I Walked the Line: My Life with Johnny

I was somewhat disappointed to find that 75% of the book's content was made up of letters Johnny wrote to Vivian before their divorce, mostly while they were happily married. Overall it was very interesting and enlightening getting Vivian's perspective and experience in her life with Johnny Cash. Ironically, the read helped me understand both sides much more. Vivian was very much in love with Johnny and because she just couldn't move on after the split, she had a really difficult time and much pain in her latter part of her life. Very sad. It's obvious she was a good soul but I think Cash needed something more in his partner - not sure what exactly...more dynamic, sophisticated or intelligent...maybe one of those. He seemed to find that in June Carter, who I'd always had a high opinion of until reading this book.

Vivian Liberto, the ex wife of Johnny Cash, succeeds in depicting how painful adultery, and divorce is, the isolation of many self sacrificing housewives at home with the kids, and how damaging the celebrity obsession was to the culture of America.

On the other hand, she revealed herself to be co dependent on her husband and romance for her self worth and happiness, obsessed with her ex-husband, hopelessly unequipped and naive to deal with marriage to a powerful personality like Johnny Cash, ridiculously vain in her estimation of her knowledge of Cash, and bitter at the world and June Carter for her life not turning out how she wanted.

The hundreds of Love letters, does anybody really think a 19 year old boy alone in the Air Force wouldn't have said or done anything to keep this girl writing to him? Men will say what the girl wants to hear. I doubt he wanted to get a Dear John letter , so of course he was laying it on real thick in his letters that he loved her. I'm not saying he didn't feel any affection for her. But isn't it funny that he was also banging women on the side? The entire time he he was scolding her for going out with guys back home? In many ways, the letters Vivian published only prove that she never should have married him! Because if she thought there was no sign he was going to be trouble, she was wrong!

But let's move on to the real drama of the story. After they married and he became the great Johnny Cash in less than 6 months. Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to condemn Johnny Cash. I like the guy. I always liked him. Just because I say his treatment of his wife was egregious, it doesn't mean that he loses value in my mind. But Vivian of course didn't deserve any of the horrible treatment she got from her husband. In many ways she was a saint of a wife! Always looking out for Johnny, wanting to achieve HIS dreams, please him. But was he willing to do the same for her? No. Vivian apparently fails to understand if your husband or wife won't please you in the same way you please them, the marriage WILL fail.

Vivian consistently wants to blame June Carter, who she apparently disliked from the moment they met, as the reason why Johnny left the family. Claims that June set out to destroy her life, aggressively seduced her husband, fed him drugs in order to keep with her. Maybe June had a bigger role in pursuing Johnny/the affair then she ever wanted to admit. But to believe Vivian is to completely dismiss Johnny was capable of doing wrong. She also dismisses everything he said about HIS OWN life!

I understand this; Vivian was devoted wife who obviously thought the marriage was going great. Too bad no wise old woman told her all those gifts and the vacations to Europe , the big diamond ring, was probably a guilt offering after he cheated with Billie Jean Horton.

If you read Vivian's book, Johnny only cheated with June. And that was only because June relentlessly pursued him and practically raped him according to Vivian's idea. But in reality, Johnny cheated with many women. Some of them at the same time he was seeing June!

What I came away with from this book was understanding why Vivian and Johnny could not save their marriage. But it wasn't simply because of June. I think after a while Johnny realized he wanted something else besides housewife with a cute house, and an apple pie life. He shouldn't have married anybody to begin with; he bears the sin of promising his wife a life he could not give her. June was glamorous, she understood the power of music, I think June spoke Johnny's language and in her Johnny saw a partner, a best friend. If Johnny had never became Johnny Cash, then maybe he and Vivian would have worked out.

Unfortunately, because of her bitterness and her idea that only her opinion matters because only she knew the real Johnny, (which is ridiculous because she hadn't known him his entire life and they spent OVER 30 YEARS APART after the divorce!) her book comes across as self-grandizing and revenge driven.

If you want to read it be my guest. All it is is the ravings of a bitter ex wife who needed serious therapy.