My Life So Far [Paperback]

I picked up a copy at a local outlet of a national chain bookstore where they had installed a special display rack just for her book. It held three books deep, five across and five shelves high, or about 75 books or more. That compares with a dozen or so books for most other best selling authors. So the stores and Amazon.com are geared up for this book; in all likelihoods it will not disappoint the book stores. It is a fairly well executed job - overall.

The book is just under 600 pages - very long - and divided into three sections 0 to 30 years, 30 to 60, and post 60 years of age to simplify the division, and that covers 39 chapters. The post 60 part is short, and the middle section is fairly long. She has lots of excellent photos from her families, movies, the ranches, protests, Vietnam, etc. but instead of two or three groups of pictures, they are spread throughout the book, so the text and photos go together, and this makes the whole book a lot more effective. She takes us through the ups and downs of her life including the troubled marriages, the activism, the movies, etc. and the reader gets an idea of how she has evolved, changed, survived, and what are her present values, and what is her present direction.... There are chapters on her father and the family, another on his death, various movies including On Golden Pond, her marriages including Ted Turner, the various causes she was involved in during the early years such as native rights, the anti-war movement, and later religion and finding herself in life, plus many more topics that cover all 39 chapters.

But do we want to read about all her inner thoughts and small details from the 1960s and the 1970s - a good part of the book? In many cases I did not. There is just too much information here; most people will probably not be that interested in every word and comment; one wonders if the main audience for the book is Jane herself. Perhaps she wrote it as some kind of therapy to come to grips with her life. For example, it takes about 60 pages or so just to go through her childhood, and we do not meet Hayden until about halfway through the book, around page 277.

In short, the book is easy to read and well crafted and deserves 5 stars. The question is this: do you want to know all the small details of Jane's life including her activities as a radical in the 1960s and later, and what were her innermost thoughts? Also, a lot of the good parts of the story have already been printed in the press, such as parts of the section on her trip to Hanoi and when she first went out with Ted. So much of the interesting stuff is already out. If you want to learn more, and all of her inner thoughts and the small details in the life of Jane Fonda, and how her life and philosophy has evolved and changed - then this 600 page book is for you. She has had a complicated and interesting life. For me it was a little too much about Jane. But I will give her credit. It is a good job and a mostly an interesting read. Most will like the book and you can always skip some of the 39 chapters if you find that some parts are too much. Read more ›

For me, a film lover and Jane Fonda fan from way back, this autobiography held many surprises. My longtime image of Ms. Fonda has always been of a woman secure within herself, grounded, self-assured. Au contraire. The product of a privileged background, intelligent, creative, beautiful, talented, Jane was not as aware of her strengths as she was of her perceived weaknesses, which she really homed-in on. It is not difficult to understand the roots of her tremendous lack of self-esteem and neediness. Reading about the Fonda family, their interactions and life together while Jane and her brother, Peter, were growing up, is terribly sad. Her father was withdrawn, brooding, and distant. His lack of presence in his children's lives had a tremendous impact.For years she felt tremendous guilt for not saying a final goodbye to her mom Katherine Hepburn, who worked with both Henry and Jane in the movie, "On Golden Pond," noted the actor's extremely cold attitude toward his daughter. It appears that even at the end of Henry Fonda's life, including the evening Jane accepted the Oscar for Best Actor for him, he never gave her the approval she so longed for....

The memoir is divided into three parts, or 3 Acts, in which she chronicles her life so far in this highly readable narrative: growing up in Hollywood; student life at Vassar; Jane as Barbarella, Jane as committed political activist, with an interesting take on her controversial trip to Hanoi during the Vietnam War; her second marriage to student activist/politician Tom Hayden, her third to Ted Turner, motherhood; betrayal and infidelity, (I was more shocked by the behavior of her three husbands, than by the various menages in France, where at least Jane was invited to participate); Christianity and her religious faith; etc., etc.. This is a vital woman who has been involved in many important artistic, political, and athletic/sports events during the last fifty years. She has met some of the world's most interesting people, and even lived with a few. I admire the hard work she has done to understand herself. Therapy has obviously played a major role in her life and I really respect this. It demonstrates her commitment to growth and renewal. She is a survivor.

Her present work and energies involve the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention, (G-CAPP), which she founded in 1995 and chairs. In 2002, she opened the Jane Fonda Center for Adolescent Reproductive Health at Emory University's School of Medicine.

Like some contemporary political figures, Jane Fonda seems to inspire an extreme, almost visceral reaction from people - folks seem to either love her or hate her. Few are indifferent. Whatever one's feelings, it is impossible to deny this woman's talent, intellect, complexity, dynamism and the contributions she has made to our society.

It is rumored that Ms. Fonda wrote this book herself, an oddity nowadays with so many ghost written "tell all" memoirs on the market. I don't doubt for a moment that she is the author. She has proven to be extremely talented in many areas, with a variety of endeavors, over the years. Why not writing? I highly recommend this fast paced, well written autobiography. It informs and fascinates. Kudos!
JANA Read more ›