In 1986, Paul Newman and his closest friend, screenwriter Stewart Stern, began an extraordinary project. Stuart was to compile an oral history, to have Newman's family and friends and those who worked closely with him, talk about the actor's life. And then Newman would give his side of the story. The project lasted five years. The result is an extraordinary memoir, culled from thousands of pages of transcripts. The additional voices-from childhood friends and Navy buddies, from family members and film and theater collaborators such as Tom Cruise, George Roy Hill, Martin Ritt, and John Huston-that run throughout add richness and color and context to the story Newman is telling. Newman's often traumatic childhood is brilliantly detailed, but perhaps the most moving material in the book centers around his relationship with Joanne Woodward.