Sally Field

Sally Field's "In Pieces" is not a run-of-the-mill celebrity memoir. The two-time Academy Award winning actress does cover expected territory, discussing how she got her first break in show business, took less than scintillating parts in order to become known, and as so many actors do, struggled with feelings of insecurity. However, she goes far deeper in this candid and wrenching book, furnishing disturbing details about her dysfunctional childhood, distressing adolescence, and troubled adulthood. We learn that Sally's mother, Margaret, had two marriages that ended in divorce and often relied on alcohol to help her cope; Field had an overbearing, abusive, and sometimes sadistic stepfather, Jock Mahoney; and Sally made one poor choice after another in romantic partners. Although Field eventually had three sons (two with her first husband, Steve), she reluctantly left the kids in the care of her mother while she worked. There was a great deal of unfinished business between Sally and Baa (the nickname she uses for her mom) that the two skirted around, but avoided discussing for many years. Field sadly reveals, "There was always something thorny between us."

Readers who admire Field for her impressive body of work may be shocked at how different her private life was from her public image. Sally Field appeared to be wholesome, cheerful, and upbeat when she appeared on such shows as Gidget and the Flying Nun. In reality, Field was unhappy, frightened, and filled with guilt, self-loathing, and rage. She speaks out about her tumultuous personal experiences: as a child she was an anxious little girl with few friends ("I wanted to hide from everyone"), her family was frequently short of money, she changed boyfriends and/or husbands again and again, and had to repeatedly earn respect from skeptics who thought she could not handle challenging roles. Acting and therapy eventually helped her to integrate the different parts of her personality into a cohesive whole. However, she waited a long time to get the psychological help that she desperately needed.

Field is a fine descriptive writer, who expresses herself lucidly and eloquently. She uses flashbacks well, relieves the book's somber tone with occasional flashes of dark humor, and speaks to us intimately, as if we were sitting across from her in our living room. Of particular interest is Sally's work in the Actor's Studio with Lee Strasberg, from whom she learned a great deal about the fundamentals of her craft. Strasberg told his acolytes, "You are your own instrument of expression and you have to keep it finely tuned." Field has complimentary words for Martin Ritt (who directed her in Norma Rae), and expresses her joy at portraying Mary Todd opposite Daniel Day Lewis in "Lincoln." Ms. Field is modest about her many fine performances in films and on television. Be warned that "In Pieces" is not easy to read. Field's emotions are so raw that it is difficult for us to bear witness to her angst. This talented individual carried far too much baggage on her long and difficult road to maturity, self-esteem, acceptance, and fulfillment.… (plus d'informations)