Customer Reviews

Citizen Jane: The Turbulent Life of Jane Fonda

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4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book departs from some of the mythology that persists about Ms Fonda's career and her political activities. This book treats her rise as an actress and as an icon of American film properly but also focuses an unblinking eye on her betrayal of her country during the Vietnam War. There are more than enough records of her activities during the war that clearly prove her multiple trips to Hanoi for the enemy's support and comfort, involvement with propaganda broadcasts from enemy radio stations, support for enemy activities (including her infamous serenade for an NVA antiaircraft gun crew). She went well beyond "political activism" and all the way to treason with her energetic support for the communists. History will record that she was extremely lucky not to have faced a trial and serious prison time for her treasonous activities.

I am always curious how some of the other readers take this period of her life as "just political expression" or "youthful indiscretion". How would they have approached the subject of some other prominent personality that say, visited Berlin during WW II, made radio broadcasts with Axis Sally, taunted US Prisoners of War and then returned with Nazi propaganda points for the press?

Ms. Fonda is a talented actress - but the rest of her history is just as important to know and this book lays much of it out for everyone.

This book does an excellent job in its political critique of Jane Fonda. Her hands are seriously bloody and there's no way around it. Read Snopes.com's account of her Vietnam activities because they are NOT a matter of debate. Just a matter of shame and Fonda's attempts to cover up.
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I love a good bio, especially one that tries to tackle a complex and controversial subject like Jane Fonda (a brilliant actress). Yet, I guess what I also want is something that examines her approach to acting and the making of some of her films, that kind of thing facinates me.

Read Jane Fonda's autobiograhy to learn about the Vietnam expierience, what really happened. Jane's version totally fills in the blanks, and is proven. This is one Urban myth that has been used to steer people away from reacting to their government's lies, and shift total blame to Jane Fonda's mistake, which is completely ridiculous.