E.A. Hanks Exposes Troubling Childhood in Memoir
Buckle up, folks, because the latest revelation from Hollywood’s first family is anything but a walk in the park. E.A. Hanks, daughter of the beloved Tom Hanks, is peeling back the layers of her seemingly picture-perfect upbringing in her new memoir, “The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road.” Spoiler alert: it’s a lot darker than you might expect. In a narrative that reads more like a cautionary tale than a celebrity biography, E.A. recounts the emotional and physical turmoil she endured under the roof of her late mother, Susan Dillingham, who was better known by her stage name, Samantha Lewes.
The drama unfolds post-divorce in the 1980s when E.A. and her brother, Colin Hanks, found themselves uprooted from their familiar Los Angeles life to the not-so-glamorous surroundings of Sacramento, California. Imagine Tom Hanks, the man with a face that could charm the socks off anyone, showing up to pick up his kids from school only to discover they’ve been missing for two weeks! E.A. portrays her father as a bewildered figure trying to navigate the chaos that ensued after her mother obtained primary custody. It’s a classic case of “where did we go wrong?” but with a twist of Hollywood flair.
E.A. describes her formative years as being filled with “confusion, violence, deprivation, and love,” which is quite the cocktail for a childhood. Gone were the days of idyllic family photos; instead, E.A. paints a picture of a home that devolved from one with “pictures of horses plastered on every wall” to one that “stank of smoke” and was littered with the neglected remnants of a once vibrant life. Yes, that’s right, folks—she recalls a backyard so full of dog mess that navigating it became a perilous endeavor.
The emotional and physical violence escalated to a point where E.A. had to escape to her father’s home during weekends and summers, a bittersweet reprieve from a tumultuous reality. Susan, who passed away from bone cancer in 2002, left behind a complicated legacy. As Tom Hanks himself described his divorce as a “horribly painful time,” one can’t help but wonder how a family known for its warmth and kindness could be marred by such strife.
In a world where celebrity memoirs often gloss over the ugly truths in favor of a more palatable narrative, E.A. Hanks’ candid reflections serve as a stark reminder that behind every Hollywood smile, there can lurk a shadow of pain. While we may love our stars, it’s essential to remember that they, too, have their battles—some of which are fought behind closed doors.
Class dismissed. Let’s hope the Hanks family can heal from this unveiled chapter.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and People Magazine, E! Online
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
