Around the Way Girl cover art

Around the Way Girl

A Memoir

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Around the Way Girl

By: Taraji P. Henson, Denene Millner
Narrated by: Taraji P. Henson
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Summary

 2017 Audie Award Finalist for Autobiography/Memoir

From Taraji P. Henson, Academy Award nominee, Golden Globe winner, and star of the award-winning film Hidden Figures and the 2023 film The Color Purple, comes an inspiring and funny memoir—“a bona fide hit” (Essence)—about family, friends, the hustle required to make it in Hollywood, and the joy of living your own truth.

With a sensibility that recalls her beloved screen characters, including Katherine, the NASA mathematician, Yvette, Queenie, Shug, and the iconic Cookie from Empire, Taraji P. Henson writes of her family, the one she was born into and the one she created. She shares stories of her father, a Vietnam vet who was bowed but never broken by life’s challenges, and of her mother who survived violence both at home and on DC’s volatile streets. Here, too, she opens up about her experiences as a single mother, a journey some saw as a burden but which she saw as a gift.

Around the Way Girl is also a classic actor’s memoir in which Taraji reflects on the world-class instruction she received at Howard University and how she chipped away, with one small role after another, at Hollywood’s resistance to give women, particularly women of color, meaty significant roles. With laugh-out-loud humor and candor, she shares the challenges and disappointments of the actor’s journey and shows us that behind the red carpet moments, she is ever authentic. She is at heart just a girl in pursuit of her dreams in this “inspiring account of overcoming adversity and a quest for self-discovery, written with vitality and enthusiasm” (Shelf Awareness). Cultural & Regional Entertainment & Celebrities Women Celebrity Memoir Funny Heartfelt Witty Inspiring Biography Thought-Provoking Single Parent
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I loved it - nicely written - easy to follow will recommend it to friends

Excellent

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I loved this book. I felt like I was just listening to her talk with me.

Riveting!

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This book made me laugh out loud, chuckle and smile but it also made me cry at times. Listening to her story felt real and genuine and felt a real sense of achievement she's made ! Well done Ms Henson fantastic book

Thoroughly enjoyed listening to Ms Henson

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This was a great book to give fans an insight into who Ms Henson is....it’s easy to conflate the real Ms Henson with the characters she plays because she does such a great job as an actress so it’s great to learn more about the person rather than the characters she plays.

I appreciate her for being open and honest about her life and relationships and I was particularly moved by how she describes her relationship with her dad. I too am a real daddy’s girl and having lost my father last year I literally felt her pain when she describes her last moments with her father as they were very similar to my own with my father.

My only criticism would be that at times it sounded like Ms Henson had a cold which was a little off putting but that was balanced by by admiration for her constant desire to get the job done.

Overall if your a real fan of Taraji P Henson you’ll love this rare opportunity to learn more about the real woman and where she gets her determination from as well as insights into the actress and her love for her craft.

Really easy to listen to, I finished it in a couple of days.

Honest and raw

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Loved every minute of it! The book was great. It made me laugh and at times, it made me cry. The reading was first rate.

Fantastic book and great reading

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