The Unflinching Truth: 5 Bombshell Revelations In E.A. Hanks’ Memoir, ‘The 10’

The world knows Tom Hanks as America’s Dad, a figure synonymous with warmth, integrity, and Hollywood royalty. However, a profoundly different and more complex picture of the Hanks family's early life has emerged in the last year, thanks to the unflinching memoir by his daughter, Elizabeth Ann Hanks, or E.A. Hanks. Released in April 2024, *The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road* is not a celebrity tell-all but a deeply personal, literary exploration of trauma, identity, and the quest to understand a complicated mother, Susan Dillingham (Samantha Lewes), who was Tom Hanks's first wife. The book has generated significant buzz for its candid revelations, pulling back the curtain on a tumultuous childhood marked by "confusion, violence, and deprivation" that starkly contrasts with the public's perception of the Hanks family. E.A. Hanks’s work is a testament to her journey to reckon with her past, particularly her mother’s undiagnosed mental health struggles, and the lasting impact of her parents' high-profile divorce. The narrative is framed by a six-month road trip the author took along Interstate 10, mirroring a crucial, formative journey from her childhood.

Elizabeth Ann Hanks: Writer, Journalist, and Memoirist

Elizabeth Ann "E.A." Hanks is an accomplished American writer and journalist who has cultivated a career separate from her famous father's shadow. Her memoir, *The 10*, marks her debut book, cementing her place as a powerful new voice in non-fiction.

• Full Name: Elizabeth Ann Hanks (E.A. Hanks)
• Date of Birth: May 17, 1982
• Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California, U.S.
• Parents: Tom Hanks and Susan Dillingham (also known by her stage name, Samantha Lewes)
• Siblings: Colin Hanks (full brother), Chester "Chet" Hanks (half-brother), and Truman Hanks (half-brother).
• Education: Attended Vassar College.
• Career Highlights: Has worked as a contributing writer for major publications, including *Vanity Fair* and *The Huffington Post*. She also made a brief, uncredited appearance as an extra in her father's 1994 film, *Forrest Gump*.
• Memoir: *The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road*, released in April 2024.

The Road Trip and the Search for Susan Dillingham

The central organizing principle of *The 10* is the author's decision to embark on a six-month road trip in 2019, years after her mother’s death. This journey along Interstate 10, which stretches from California to Florida, was a deliberate attempt to trace the emotional and geographical path of her tumultuous childhood and to finally understand her late mother, Susan Dillingham. Susan Dillingham, Tom Hanks's first wife, passed away from bone cancer in 2002. E.A. Hanks uses the memoir to paint a portrait of a brilliant but deeply troubled woman whose struggles were largely unaddressed. The book posits that Dillingham suffered from an undiagnosed mental illness, which E.A. Hanks and her brother, Colin Hanks, suspect was bipolar disorder. This mental health crisis, coupled with the trauma of childhood sexual abuse that Dillingham had endured, created a volatile and chaotic home environment for the young E.A. and Colin. The memoir is a poignant exploration of how the places we inhabit—from the transient homes of a road trip to the permanent scars of family history—shape our identity. By revisiting the locations connected to her mother's past and her own formative years, E.A. Hanks sought to connect the dots of her mother's life and, in doing so, make peace with her own difficult memories.

Key Revelations That Shatter the Hanks Family Myth

While the media often focuses on the sensational aspects, E.A. Hanks's memoir is fundamentally about family complexity, but it does contain several candid admissions that have captured public attention and redefined the narrative around the Hanks family.

1. A Childhood of "Violence, Deprivation, and Confusion"

The most significant revelation is E.A. Hanks's description of her early years as being filled with "confusion, violence, and deprivation." This is a jarring contrast to the idyllic image often projected by Hollywood families. She details the emotional volatility and paranoia that characterized her mother's behavior due to her undiagnosed illness, leading to a home life that was far from stable. This candid admission provides a sobering look at the reality of growing up with a parent struggling with severe mental health issues, even when one parent is a rising star like Tom Hanks.

2. Tom Hanks's Own Trauma and Emotional Distance

The memoir is not just about her mother; it also delves into her relationship with her father. E.A. Hanks writes that her father, Tom Hanks, was also dealing with his own, pre-existing childhood trauma. This is a crucial detail, as it suggests that neither of her parents was fully equipped to handle the family's internal struggles. The book explores the emotional distance that can exist even in a loving family, showing how her father's own past affected his presence and ability to cope with the chaos in the home.

3. The Refusal to Use the Term "Stepmother" for Rita Wilson

One of the most talked-about details is E.A. Hanks's conscious decision to refer to Rita Wilson, Tom Hanks's second wife, not as her "stepmother" but as "my father's wife." This is not presented as a sign of animosity, but rather as a nuanced rejection of the traditional, often loaded, label of "stepmother." E.A. Hanks explains that she reserves the title of "mother" solely for Susan Dillingham, the woman who gave birth to her and whose complex life is the subject of the memoir. This distinction highlights the deep, unresolved bond with her late mother and her desire to honor that unique relationship.

4. The Impact of the Divorce on Her Mother

E.A. Hanks suggests that her mother, Susan Dillingham, never fully recovered from the divorce from Tom Hanks. The dissolution of the marriage, coupled with her existing mental health issues, compounded her struggles. While the memoir is balanced in its portrayal, it underscores the profound emotional toll that the family's breakup took, particularly on Dillingham, and how that pain reverberated through E.A. Hanks's childhood.

5. Tom Hanks's Supportive Reaction to the Memoir

Despite the raw and sometimes painful nature of the revelations, Tom Hanks has publicly championed his daughter's work. He called the memoir "incredibly honest" and expressed that he was "not surprised" by her candid admissions. This reaction is a powerful endorsement of his daughter's truth-telling and suggests a deep level of communication and acceptance within the family regarding their complicated history. His support has helped frame the book not as an attack, but as a courageous act of self-discovery and familial reckoning.

The Lasting Legacy of 'The 10'

*The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road* is more than just a book about being Tom Hanks's daughter; it is a profound literary work about navigating inherited trauma, mental illness, and the complex nature of parental love. E.A. Hanks utilizes her skills as a journalist to meticulously research and reconstruct her mother's life, creating a narrative that is both heartbreaking and hopeful. The memoir’s success lies in its universal themes, reminding readers that every family, regardless of celebrity status, harbors layers of pain and untold stories. It has firmly established E.A. Hanks as a serious and essential voice in contemporary non-fiction, moving beyond the shadow of her famous name to tell a story that is uniquely, and powerfully, her own.