Tom Hanks Backs Daughter’s Memoir on Abusive Childhood Struggles

Tom Hanks recently opened up about his daughter E.A. Hanks’ courageous decision to share her story of a challenging childhood in her memoir, The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road. Speaking candidly in a recent interview, the beloved actor expressed immense pride in his daughter’s honesty and strength.

Hanks described E.A. as a 'knockout,' highlighting her openness about the painful process of revisiting her past. He reflected on the universal truth that 'we all come from checkered, cracked lives,' acknowledging the complexities of family dynamics that many can relate to.

In her memoir, E.A. details a childhood marked by her parents’ divorce and a tumultuous relationship with her late mother, Susan Dillingham, whom she alleges was emotionally and sometimes physically violent. After the divorce, E.A. moved with her mother to Sacramento, where she describes living in a home filled with neglect—bare fridges, expired food, and an environment of emotional turmoil. One particularly harrowing night, she recounts an incident of physical violence that led her to relocate to Los Angeles in the middle of seventh grade, reversing her custody arrangement to live with her father.

E.A. also shares the heartbreaking memory of her mother’s struggle with what she believes was undiagnosed bipolar disorder, marked by paranoia and delusions. The pain deepened in her senior year of high school when her mother called to say she was dying. Dillingham passed away from lung cancer in 2002 at the age of 49.

Hanks, while supportive, noted his daughter’s curiosity and bravery in examining her past, even if it meant confronting uncomfortable truths. His words remind us that behind every public figure lies a deeply personal story, often filled with unseen struggles and resilience.