Editorial Reviews

The author, Nancy Aniston , October 29, 1999
Reviewing lifetime patterns to understand estrangement today
Dear Reader: If you are interested in reading an inspiring story of triumph over adversity in a life of extraordinary challenges I do so hope you'll buy my book. I recount poignant, moving and often humorous stories beginning in childhood. There are tales of my sisters and I basically raising ourselves after our mother deserted us and our wounded, hard-working father. Riddled with insecurities and not yet out of my teen years I sought refuge in a short-lived marriage that left me to single-parent my precocious 2-year old son, John. My life-story continues through young adulthood working in various areas of the entertainment world where I met my second husband, actor John Aniston. This marriage survived for many years, despite the instability of our slowly emerging acting careers, and was blessed by the addition of a daughter, Jennifer. Today, Johnny is a successful Assistant Film Director and Jennifer is an actress known around the world. I had been writing a journal for years when an estrangement from my adult daughter prompted me to review my entire life in more detail. Against a background of painful loss and isolating shame I began making new entries as an exercise in determining significant and reoccurring patterns in my past to gain better understanding of the present. I had been concealing from nearly everyone the unspeakable truth of my separation from Jenny until a news story about my celebrity daughter heartlessly made our estrangement public. It left me no choice - I had to stop hiding. I soon learned that today there exists an epidemic of broken ties between parents and adult children. My hope is that this story will help others to overcome their shame and will inspire them with insights that better manage pain. I've included some favorite photos, and stories of meaningful industry friendships but the focus of my book is on self-examination, healing and personal growth. In writing my memoirs I discovered that I had experienced many changes in this Century that impact women directly and relationships in general. After you read my book...if you're a daughter, a single mom, a wife, an ex-wife, a sister or a grandmother struggling with resurfacing bitterness from the past, fallout from divorce or family separation, (or a guy seeking to better understand women), or someone who feels they have just read an interesting biography...I'd love to hear from you. WARNING ! You WILL be disappointed if you expect my book to be a racy 'tell-all' celebrity biography! I watched helplessly as tabloid-style spin misled the public by changing the image of my autobiography with half-truths and lies that linked it to tawdry exposes that reveal titillating, often offensive, personal intimacies. I hope you'll be inspired to rethink society's view on an issue that affects nearly everyone's quality of life. Changing social values allow fewer women to choose home-management as a full-time profession. Yet current events are telling us that we need to give mothers back to their children. This is our society's most important and difficult job but one that has few rewards, little appreciation and no quarantees. Through divorce and estrangement, many who have devoted their lives to this job have often found themselves alone, embittered and disenfranchaised by their culture. I hope my book brings a message of hope and empowerment to these women.