Book Reviewed: The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man: A Memoir by Paul Newman

Paul This book is based on screenwriter Stewart Stern’s conversation with Paul Newman over six years starting in 1986. Newman was in his sixties, and he wanted to tell his stories, set the record straight, and poke holes in the mythology that's sprung around him. Stern was a family friend who knew about confidential things about Newman’s family. He is known for his screenplay “Rebel Without a Cause,” and also wrote screenplays for several projects of Newman and Woodward. Srewart Stern once asked Joanne Woodward who knows Paul Newman well, and her response was his daughters. The most interesting part of the book is his daughters reflecting on a Hollywood legend who was their father and best friend. It is wonderful to know how much he cared for them, and they have fond memories of him. Newman saw philanthropy as his greatest legacy. With the success of his charitable food company, he launched the “Hole in the Wall Gang Camp,” where kids could escape the fear and isolation of their illness. Later he created the “Serious Fun Children's Network.” In 2005, at eighty, he engaged in another important issue: water. Building on a lifelong commitment to environmental issues, he cofounded the “Safe Water Network.” He led the life of a legend, and he was not only a jack of all trades but in many cases a master of all trades. He was an award-winning actor and a successful racing car driver. Paul Newman wanted another great script to make a movie with Robert Redford, but they could never find a good project to follow box office hits like “The Sting” and “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” His daughters recall that was a big disappointment to both Newman and Redford. This memoir does not make a good read, and Stern is not illuminating as an author of a book. The conversation pops in and out taking away the interesting facts about Newman. I have read good books about Paul Newman, and this is not one of them.