A Paper Life

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. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine

October 11, 2004
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.

June 15, 2004
Read by the author. Simultaneous with the HarperEntertainment hardcover.

Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.