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Found: A Daughter's Journey Home – An Inspiring Hollywood Memoir of Recovery and Hard-Won Insights
Academy Award winner Tatum O'Neal continues her inspiring true-life story begun in the 2004 New York Times bestseller A Paper Life with Found: A Daughter's Journey Home--a moving memoir of discovery and reconciliation. In Found, the star of "Paper Moon," TV's "Rescue Me," and the OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) docuseries "Ryan and Tatum: The O'Neals" shares her hard-won insights on recovery, forgiveness, and the healing power of love.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
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About the author
Tatum O'Neal
4 books34 followersTatum Beatrice O'Neal is an American actress best known for her film work as a child actress in the 1970s. She is the youngest to win a competitive Academy Award, at the age of 10.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
September 4, 2011
Meh. More of the same things she said in her other book, and her other book was mentioned on almost every page.
I'm convinced she's a bit nutty after watching the show because she's such a nag. She harps on everything her father does, and they're both in therapy, so if they really want to make things work, she's got to back off a bit. She's never going to get all the apologies she seeks, so if she wants her relationship with Ryan to be smoother, she's got to let go of her bitterness about the past. He's making baby steps but they don't seem to be good enough for Tatum--who doesn't feel she needs therapy anymore.
She's a really sad individual, who, at one point in this new book (BTW, who writes more than one memoir in a lifetime?), said she's luckier than her brothers because she's been able to be buoyed by her Oscar when times get tough & she feels worthless, and they don't have that. Only a desperately insecure person would feel she matters in this life because of an Oscar.
I hope she finds what she's looking for, but she probably won't.
I'm convinced she's a bit nutty after watching the show because she's such a nag. She harps on everything her father does, and they're both in therapy, so if they really want to make things work, she's got to back off a bit. She's never going to get all the apologies she seeks, so if she wants her relationship with Ryan to be smoother, she's got to let go of her bitterness about the past. He's making baby steps but they don't seem to be good enough for Tatum--who doesn't feel she needs therapy anymore.
She's a really sad individual, who, at one point in this new book (BTW, who writes more than one memoir in a lifetime?), said she's luckier than her brothers because she's been able to be buoyed by her Oscar when times get tough & she feels worthless, and they don't have that. Only a desperately insecure person would feel she matters in this life because of an Oscar.
I hope she finds what she's looking for, but she probably won't.
July 1, 2013
I have followed Ms. O'Neal's career from the beginning and I enjoyed her first book, "A Paper Life". I also watched the Ryan and Tatum reality show on OWN, so I thought this book would be interesting. I was wrong.
Much of what she writes is a rehashing - with less detail - of what she wrote about in "A Paper Life". What stood out to me most, though, is her tendency to exaggerate and contradict herself, starting in the very first chapter. She talks about being arrested, describes what she was wearing, and says she had no idea she would have to wear those same clothes for the next three days. Just a few pages later, however, she says that when she was arrested she was held for 24 hours. So which was it? That may sound like a minor quibble, but I've noticed inconsistencies like this in all the years I've been following her career and personal story. Every exaggeration tilts in her favor, always adding to her ever-present characterization of Tatum as victim.
I don't doubt at all that Ryan O'Neal was not the world's best father, and I'm sure that her accusations were not created out of thin air. However, I do think that she is overly relentless in her criticism of him and in her habit of blaming him for everything. I take her accounts of her past with a huge grain of salt because she tends to exaggerate pretty much everything. She's in her late 40's now - It's time to either forgive the past and accept who her father is now, or move on. She seems to take unusual delight in punishing him. Moving out of his house on Christmas Eve and just leaving a note is not something a mature woman who is trying to make amends would do. By her own account, he continually reached out to her and her children, and was met with rejection. The examples she gives of his temper are pretty tame too. He complained when her son didn't put the cover on the jacuzzi and thought his music was too loud. There was no extreme anger or temper involved in any of this - and certainly no violence. It really seems to me that much of what Ryan said was very typical of what adults say when living with adolescents. She also describes a time when he yelled at her in his kitchen, and came to her room to apologize 20 minutes later. If these are the best examples she can come up with for present-day Ryan, then I would say he certainly is much less a monster than she would like us to believe.
The repeated passages about how much she loves her children and how fantastic she is as a mother were tiresome. Her examples were - again - pretty typical of most parents. She seems to expect accolades for things that most parents instinctively do without thinking. And leaving NYC after 9/11 and missing a custody hearing is not something I can understand. At all. I live in the area too, and on 9/11 and in the time after, I wanted to hold my children close to me - not run to the west coast by myself as fast as I could. Yet somehow she justified it, in a way that I thought was typical of her often selfish behavior and way of thinking.
I started to dislike Ms. O'Neal pretty early on in this book, but I think I was able to be fairly objective re the book itself. And there simply wasn't much to it. Constant references to "A Paper Life", excuse after excuse after excuse about her drug use, and a truly narcissistic tendency to explain everyone else's behavior solely in terms of their relationships and interactions with her. I understand that a book such as this comes from the point of view of one person, but over and over she tells us how the actions and feelings of everyone else completely revolved around their feelings about her. As though their family, friends, personal situation at the time, and everything else simply did not matter as much as the status of their relationship with her.
For anyone interested in Ms. O'Neal, I would recommend "A Paper Life", but not "Found". She's an interesting person, with an easy writing style, but she shouldn't have followed up her first book, which was substantial and intriguing, with something so flimsy and transparent.
Much of what she writes is a rehashing - with less detail - of what she wrote about in "A Paper Life". What stood out to me most, though, is her tendency to exaggerate and contradict herself, starting in the very first chapter. She talks about being arrested, describes what she was wearing, and says she had no idea she would have to wear those same clothes for the next three days. Just a few pages later, however, she says that when she was arrested she was held for 24 hours. So which was it? That may sound like a minor quibble, but I've noticed inconsistencies like this in all the years I've been following her career and personal story. Every exaggeration tilts in her favor, always adding to her ever-present characterization of Tatum as victim.
I don't doubt at all that Ryan O'Neal was not the world's best father, and I'm sure that her accusations were not created out of thin air. However, I do think that she is overly relentless in her criticism of him and in her habit of blaming him for everything. I take her accounts of her past with a huge grain of salt because she tends to exaggerate pretty much everything. She's in her late 40's now - It's time to either forgive the past and accept who her father is now, or move on. She seems to take unusual delight in punishing him. Moving out of his house on Christmas Eve and just leaving a note is not something a mature woman who is trying to make amends would do. By her own account, he continually reached out to her and her children, and was met with rejection. The examples she gives of his temper are pretty tame too. He complained when her son didn't put the cover on the jacuzzi and thought his music was too loud. There was no extreme anger or temper involved in any of this - and certainly no violence. It really seems to me that much of what Ryan said was very typical of what adults say when living with adolescents. She also describes a time when he yelled at her in his kitchen, and came to her room to apologize 20 minutes later. If these are the best examples she can come up with for present-day Ryan, then I would say he certainly is much less a monster than she would like us to believe.
The repeated passages about how much she loves her children and how fantastic she is as a mother were tiresome. Her examples were - again - pretty typical of most parents. She seems to expect accolades for things that most parents instinctively do without thinking. And leaving NYC after 9/11 and missing a custody hearing is not something I can understand. At all. I live in the area too, and on 9/11 and in the time after, I wanted to hold my children close to me - not run to the west coast by myself as fast as I could. Yet somehow she justified it, in a way that I thought was typical of her often selfish behavior and way of thinking.
I started to dislike Ms. O'Neal pretty early on in this book, but I think I was able to be fairly objective re the book itself. And there simply wasn't much to it. Constant references to "A Paper Life", excuse after excuse after excuse about her drug use, and a truly narcissistic tendency to explain everyone else's behavior solely in terms of their relationships and interactions with her. I understand that a book such as this comes from the point of view of one person, but over and over she tells us how the actions and feelings of everyone else completely revolved around their feelings about her. As though their family, friends, personal situation at the time, and everything else simply did not matter as much as the status of their relationship with her.
For anyone interested in Ms. O'Neal, I would recommend "A Paper Life", but not "Found". She's an interesting person, with an easy writing style, but she shouldn't have followed up her first book, which was substantial and intriguing, with something so flimsy and transparent.
October 5, 2012
This book picks up where A Paper Life left off, telling the story of Tatum's life after the publication of the book, her docuseries with her father, Ryan and her attempts to reconcile with him. I just adore Tatum and always have--I wanted to be the little girl I thought she was in The Bad News Bears and Little Darlings--she was beautiful, spunky and wild. After reading her first autobiography I was set straight. I did not want to be that little girl. I don't think very many Hollywood kids have been through the roller coaster she has and come out alive and kicking. Then again not many have her strength of character and bravery. She is everything I wanted her to be and so much more--she is smart, funny, brave, beautiful and a loving mother. I have never seen anyone who tried so hard to have a relationship with a difficult parent and would not give up despite soul crushing hurt from him. She loves Ryan O'Neal so much that it breaks your heart to see how much she still wants to please him. I know as a former addict she is always a work in progress but I for one hope she lasts and lasts--she'a beautiful person and the book is a moving and honest read. Highly recommend.
June 14, 2012
Uggghhh, another example of someone writing a book for money. Which obviously she needs since when is the last time you saw her in a movie or in anything of note? I really enjoyed Tatums first book A Paper Life (and she should have stopped there but no....) so I was eager to read this one but she just took her first book and rehashed it. Read that, know that...her addiction, her father, her horrible childhood, her kids..on and on...didn't need another book to read it all again. I mean "Come on!", this book was just a huge disappointment for me and a waste of my precious reading time. Actually reading this was just painful. I like Tatum, or thought I did. Not interesting...BORING!
October 19, 2011
This book is 200 pages of Tatum whining about the estrangement of her and her father. She tends to call him Ryan in the book. She whines about her life, how she and her brother were left along with an alcoholic mother, and abandoned by her father, when he goes to live with Farrah Fawcett. She talks about the making of her reality show on OWN with her father, that most people did not see. She really needs to just "get over" her negative feelings towards her father, and forgive him, and get on with her life, which is pretty remarkable by most standards.
July 16, 2013
I wish I had read Paper Life first. I am currently mid-way through this book and while I find it very telling, I feel a personality is missing. There is a lot of whiney blame placed on her mother and more specifically on Ryan. I can understand that you had a bad to good and then bad again relationship with your parents but I honestly cannot stand it when people do not take responsibility for their own life. To blame your father for your heroin addiction is absurd. He didn't shoot you up, you did. While I agree that poor parenting can cause devestation to children, I don't believe in playing the victim role in adulthood and am a strong supporter of building your own life and learing from poor choices. It seems poor Tatum is stuck in the past, but you only get very quick snapshots of what that past is so you can't really get into the groove of feeling sorry for her. I am reading this story while watching the OWN documentary on "The O'Neals" and find they match very closely. It is interesting to read what was really on her mind during some of the shows and the behind the scenes.
The relationship is difficult and odd between Tatum and her father. I do think it has caused her to be difficult to get to know in this book. She lays it all on the line but I don't feel I am emotionally connecting to her, it seems more distant and robotic. I suppose this could be because none of the things she wants to say have been acknowledged by Ryan yet.
Maybe the first book is better at setting the stage to why she's here.
The relationship is difficult and odd between Tatum and her father. I do think it has caused her to be difficult to get to know in this book. She lays it all on the line but I don't feel I am emotionally connecting to her, it seems more distant and robotic. I suppose this could be because none of the things she wants to say have been acknowledged by Ryan yet.
Maybe the first book is better at setting the stage to why she's here.
April 12, 2013
I get the feeling that if Farrah Fawcett hadn't died, the tentative reconciliation between Tatum and Ryan never would have happened. Farrah passes away and Sean McEnroe decides he wants to get to know his grandfather, and Tatum reaches out to her father, and now Ryan is open and receptive. At least initially.
These are universal themes. Especially as our population ages and more of us find ourselves looking at imperfect parents that we love, and want to find peace and resolution when we still can.
Yes, there are definite "celebrity" aspects to this book. I really don't know anyone who has such easy access to heroin or can recuperate from the flu at a Malibu beach house or can yuk it up with Oprah and Stedman and Dr. and Mrs. Phil.
But I have lost close family members and experienced first hand how that can change a family, in good ways and bad. I thought Tatum was very honest, explaining that she had to come to accept that her father was telling *his* truth. He's ill himself. He's lost the love of his life. His career is on the wane. (How many 70+ year old leading men are there?) Tatum, now middle aged and a parent herself, is learning to take Ryan on his own terms and love him as he is. I think that's quite remarkable, and thank Tatum for taking us on this journey.
These are universal themes. Especially as our population ages and more of us find ourselves looking at imperfect parents that we love, and want to find peace and resolution when we still can.
Yes, there are definite "celebrity" aspects to this book. I really don't know anyone who has such easy access to heroin or can recuperate from the flu at a Malibu beach house or can yuk it up with Oprah and Stedman and Dr. and Mrs. Phil.
But I have lost close family members and experienced first hand how that can change a family, in good ways and bad. I thought Tatum was very honest, explaining that she had to come to accept that her father was telling *his* truth. He's ill himself. He's lost the love of his life. His career is on the wane. (How many 70+ year old leading men are there?) Tatum, now middle aged and a parent herself, is learning to take Ryan on his own terms and love him as he is. I think that's quite remarkable, and thank Tatum for taking us on this journey.
November 24, 2013
I was SO into A Paper Life that I couldn't wait to read this. I didn't even finish it. It was boring and she's so obsessed with her dad. It's creepy. He was or is awful. It seems like he has NPD- Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Yet she's in her late 40's or 50 & she still obsesses about getting daddy to love her. Dude. Get into hardcore therapy, get over him and cut him loose from your head & heart and gain your sanity and self respect! Ugh. It's all just so tragic.
July 14, 2015
No real story or depth. Just a rehash. Not worth the time.
August 25, 2011
I've been intrigued with Tatum O'Neal for the past few years, not so much for her work as an actress (I've only seen her performance in Paper Moon for which she won an Academy Award at age 10). I'm fascinated with the drama of her personal life, particularly the dysfunctional relationship she has with her father, actor Ryan O'Neal. I read her first biography, "A Paper Life" several years ago and was so fascinated with her story I knew I wanted to read this newly-released biography sequel, which focuses mainly on the past 2-3 years which a few sporatic flashbacks to her childhood and times as a young mother. This story begins with the story of Tatum's near relapse in 2008, which resulted in her being picked up by NYPD for trying to buy drugs on the street and spending the night in jail. Tatum has been sober ever since, and has working on finally establishing some peace and resolution in her life, and freedom from addiction. A key part of her recovery is the attempt at reconciliation with her father, which is the crux of this book. This biography is obviously written as a companion to (or a promotion for) her new "docuseries" on Oprah Winfrey's network, "The O'Neal's: Ryan and Tatum," a reality show documenting she and her father working on their damaged relationship. It does come across as genuine, and Tatum's efforts to improve herself do seem completely sincere. I admire her the most for the type of mother she is. Although she openly admits her imperfections as a mother, and she had many, losing custody of her 3 kids most of their young lives due to addiction, she does seem to have a love for them that transcends the selfishness that is so characteristic of addicts. Tatum's recovery and efforts to repair the relationship with her father is not a straight course and is not without setbacks from both ends. I loved how she realizes the focus is on her own self and making positive change in her own life, despite whether or not her father chooses to change or acknowledge the hurt he caused her in the past. Ironically, I like Ryan O'Neal much more after reading this book, despite of everything I've learned about how his failings as a father (most notably, leaving 15 year old Tatum and her younger brother all alone when he moved in with girlfriend Farrah Facet). This book accentuates his good points, his vulnerability, but doesn't gloss over his faults. Tatum does the same thing for herself. Basically they are people trying to break destructive patterns in their family, like a lot of us do. Worth reading.
April 26, 2018
I felt awkward and embarrassed while reading “Found” because most of the stories are unnecessary for the public to know about. It reads as if one is eavesdropping to conversation we're not meant to hear. O'Neal whinged throughout book, and kept on promoting her first book “A Paper Life” on every page what made “Found” feels as if it was mere rehash. I finished this book with one thought: did she write it for money? The only answer was yes.
She endured tough life that's understandable but one couldn't help but feel at times that she was a pain in the neck. She seems to be obsessed with her father who unfortunately abandoned her, and unable to look at herself in the mirror. This memoir is filled with contradictions. O'Neal insists on making her father appears like a monster– and I'm pretty sure he was not the most perfect dad. I was left confused when she wrote at the very end of the book:
Um what?
If you enjoy gossips and celebrity scandals then you will like this one but personally I found this memoir to be without actual depth.
She endured tough life that's understandable but one couldn't help but feel at times that she was a pain in the neck. She seems to be obsessed with her father who unfortunately abandoned her, and unable to look at herself in the mirror. This memoir is filled with contradictions. O'Neal insists on making her father appears like a monster– and I'm pretty sure he was not the most perfect dad. I was left confused when she wrote at the very end of the book:
“My dad, because he’s shown me through this journey that he is a courageous parent and a wonderful father.”
Um what?
If you enjoy gossips and celebrity scandals then you will like this one but personally I found this memoir to be without actual depth.
August 16, 2011
Certainly not as riveting and dark and revealing as her first book “A Paper Life”, but a much more positive journey to become the woman she is today and her journey back to having a relationship with her famous father, Ryan.
Being close to the same age, I watched Tatum grow up from afar. Enjoying her movies when I was young and still loving “Paper Moon” to this day, it’s easy to be interested in her life and her story.
I hate to use the word uneventful to describe this book, but it was, a bit. But considering what she’s been through in her life, uneventful is a good thing. This was more of an emotional and spiritual journey for her, with flashbacks and memories of past traumas with her family and her substance abuse. She’s very honest about her feelings but doesn’t constantly point blame at others, but takes ownership when she’s to blame.
I’d like to see more of her and hope she stays strong – and well.
Being close to the same age, I watched Tatum grow up from afar. Enjoying her movies when I was young and still loving “Paper Moon” to this day, it’s easy to be interested in her life and her story.
I hate to use the word uneventful to describe this book, but it was, a bit. But considering what she’s been through in her life, uneventful is a good thing. This was more of an emotional and spiritual journey for her, with flashbacks and memories of past traumas with her family and her substance abuse. She’s very honest about her feelings but doesn’t constantly point blame at others, but takes ownership when she’s to blame.
I’d like to see more of her and hope she stays strong – and well.
June 30, 2011
This book is very interesting to me as I can relate to parts of her story. The fact that she grew up and survived the horrendous parenting job her parents did is amazing. She was able to fight her addiction, marry and raise three fairly normal children and through 12-step and therapy begin to heal her life.
While Tatum never said anything pointedly derogatory about her parents she was able to paint a very clear picture of growing up with no adult supervision or guidance. The fact that CPS never got involved and she and her brothers were never removed from the parents custody is a sad fact of the so called "movie star" type lifestyle....
While Tatum never said anything pointedly derogatory about her parents she was able to paint a very clear picture of growing up with no adult supervision or guidance. The fact that CPS never got involved and she and her brothers were never removed from the parents custody is a sad fact of the so called "movie star" type lifestyle....
July 8, 2011
This was a very sad tale, of the movie star life style at it's worse. Tatum, daughter of Ryan O'Neal was abandoned by her father, after he met Farrah Fawcett. She and her brother had to pretty much fend for themselves, before they were adults. After a disastrous marriage to John Macenroe, she found heroin, cocaine, and any other drug that would offer solace. The story details her fight for sobriety, and restarting her career. Definitely a cut above, the usual Hollywood memoir.
June 27, 2012
She didn't have enough new to say to write another book. Should have waited a while. I want to shake her and tell her to give up on having a fulfilling relationship with her dad. He sounds like a jerk and completely self centered.
March 7, 2018
Oh, to be Tatum O'Neal's armchair psychologist! Of course, it's easy to see from the outside what to do, but real life is easier said than done.
This book chronicles the lead-up to the short-lived OWN 2011 reality show, Ryan & Tatum: The O'Neals. Now that she's an empty nester, Tatum has moved back to LA and attempts to reconcile with her estranged father, who's grieving the death of longtime love Farrah Fawcett.
I remember watching the show avidly, and while I don't remember details, I do remember coming away convinced that it may have been best to remain estranged. This book does nothing to dispel that feeling. It is heartbreaking to read as Tatum makes excuses for Ryan's bad behavior, and his own, horrible excuses for neglecting the teenage Tatum then, and his angry outbursts now.
Having idolized Tatum O'Neal most of my life, I am always rooting for her. My fantasy is that someone gives her a black comedy HBO sitcom, in which she and Dean Winters star as battling husband and wife; maybe suburbanite lottery winners? Denis Leary, are you listening? I feel like you could make this happen!
This book chronicles the lead-up to the short-lived OWN 2011 reality show, Ryan & Tatum: The O'Neals. Now that she's an empty nester, Tatum has moved back to LA and attempts to reconcile with her estranged father, who's grieving the death of longtime love Farrah Fawcett.
I remember watching the show avidly, and while I don't remember details, I do remember coming away convinced that it may have been best to remain estranged. This book does nothing to dispel that feeling. It is heartbreaking to read as Tatum makes excuses for Ryan's bad behavior, and his own, horrible excuses for neglecting the teenage Tatum then, and his angry outbursts now.
Having idolized Tatum O'Neal most of my life, I am always rooting for her. My fantasy is that someone gives her a black comedy HBO sitcom, in which she and Dean Winters star as battling husband and wife; maybe suburbanite lottery winners? Denis Leary, are you listening? I feel like you could make this happen!
September 13, 2025
It’s Tatum’s story, and I’m glad she’s reconnected with her children. Guilt is not easy to live with, and either was her dad! I think the offspring of Ryan and Farrah is the saddest of them all- Redmond.
February 13, 2012
I am sure that this was cathartic for Tatum. I still wonder about her ability to forgive her mother so easily and have such a difficult time accepting her father. Turns out she has proven that the incident with the gun and her brother was not a crazy Ryan. She shares other stories that show, finally, the other side and it is not all a monster Ryan. Did he do the right thing when she was young? No. Can that ever be changed? No. I still get the feeling she justifies drug abuse for her and her mother on the unfortunate life they had. There are plenty of people who have had bad experiences and not turned to drugs. Regardless of any questions I was left with I wish her and her family well. They certainly are trying to move on and find contentment with each other.
January 6, 2013
This book did not hold my interest as much as the first one did. The fact that this book covers 2-3 years of her life did not elicit enough material for the book. Her show on the O Network was discussed in depth and was dragged out too much. She also blames her father and criticizes him often. I do think Ryan O'Neal was a poor father (I think he has some mental/emotional problems too), but the bashing got old after a while. Kudos for Tatum for continuing to seek recovery and stay clean, though--let's hope she stays clean and can see more success.
January 23, 2016
A little better than the first book, but still some odd ways of perceiving things. John McEnroe was not interested in Tatum's fame? Ummmm.. He didn't marry a cocktail waitress. John McEnroe comes across as a complete ass, quite frankly.
The most intriguing part of the story seems to be the absent voice: that of Tatum O'Neal's mother, Joanna Moore. Tatum rails on her father, but still hasn't seemed to have dealt with her mother's story. I end up reading this book and becoming more interested in Joanna Moore than anyone else.
The most intriguing part of the story seems to be the absent voice: that of Tatum O'Neal's mother, Joanna Moore. Tatum rails on her father, but still hasn't seemed to have dealt with her mother's story. I end up reading this book and becoming more interested in Joanna Moore than anyone else.
August 2, 2011
8/2011 From Davis County Library. This was a lot easier to read than A Paper Life. She wrote this more as a more healthy prospect as a Mother which meant the world to her. Her children have turned out well, how her relationship with her father, she is seeing his side, his prospective of all the drama of her life. She is clean by the end of the book and it has a better out look on her life she is happy and you can feel it in her book.
August 17, 2011
I didn't really want to read Tatum's first book that detailed all of the tragedy of her young life. I know she had a very rough childhood and that she has struggled with addiction as an adult. I was more interested in her journey with addiction and reconciling with her famous father, Ryan O'Neal. I watched their docu-series on OWN and came to have a respect for Tatum's courage and strength. This book was a positive look at a daughter's journey home.
August 19, 2011
Finished her book, it was interesting I enjoyed it. It was pretty much her journey with Ryan through therapy about her memories of childhood versus his memories of her childhood. We all have different realities and it was good to see maybe they can meet on commmon ground and move forward. It was nice to see her finally get to a hopeful sober point of view. It followed the reality series pretty closely. I love tv what can I say....
December 27, 2011
This is the sequel to A Paper Life and it's just not all that interesting . Tatum repeats a lot of the stories from her first book; which I'm sure is to fill in readers who didn't read the first one.
I do find her and her story intersting, and I feel for her for what she's been through. It just seemed like this book was a lot more general. It seems like she doesn't want to disrupt the fragile peace she's working on with her father. I understand that, but not sure if we needed book #2.
I do find her and her story intersting, and I feel for her for what she's been through. It just seemed like this book was a lot more general. It seems like she doesn't want to disrupt the fragile peace she's working on with her father. I understand that, but not sure if we needed book #2.
December 22, 2011
Okay, I probably shouldn't have read a book so focused on "recovery" while doped up on Vicodin. But I have to say, it really was the perfect thing. I had a little mishap with my foot, which explains the painkillers. I watched their reality show, and found it engrossing -- even more than Celebrity Rehab.
Okay so she repeats herself, and its about 30 pages too long.
But it's fun, and great if you're mental capacity is not 100%. Sorry Tatum, I don't mean that as a slam against you.
Okay so she repeats herself, and its about 30 pages too long.
But it's fun, and great if you're mental capacity is not 100%. Sorry Tatum, I don't mean that as a slam against you.
September 22, 2015
I read Tatum's first book, which was more interesting. This one reads like she's talking to her therapist. I got the feeling it was a way of telling her side of the story, about the relationship with her dad, her brother, and ex-husband John McEnroe (the latter two were barely mentioned.) Would be interesting to see what their opinions are, of the book. I applaud that she owns up to being a recovering addict.
September 15, 2011
If you watched the OWN series about the O'Neals, this is a good companion piece. But I can't see it really standing on its own (no pun intended). A lot of what she covered in her first book is brought up here, and there's more resolution on the show itself than in this book. But, if you read the first book and saw the show, this is worth reading.
October 17, 2011
I like tatum Oneal. She is a very interesting person and I like to read about her success. This book, a follow up to her autobiography is okay. Its an easy read and takes off where she was arrested in 2008. It starts to detail her relationship with her father and her past...I wanted to hear more about her relationship but it ended a bit abruptly.
October 26, 2014
I don't know what possessed me to pick up this book, but I was pleasantly surprised. This is a tragic story of abandonment and addiction, so if you are looking for a light, fluffy read then this is not the book for you.
February 10, 2025
Found: A Daughter’s Journey Home by Tatum O’Neal with Hilary Liftin (Willian Morrow 2011) (Biography) (4023).
I’ve just finished reading - well, skimming - this second autobiographical memoir by former child actor Tatum O’Neal a day or two after I finished reading and reviewing her first autobiography, which was called A Paper Life (2004). That one was a howler. It was 300 pages of O’Neal’s ranting about how she was a victim of…(insert any noun you wish).
I had checked out both of her autobiographies from the library. After finishing the first, I was intrigued to see whether she had grown up and learned anything during the intervening years between these autobiographical installments.
Did she learn anything? Has she matured? There’s no way to tell by reading Found: A Daughter’s Journey Home. This book credits a co-writer on the dust jacket, and the narrative is written in a completely different voice than the first autobiography.
Sadly, other than the narrative voice nothing seems to have changed in the author’s life. She is still obsessed with her cruel father and all of the other perceived unfairness she has experienced in her life. She reports that she has no friends or confidants other than her Twelve Step addiction sponsor and her hairdresser.
This new narrative tone, which is very flat in effect, is still an improvement over the embittered rage of the voice of the first memoir. Perhaps O’Neal’s pursuit of recovery has made her less bitter and angry, or perhaps she has finally been prescribed medication that provided relief. A third possibility is that, absent any acting offers on the horizon, this messy memoir was ginned up to fulfill a book contract and grab a payday for the former child actor. Either way, I’m glad there’s not a third installment of this series.
My rating: 3/10, finished 2/10/25 (4023).
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