In Pieces

Sally Field’s memoir, In Pieces, reveals her life from a different perspective, redirecting the spotlight from her Hollywood successes to her often-difficult personal life. Field’s inclusion of photos of herself from magazines, publicity appearances, and award shows contrasts sharply with her narration about her personal life and career experiences. For instance, her early photo shoots in interviews for Gidget feature her at home with her mother, stepfather, and sister. These photos portray Field as a regular teen in a happy and harmonious family, when in reality her family was mired in conflict and dysfunction, and Field was already the breadwinner as a teen. In one photo, Field balances on Jocko’s hands, while her sister, Princess, helps her balance. While the picture looks joyful and silly, Field reveals that looking at this disingenuous representation of her family makes her feel “physically ill” (199). She undermines the happy image presented in the photo: “[W]e’re all laughing—or what looks like laughing,” and sarcastically captions this photo, “A happy family, fan magazine style” (200-01).

Field explains that, as a teenage actor new to the spotlight, she felt pressured to present herself in a sanitized way, making herself and her show appealing to audiences.