by Alicia Keys
First published 2020
Alicia Keys opens her life story with brutal honesty about the cost of fame. The celebrated musician chronicles her struggle to balance public success with private pain. She examines her complicated relationship with her absent father and the toll of constant people-pleasing during her early career. Keys describes how media scrutiny invaded her romantic life and how the pressure to appear perfect as a female artist nearly crushed her spirit. The book combines her personal reflections with memories from family, friends, and collaborators who witnessed her transformation. Keys traces her path from childhood in Hell's Kitchen and Harlem through her rise to stardom and ongoing process of self-discovery. She reveals how years of hiding parts of herself led to a crisis of identity and self-worth. The narrative follows her gradual shift from sacrificing her authentic voice to embracing her true value as both an artist and person.
Genres: autobiography, contemporary, biography-memoir, music
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, self-discovery
Setting: Harlem, Hell's Kitchen
Period: 21st-century
272 pages · Hardcover · Flatiron Books: An Oprah Book
Content warnings: depression, mental-illness