Alec Baldwin shares his ‘pain’

By Jessica Schneider Sep 21, 2008, 12:22 GMT

“I have been through some of the worst of contentious divorce litigation,” Alec Baldwin declares in A Promise to Ourselves. Using a very personal approach, he offers practical guidance to help others avoid the anguish he has endured.An Academy and Tony Award nominee and a 2007 recipient of Golden Globe, SAG, and Television Critics Association Awards for best actor in a comedy, Alec Baldwin is one of the best-known, most ...more

Alright, I just have to laugh at this one. Alec Baldwin sharing his “parenting pains”? Uh huh.

USA Today has provided a brief overview:

“Baldwin, 50, talks about the need to reform family law and divorce litigation in the context of his split from ex-wife Kim Basinger, 54, and their custody battle for daughter Ireland, 12.”

And as for the book’s surprising moment?

“When I reached my attorney, Vicki Greene, she informed me that her office had just been notified by the California Department of Child Services that an anonymous source had filed a child abuse claim against me. … Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine I would find myself in this position,”  Baldwin is quoted in the article.

The product description states:

“In his own life and others’, Baldwin has seen the heavy toll that divorce can take---psychologically, emotionally, and financially. He has been extensively involved in divorce litigation, and he has witnessed the way that noncustodial parents, especially fathers, are often forced to abandon hopes of equitable rights when it comes to their children. He makes a powerful case for reexamining and changing the way divorce and child custody is decided in this country and levels a scathing attack at what he calls the “family law industry.”

When it comes to his experiences with judges, court-appointed therapists, and lawyers, Baldwin pulls no punches. He casts a light on his own divorce and the way the current family law system affected him, his ex-wife, and his daughter, as well as many other families. This is an important, informative, and deeply felt book on a contentious subject that offers hope of finding a better way.”

Read the article here.