First published 2022
James Patterson begins his life story with a near-death experience on his first day of life. The small-town New York kid who showed little interest in books eventually became one of the planet's most prolific authors. Patterson chronicles his unconventional route to literary success, starting with his job at a mental health facility in Massachusetts where he crossed paths with musician James Taylor and writer Robert Lowell. His advertising career produced the famous "I'm a Toys 'R' Us Kid" commercial jingle. Along the way, he attended parties where literary heavyweights James Baldwin and Norman Mailer almost started a fight. He discovered love on two separate occasions, each relationship transforming him. Country music legend Dolly Parton became a friend who calls him J.J. and once serenaded him with birthday wishes by telephone. Three different U.S. presidents extended golf invitations. Patterson shares the intimate details and chance meetings that molded the person behind his countless novels.
Genres: 20th-century, autobiography, biography-memoir, 21st-century
Vibes: intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family
Setting: Massachusetts, New York
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
368 pages · Hardcover · Little, Brown and Company