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A Promise to Ourselves: A Journey Through Fatherhood and Divorce | 
| Author: Alec Baldwin
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $15.47
You Save: $9.48 (38%)
Rating:  33 reviews
Sales Rank: 20773
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 240
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 5.8 x 1
ISBN: 0312363362
Dewey Decimal Number: 792.028092
EAN: 9780312363369
Publication Date: September 23, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Product Description
“I have been through some of the worst of contentious divorce litigation,” Alec Baldwin declares in A Promise to Ourselves. Using a very personal approach, he offers practical guidance to help others avoid the anguish he has endured.
An Academy and Tony Award nominee and a 2007 recipient of Golden Globe, SAG, and Television Critics Association Awards for best actor in a comedy, Alec Baldwin is one of the best-known, most successful actors in the world. His relationship with Kim Basinger, the Academy Award–winning actress, lasted nearly a decade. They have a daughter named Ireland, and for a time, theirs seemed to be the model of a successful Hollywood marriage. But in 2000 they separated and in 2002 divorced. Their split---specifically the custody battle surrounding Ireland---would be the subject of media attention for years to come.
In his own life and others’, Baldwin has seen the heavy toll that divorce can take---psychologically, emotionally, and financially. He has been extensively involved in divorce litigation, and he has witnessed the way that noncustodial parents, especially fathers, are often forced to abandon hopes of equitable rights when it comes to their children. He makes a powerful case for reexamining and changing the way divorce and child custody is decided in this country and levels a scathing attack at what he calls the “family law industry.”
When it comes to his experiences with judges, court-appointed therapists, and lawyers, Baldwin pulls no punches. He casts a light on his own divorce and the way the current family law system affected him, his ex-wife, and his daughter, as well as many other families. This is an important, informative, and deeply felt book on a contentious subject that offers hope of finding a better way.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 28 more reviews...
 A Lot of Truth in This Book September 23, 2008
41 out of 46 found this review helpful
So, you need to put aside all of your opinions shaped by the distorted Hollywood media and tabloid coverage behind how Mr. Baldwin was said to have acted during his painful divorce. Instead, you have to focus on the topic of this book; how corrupt and downright evil the whole divorce industry is, and the effects of all of that on the relationship between a dad and child. The stuff that can occur when, especially, a narcissistic or borderline spouse decides to hire a sleazy attorney is nothing short of pure evil. And, it goes beyond lawyers, to a whole bunch of vultures who make their living of pushing couples into a long, sustained, expensive divorce. Its all in this revealing and brutally honest book.
I was forced through a lawyer-driven divorce, and witnessed first-hand how the system works. Only by fighting back and working hard to find honest professionals to help was I able to maintain a strong healthy relationship with my child. The divorce industry is madness. After the "procedures" were finished I was eager to put it all behind me, so I commend Mr. Baldwin for opening his heart, writing this book, sharing his experiences, and working to find ways to help end the corruption. Highly recommended.
Another great book "Divorce Poison" describes ways to identify parental alienation, and how to defeat it. Highly recommended if you think your soon-to-be-ex or ex is doing things to damage your relationship with your child.
Shows the California courts in a true light September 23, 2008
30 out of 34 found this review helpful
Speaking from experience and as a woman, Mr. Baldwin is right when he relates to the CA courts as a woman's court. Fathers are treated as second class citizens and then mothers and children complain when the father's no longer stay in contact. Trust me, at some point you just want to ask the judge, "How much to not see the kid at all?" Wealth or not Alec Baldwin has got this one right.
The previous reviewer needs to READ THE BOOK instead of watching interviews and judging Mr. Baldwin's political beliefs. I doubt if he understands the California Family Court system all the way from Sweden.
Brave Story October 5, 2008
20 out of 23 found this review helpful
And it's not easy to speak of these matters in contemporary America, but Baldwin's line about being pulled into the American family law system is akin to being tied to a truck and then dragged down a gravel road late is excellent. As he put it, no one can hear your cries, and it is not over until they say it is. I'm sorry that Mr. Baldwin had to go through what he did but hope that this memoir/analytical work sways minds and adds to the preponderance of the evidence concerning the lack of justice men now find in our courts of law. Protecting women is fine but the juridical operationalization of this notion has resulted in the persecution of the opposite sex. People need to be aware about what's going on so I'm appreciative that Baldwin is using his fame for the worthy and noble purpose of generating awareness. The great thing about this book is that the author does more than tell his own story. He includes the narratives of several men who experienced the same horrors he did. In conclusion, I'm very grateful Mr. Baldwin has graced us with this publication.
The bitter fruits of our corrupt LAISSEZ-PERJURY justice system September 23, 2008
17 out of 20 found this review helpful
Alec Baldwin has written a great book that reveals the human side of divorce in a family court justice system that routinely condones and accomodates deceit, evidence withholding, and material misrepresentation - commonly known as PERJURY. Throughout civil, criminal, family, and probate courts in every county and state of the United States, the prosecution of perjury arising from witness testimony in any court DOES NOT HAPPEN!!! Check it out yourself: search for perjury prosecutions on county prosecutor bragsites or call and ask for perjury prosecution statistics. The information is not available because it would prove the REALITY of LAISSEZ-PERJURY.
What's even more surprising is that it is impossible (it has been intentionally designed that way) to even make an allegation to the county prosecutor's office of FELONY PERJURY. Call'em and try to find out how to. You will go nowhere. It is time that we acknowledge that the dirty little secret of the US justice system is its rampant, regular, and routine winking at PERJURY.
We have a LAISSEZ-PERJURY (in) justice system and consequently the false, intentionally incomplete, and misleading testimony in-court works to polarize and radicalize the proceedings and litigants. If both parties LIE, then it is a LYING CONTEST; if only one does, then the LIAR wins big.
And it is not only the LIAR that wins - but the attorneys, judges, and all of the other divorce parasites who then bill extra hours and/or plead for more tax dollars to support larger staffs of parasites. The county prosecutor/lawyer fails to prosecute PERJURY because it means big bucks for attorneys and allows judges the (false) facts to justify their arbitrary and one-sided decisions. And guess what profession typically makes the biggest campaign contributions to most office-bound county prosecutors? Of course, attorneys and lawyers.
It is quite easy to prove the reality of LAISSEZ-PERJURY - just try and get a judge, a prosecutor, or an attorney to talk about PERJURY prosecution arising from witness testimony. Just call their speaker's bureaus and invite one to your next civic group meeting. LAISSEZ-PERJURY is POLITICAL KRYPTONITE.
Alec Baldwin's book tells the very human story of the costs and great pain that arises from our LAISSEZ-PERJURY IN-JUSTICE SYSTEM. And it is time that the media and politicians begin to talk about its reality.
Be Positive. Lies enslave; the truth sets free.
 New interest and attention to an old problem September 24, 2008
12 out of 14 found this review helpful
I am very sorry for the personal suffering that brought Alec Baldwin to the point where he felt compelled to write this book but I am very happy to see the increased attention and awareness of the widespread but little understood problem of parental alienation. My own research on adults who had this experience as children (Adult children of parental alienation syndrome: Breaking the ties that bind, WW Norton) reveals the extent to which being a child victim of PAS brings with it long-term negative consequences. It is time for society to recognize and address this problem before more parents and children become its victims. Alec Baldwin's book is well written and compelling and I think he will help people see that if someone with as many resources as he has can suffer the frustrations and indignities of being a targeted parent, it can happen to anyone. I am also glad that he makes the point that it can happen to mothers as well as fathers. My research consistently finds this to be true.
Amy J.L. Baker, Ph.D.
www.amyjlbaker.com
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