Journalist Elizabeth Hanks (42), who professionally goes by E.A. Hanks for Elizabeth Anne, is the daughter of Tom Hanks and first wife Samantha Lewes, deceased since 2002.
In her new memoir, “The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road”, E.A. Hanks offers a rare insight into her family’s history and her journey towards healing — the book chronicles a six-month road trip she undertook to better understand her upbringing, especially her mother’s past and their complex relationship.
E.A. Hanks Details Mother’s Abuse
The 42-year-old author recounts the emotional and, at times, physical abuse she experienced from her mother, Samantha Lewes, as well as how her mental health struggles shaped their home environment.
The daughter of Tom Hanks reveals that her only memories of her parents being in the same room together are limited to just two occasions: her brother Colin’s high school graduation and her own.
“I am a kid from the first (non-famous) marriage. My only memories of my parents in the same place at the same time are Colin’s high school graduation, then my high school graduation,” Hanks said. “I have one picture of me standing between my parents. In it, my mother’s best wig is slightly askew.”
Tom Hanks and Lewes divorced in 1987 after nearly a decade of marriage, with custody of their two children, Colin (47) and E.A., initially going to Lewes, while the “Forrest Gump” star had visitation rights. However, as Lewes’ mental health began to decline, so did the stability of her household, prompting a shift in their custody arrangement.
Hanks recalls living in Sacramento with her mother from the ages of 5 to 14. She describes those years as a mix of “confusion, violence, deprivation, and love.” The emotional turmoil escalated during her adolescence, culminating in a single incident of physical abuse that scarred the journalist forever.
“One night, her emotional violence became physical violence,” she writes. “In the aftermath, I moved to Los Angeles, right smack in the middle of the seventh grade. My custody arrangement basically switched—now I lived in L.A. and visited Sacramento on the weekends and in the summer.”
She also paints a stark picture of the home she lived in during that time, saying, “The screaming was scarier. The food was more inconsistent. She used to be able to keep it together in public. That went very quickly.”
E.A. Hanks ON HER FATHER’S reaction
Despite the pain of her past, E.A. Hanks credits her father for teaching her resilience and honesty. “I’m equally my father’s daughter because he taught me to tell the truth and move forward,” she says. She also shared that her father and brother were among the first to read the memoir. During an appearance on “CBS Mornings”, she said:
“The first thing my dad said is, ‘This is an accurate portrayal of what it was to love and fear this woman.’ Once I knew that I had gotten her right, everything else flowed.”
