First published 2016
Bobby Brown opens up about his journey from New Edition's spotlight to solo stardom and his marriage to Whitney Houston. The R&B artist chronicles his rise in the late 1980s when "Don't Be Cruel" dominated the charts and earned him Grammy, American Music, and Soul Train awards. Brown describes how he stepped back from his career to focus on his relationship with Houston, whose marriage to him became the most scrutinized celebrity union of the 1990s. He addresses the public fascination and gossip that surrounded their pairing while revealing his side of their story. Brown reflects on the highs of musical success and the lows of personal struggle, including the recent death of his daughter during the writing process. He found the act of examining his entire life unexpectedly healing, recognizing both considerable pain and incredible blessings throughout his experiences. This account spans his crossover success across R&B, hip hop, and mainstream music, his creative process, and the excess that marked his peak years.
Genres: african-american, autobiography, non-fiction, biography-memoir, music, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: celebrity-romance, rise-and-fall
Period: 1980s, 1990s
336 pages · Hardcover · Dey Street Books
Content warnings: addiction