My Life So Far

By: Jane Fonda

Narrated by: Jane Fonda

Length: 21 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

She is one of the most recognizable women of our time. America knows Jane Fonda as an actress and an activist, a feminist and a wife, a workout guru and a role model. Now, in this extraordinary memoir, Fonda reveals that she is so much more. From her youth among Hollywood's elite and her early film career to the challenges and triumphs of her life today, Jane Fonda reveals intimate details and universal truths that she hopes "can provide a lens through which others can see their lives and how they can live them a little differently."

Fonda divides her "life so far" into three "acts", writing about her childhood, first films, and marriage to Roger Vadim in Act One. At once a picture emerges: a child born to the acting legend Henry Fonda and the glamorous society princess Frances Seymour. But these early years are also marked by profound sadness: her mother's mental illness and suicide when Jane is 12 years old, her father's emotional distance, and her personal struggle to find her way in the world as a young woman.

By her second act, Fonda lays the foundation for her activism, even as her career takes flight. She highlights her struggle to live consciously and authentically while remaining in the public eye as she recounts her marriages to Tom Hayden and Ted Turner, and examines her controversial and defining involvement with the Vietnam War. As her film career grows, Fonda learns to incorporate her roles into a larger vision of what matters most in her life, and in the process she wins two Academy Awards, for Klute and for Coming Home.

In Fonda's third act, she is prepared to do the work of a lifetime, to begin living consciously in a way that might inspire others who can learn from her experiences.

Surprising, candid, and wonderfully written, Jane Fonda's My Life So Far is filled with universal insights into the personal struggles of women living full and engaged lives.

Want to hear about Jane Fonda's first date with Ted Turner? She talks about that night and more in this interview with Audible's founder and CEO, Don Katz.

©2005 Jane Fonda (P)2005 Books on Tape

Critic reviews

“Belongs alongside the memoirs of Gloria Steinem, Bella Abzug, Marilyn French and Katharine Graham....To hold this book in your hands is to be astonished by how much living can be packed into 60-plus years.” (Los Angeles Times)

“[A] sisterly, enveloping memoir...an intimate, haunting book that might as well be catnip from its ever controversial author.” (Janet Maslin, The New York Times)

“Terrific...rich...unexpectedly quite moving.” (San Francisco Chronicle)

Thank You Ms Fonda, Thank You!

Well written, Well read. My only regret is that I did not get this book sooner!

Honest, Relatable, Validating

In brief summary... Open, insightful, moving, memoir. Taught me so much about Jane Fonda, other women, relationships, society, and myself. Ranging from very traumatic stories about her childhood and early family to LOL funny when she started dating Ted Turner. Very admirable. A page turner I couldn't put down.

I liked Jane Fonda before, but now I LOVE her

Any additional comments?
This is one of the most magnificent autobiographies I've ever read (or listened to). I liked Jane Fonda before, but now I LOVE her. The writing is smart and thoughtful and eloquent and so insightful. Her narration is comforting (her voice feels to me like a warm hug), peppered with occasional impressions like her delightful Katherine Hepburn that's just about spot on. She's led a fascinating life, and the lessons she's learned at every stage have been poured into this great wisdom she's shared here. So often I would hear something deeply profound & keep repeating it, letting it sink in. Gems like "willpower can be anathema to creativity" and this one especially...

"Have you ever noticed how we are presented with the same lessons, over and over and over, until a tipping point is reached? The lessons we need to learn circle round us, closing in, until finally we are ready to take them in."

I was too young to know what went on during the Vietnam era, but listening to her side of events, I marveled at her bravery. I really think people wouldn't be so quick to judge others if there could be more opportunities to really hear and willingness to really understand each other. A repeating theme throughout is her drive to make things better, and it's clear to me that was always her motivation. The codependent in me recognizes those same inclinations, and I get to benefit from what she learned about herself, through the great and the terrible.

I'm so grateful to have stumbled upon this book, albeit 11 years later. If you like Jane Fonda at all, I wholeheartedly encourage you to give this a listen. She is absolutely a hero of mine now. #Inspiring #Provocative #Tagsgiving #Sweepstakes

I fell in love.

If you could sum up My Life So Far in three words, what would they be?

Entertaining, Perceptive, Empowering

What did you like best about this story?

I had no idea how deeply I would become enmeshed in this book. The time I spent "with Jane" made me a different person. The book is so long that it became a sort of companion. I understand that there are people who don't like her. But I was neutral-to-positive when I got the book, and her performance is so sincere that I wish it hadn't ended. (But I'm okay. It's not one of those book endings you can't cope with. It's just the right length.)

What about Jane Fonda’s performance did you like?

Her writing style was close enough to her natural cadence and voice that it ebbed and flowed like a masterful performance. She was in no way detached from her own story.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

You Thought You Were Nothing Like Her

Any additional comments?

I didn't have to make myself listen to more. It kept a steady pace, and it was actually a life-changing experience. For some reason, the movie Monster-in-Law is a favorite of mine. There was some quality about her in it that I found endlessly entertaining. If you're a woman, and you come from strong but confusing women, you're likely to sort out a lot of things in your life while listening to this audiobook.

Interesting Woman, Great Performer

Would you consider the audio edition of My Life So Far to be better than the print version?

Yes, because I loved Jane telling her own story. She is searlingly honest and fun to listen to.

What other book might you compare My Life So Far to and why?

Out on a limb by Shirley McLean. Both women are willing to be sincere yet tell their story
without too much sacahrine. Both maintain and defend their controversial points of view
with conviction. Both eventually come to an awakening of sorts.

Which scene was your favorite?

I most enjoyed her stories about her Viet Nam War years. Nothing ever looks the same in hindsight. I felt she did o good job of telling her story in the context of the time. It was a terrible time for our country. She thought she could help.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Not really.

What a surprise

Life affirming and life changing. Eliminated my preconceived notions of this lady. Especially good for men!

Bravo

Bravo Bravo Jane! Thank you for providing a behind the scene look, understanding and inspiration.

What a exciting life Ms. Fonda has had!!

I loved this book! It was eye opening: we may think famous people, movie stars, have the perfect life. But in reality they have the same problems and insecurity as the rest of us. It's how you handle, adjust and deal with what life gives us that matters in the end.

So thankful for Jane's honesty. Inspiring read.

Listening to Fonda read her story brought a great depth of emotions out of me. Such a fascinating life and journey. I'm very touched by her honesty.

The greatest book on the planet

I've had a list of favourites... of pretty brilliant books, but Lady Jayne topped them all. Honest, raw, so dear and sincere.. should be taught in schools- history, character development, sex ed, art, culture..
everything..it's got everything!