I "met" Jane Fonda at a book signing in Pasadena, CA. I was immediately taken with her graciousness. She appeared beautifully poised, content and unpretentious, before a packed gathering. She was irreverent, intelligent, insightful and candid. As she sat at the signing table, she immediately commented that she thought my blouse was gorgeous. While this may seem like a very minor thing, having been to countless events of this type, I was a bit taken aback by her focus on me. This was supposed to be about HER. This is a huge part of her charm; the ability to look outward, instead of being obsessed with herself, the way that so many of today's celebrities seem to be.As a child of the civil unrest, disobedience and rights movement, I had always related to what she stood for. I could always distinguish between being patriotic and simply disagreeing with the way that the government was handling things. Therefore, it was my belief that she had been demonized needlessly, and that ignorance and the inability to understand how caring for one's country, is what makes one passionate about what is happening in the first place. This is what has made it so difficult for people to look past what happened during the Viet Nam era.There are still many people who hate her for her activism. And it is a shame that those people will miss out on what truly is, an astoundingly insightful book. Jane Fonda is not just someone who is a famous actress; she is a woman who is living a very full, informed, and turbulent life, and took the time to really learn from it. And she is sharing her experiences in such a candid, forthright, refreshing way - that anyone could benefit from reading about them.You do not have to have been famous to have the kinds of experiences that she describes. While some celebrity autobiographies drone on and on about all of the other famous people they knew and know, very few actually tell about how they felt, and what they learned in the process. And many still have the fear of telling the truth. Because Jane Fonda is where she is in her life right now, she has the luxury and ability to be as honest as she wants to be. She has reached successful pinnacles in her career, that few rarely achieve.As I read each chapter, I could see my own life in parallels. I did not have the privilege that she did, however, I understand the same struggles that she had, as a woman. I could even see similarities in the kinds of men that she has had in her life, yet, I have lived worlds apart from her.This is a true, unabashedly truthful memoir, that does not scrimp on details. It is entertaining, candid, informative, while being stunningly, strikingly provocative, and enlightening. This is a book that I will always cherish. The revelations that she shares, have affected my own life, and will continue to do so. It is the most insightfully enlightening autobiography by an actor that I have read thus far. But that is not surprising, given that Ms. Fonda is much more than an actor. First and foremost, she is a human being who has always cared about humanity, and it truly shows in her life's experiences. I am so grateful that she decided to share it with us.
Surprisingly intimate look. It would be a mistake to define Jane Fonda as the sum total of the one-dimensional icons she embodied: daughter of, actress, sex symbol, wife of, activist, producer, fitness industry pioneer. When nearing 60 - which she calls the beginning of her third act - she began a Life Review of acts I & II. She began with a timeline of her life and journaling what happened. Then delving into how she felt at the time and what still resonated years later. She became aware of different themes in her life: connection to nature, disconnect from showing emotions, changing her identity to mirror the men in her life, her determination to create movies that bring light to an issue and give voice to the marginalized. I was surprised at her candor regarding the ex-husbands (she allowed Hayden and Turner to vet the chapters about themselves.) One juicy detail: Ted Turner had her replacement waiting in the airport hanger after he dropped off Jane who was flying to stay with her daughter after their decision to call it quits. Her seat was, literally, still warm!
Do You like book My Life So Far (2006)?
Being in the military I had heard a lot of nasty things said about Jane Fonda because of her activity during Vietnam. I thought it was important to hear her side of the story and to understand it you need to know her past so what better way than her autobiography. I gave her book three stars because I thought the first 3rd was very slow and the book did not pick up until she hit 30. I will not spend much time on whether or not I agree with what she did or all of her opinions but once the book picked up after her teens and twenties I did find the writing enjoyable and found myself looking forward to what she had to say next if only the first part could have been as good.Some of my opinions about Ms. Fonda did change after reading this there are things she does that I like and there are things she has done I think are wrong but at least I can see why she felt she had to do those things. I would recommend you read this book before you decide what your opinion of this woman is going to be.
—Keith Craig
For those of you who missed it the first time around (or weren't born yet), at last Jane Fonda explains what all the fuss was about. She was demonized in the 1960s and 1970s and it's surprising that today she lives in the heart of the American south, considering that she has lived most of her life in places that were considered more "liberal", like France and California.She is forthcoming in this book about her horrendous early life and the pictures are very telling of their own stories. I meant to skim it to find out what she was up to now but found that I had to read almost the whole thing. I didn't really need all that detail about her love life although some people will be interested in that, too.The main point is that this woman was born before World War II, had to virtually survive and support herself (emotionally at least and from a very young age financially too) from childhood. She transforms, and is still transforming, from a little girl who can't do enough to please men (as many women of that era were raised) to an adult with definite ideas as to how she can make this a better world, then goes out and puts these ideas into practice as she is still doing today.I had no idea that she had made so many movies (we only usually think of about 3). The book is worth the read if only to remind us of the history that we never knew: As an eye-witness to some of the greatest events of the last 3/4 of a century, it's worth the time.
—Phyllis Harrison
Maybe you didn't have an opinion about Jane Fonda. Many did, and they were often critical: of her anti-war activism, of her Barbarella image, of her choice in marital partners, and the failure of those marriages, of her cosmetic surgery, or of her apparently "cashing in" on the fitness craze (and making us all look bad. Well, put all that "projection" aside, and read her autobiography. In a personal letter to readers on the Amazon site, she says, "I decided to write it because I felt that if I could be brave enough and go deep enough, that my story would be helpful to other people. I wanted to write my life in such a way that in reading about my journey, the reader would continually put the book down and reflect on their own life and relationships. I feel that I have succeeded."Indeed she has! She was indeed brave, candid, and generous, sharing with readers her own life story, and holding little back. She does not gloss over mistakes she may have made, but explores them in depth, and talks about the learnings. It is a story of personal growth, and indeed depth! It is quite a journey. And if you think there is nothing in the life story of a wealthy Hollywood actress that you can relate to, think again! There is MUCH in her story that we can all relate to. In closing the book, I felt I had lost a friend but, as she had hoped, I gained much to reflect on.
—Joanne
