Tatum O'Neal - A Paper Life
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I wasn't planning on seeking out Tatum O'Neal - A Paper Life. It was sitting on the shelf at the Library and I didn't have anything else that I wanted to read. So, I gave it a shot. Prior to reading the book, I knew of Tatum and her relationship with her father Ryan O'Neal. I knew the basics is more like it. What I didn't know in great detail was her marriage to John McEnroe. I knew they had major issues and an ugly divorce, but beyond that, nothing else. As for the meat and potatoes of A Paper Life, I'm really unsure what the book is trying to serve.
With everything that has made up Tatum's life, be it professional and personal, there is a lot of missing holes. The one thing that I really wanted to get some details on were her movies including Paper Moon and The Bad News Bears. But beyond the typical "I made this at such and such time", very little is revealed which was a disappointment. I knew that the bulk of the book would revolve around her relationship to both Ryan and John, but even here it seems like Tatum is holding back. Yes, she checks off all the brutal moments of physical abuse as well as he drug problems that she attributes to both men and rightly so. I think the book really was put together to point the finger at both and make them own up to what they did to her, which I don't have any issues with.
The one problem I did have with the book is that she does repeat herself a lot with regards to her children. Every other page she reinforces that she "loves her kids so much". I think this is Tatum's way of telling her kids she is sorry for what she did and making sure they know she loves him. It's nice, but as a reader it does get a bit too much after awhile. The book is worth checking out from the Library. Personally, I can't see myself ever reading this again.
One last thing, I've never liked McEnroe either as a sports figure or a personality. I've always viewed him as a ego-driven selfish prick. This book really does make him look bad and for that, I do applaud Tatum for telling it like it is.