers Weekly
At age 10, O'Neal became the youngest Oscar winner in history for her performance in Paper Moon. In this honest, disturbing memoir, O'Neal, now 41, reveals the behind-the-scenes story of her lonely, chaotic life—one dominated by struggles with drugs and damaging relationships. O'Neal portrays her divorced parents (actors Joanna Moore and Ryan O'Neal) as neglectful and abusive, with drug problems of their own. Though O'Neal appeared in such kid-fodder movies as The Bad News Bears and Little Darlings, she says that during the '70s and early '80s she battled depression and attempted suicide. "I found that coke made me feel so much better," she recounts in the straightforward though unoriginal language that characterizes the narrative. Much of the book's second half covers her fraught marriage to volatile tennis champ John McEnroe; these passages alternate between recollections of the pleasure of being in love and having children and the pain of living with McEnroe, whom she depicts as controlling and demeaning. Ten years and three children later, O'Neal and McEnroe divorced. She resumed using drugs, fought child custody battles and watched her mother die of cancer. Although O'Neal speeds through the details, she addresses her addictions: "I wanted to take my own life but... instead... I started doing drugs 24/7. I couldn't stop." She also zips through her recovery, abruptly claiming "rebirth" in the final chapter. Writing this memoir seems to have been cathartic for O'Neal. Perhaps reading it will provide inspiration to other abuse victims and addicts. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


From AudioFile
"Nauseous, nauseous, nauseous," Tatum O'Neal confides to her diary during her first pregnancy. The comment could be applied to the events in A PAPER LIFE, which might well be titled "A Poisoned Life." The physical and mental abuse of her father, actor Ryan O'Neal, merges with her nightmarish marriage to bad boy tennis superstar John McEnroe, whose violent, irrational behavior on the courts spills over into their private life. O'Neal also confesses to her harrowing struggles with drug addiction. O'Neal's narration is stiff and subdued for that of a seasoned actress, but when she relives her vigil with her dying alcoholic mother and tragic moments with her children, the heartbreak in her voice is so real, so honest, that imperfections can be forgiven. M.T.B. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine


USA Today
"If an Academy Award were handed out for the most scorching family drama, it could certainly go to Tatum O’Neal..."


Daily News
"In her red-hot tome, O’Neal dishes on the...Hollywood of the 1970s - in all its raunchiness."


Philadelphia Inquirer
"Forget ‘Mommie Dearest’;...it looks as if Tatum O’Neal’s A PAPER LIFE, out Tuesday, might be the new classic.


People
"In her bombshell autobiography...Tatum O’Neal...names names...while telling, for the first time, an eye-popping story..."


Janet Maslin, New York Times
"A Paper Life, her slash-and-burn family album about…oh, go read it. You know you want to."


Publishers Weekly
"In this honest, disturbing memoir, O’Neal...reveals the behind-the-scenes story of her lonely, chaotic life...


Liz Smith
"I know memoirs are always described as ‘explosive,’ but this one really is."


Book Description

At age ten, Tatum O'Neal became the youngest Oscar winner in history for her performance in the film classic Paper Moon. She was hailed as a new kind of child star -- sassy and precocious -- for a hip, cynical age. As the sidekick to her father, the flamboyant star and man-about-town Ryan O'Neal, she became a fixture at the most glamorous Hollywood parties and counted celebrities ranging from Cher to Stanley Kubrick among her childhood friends.

But behind the glittering facade of Tatum's life lay heartbreak: abandonment, abuse, and neglect. Her alcoholic mother, the actress Joanna Moore, drifted in and out of her life. Her father, saddled with both Tatum and her brother Griffin, grew increasingly punishing and distant, especially after moving in with his longtime love, Farrah Fawcett. By her late teens, Tatum -- though a working actress with ten movies to her credit -- had begun a perilous slide into self-destruction.

Then, just before her twenty-first birthday, Tatum met the man who would become her husband: the explosive tennis great John McEnroe. They had three children, Kevin, Sean, and Emily, in quick succession, followed by one of the messiest high-profile divorces on record. With the collapse of her marriage and no real family to turn to, Tatum succumbed to the demons of her past, which would nearly kill her.

Now she has emerged clean and sober, rediscovering herself as an actress, mother, and wonderfully vibrant woman in what she considers the prime of her life.

FROM OUR EDITORS

At the age of ten, Tatum O'Neal was at the pinnacle of her Hollywood career, starring as a precocious sidekick in the 1973 film Paper Moon. The role won her an Oscar, making O'Neal the youngest Academy Award winner in history. By 1982, though, this angel-faced ing￯﾿ﾽnue was a full-blown cocaine addict, a teenage victim of depression, parental neglect, and abuse. A Paper Life: My Story recounts the actress's fragile passage through decades of adversity and personal turmoil to sobriety and spiritual peace. With astonishing candor, O'Neal discusses her destructive relationships with her father, Ryan O'Neal, her mother, Joanna Moore, and her ex-husband, tennis pro John McEnroe.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

At age ten, Tatum O'Neal became the youngest Oscar winner in history for her performance in the film classic Paper Moon. She was hailed as a new kind of child star-sassy and precocious-for a hip, cynical age. As the sidekick to her father, the flamboyant star and man-about-town Ryan O'Neal, she became a fixture at the most glamorous Hollywood parties and counted celebrities ranging from Cher to Stanley Kubrick among her childhood friends. But behind the glittering facade of Tatum's life lay heartbreak: abandonment, abuse, and neglect. Her alcoholic mother, the actress Joanna Moore, drifted in and out of her life. Her father, saddled with both Tatum and her brother Griffin, grew increasingly punishing and distant, especially after moving in with his longtime love, Farrah Fawcett. By her late teens, Tatum-though a working actress with ten movies to her credit-had begun a perilous slide into self-destruction.

Then, just before her twenty-first birthday, Tatum met the man who would become her husband: the explosive tennis great John McEnroe. They had three children, Kevin, Sean, and Emily, in quick succession, followed by one of the messiest high-profile divorces on record. With the collapse of her marriage and no real family to turn to, Tatum succumbed to the demons of her past, which would nearly kill her. Now she has emerged clean and sober, rediscovering herself as an actress, mother, and wonderfully vibrant woman in what she considers the prime of her life. A Paper Life is a story of strength and courage: unflinchingly honest, yet poignant, often funny, and unfailingly uplifting. It is a tale of triumph steeped in Hollywood lore-and an inspiring testament to the healing power of love.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

At age 10, O'Neal became the youngest Oscar winner in history for her performance in Paper Moon. In this honest, disturbing memoir, O'Neal, now 41, reveals the behind-the-scenes story of her lonely, chaotic life-one dominated by struggles with drugs and damaging relationships. O'Neal portrays her divorced parents (actors Joanna Moore and Ryan O'Neal) as neglectful and abusive, with drug problems of their own. Though O'Neal appeared in such kid-fodder movies as The Bad News Bears and Little Darlings, she says that during the '70s and early '80s she battled depression and attempted suicide. "I found that coke made me feel so much better," she recounts in the straightforward though unoriginal language that characterizes the narrative. Much of the book's second half covers her fraught marriage to volatile tennis champ John McEnroe; these passages alternate between recollections of the pleasure of being in love and having children and the pain of living with McEnroe, whom she depicts as controlling and demeaning. Ten years and three children later, O'Neal and McEnroe divorced. She resumed using drugs, fought child custody battles and watched her mother die of cancer. Although O'Neal speeds through the details, she addresses her addictions: "I wanted to take my own life but... instead... I started doing drugs 24/7. I couldn't stop." She also zips through her recovery, abruptly claiming "rebirth" in the final chapter. Writing this memoir seems to have been cathartic for O'Neal. Perhaps reading it will provide inspiration to other abuse victims and addicts. (Oct. 12) Forecast: A publicity blitz (Oprah, Today, Dateline, Live with Regis & Kelly, Larry King Live), a serial in People and a push from book clubs will put O'Neal in the spotlight. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

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