Taraji P. Henson

Cookie Lyon the Writer
If you haven’t caught on by my Empire reference yes, I am talking about Around the Way Girl. Five stars. It's not your typical autobiography, where the narrated details every significant milestone in their life, from birth until present day. One of the first things I thought when I started the book was, "wow, she is really spending a lot of time talking about her childhood." But as I got further into the book, I realized she was really taking her time to make the reader understand the significance of the events she was describing, how it made an impact in her life and the people around her. I loved how she described her experiences playing Cookie, Queenie, or Yvette, she talked about how she really put her all into the parts. It made me look at the roles she played in the movies differently, movies I have seen many times already. I added them all to my Netflix queue to re-watch them with a more critical eye, I highly recommend it! I think the fact that I listened to her tell her story with such emotion it made it even better.… (more)

I picked up this book on audio for a "bio pic" prompt in my reading group. Wow, what a surprise! I loved it. I am fairly unfamiliar with Taraji Henson's work, and I'm so curious to check out her movies and television roles after experiencing her story. I chose the audio, and the author reads the book herself, which is dynamite. Her book is empowering and also extremely illuminating. I was glued to her exploration of being a Black woman in Hollywood, as well as a woman over 40. Great content on being a mom and a single mom too, and her relationship with her dad is especially poignant. Recommend!… (more)

Around The Way, Girl: A Memoir
by Taraji P. Henson
2016
4.3 / 5.0

An enthusiastic and humorous look at the challenges and disappointments, of hustling for the opportunities, and never giving up. Taraji's love of life, and ability to overcome adveristy and negativity is inspiring. This is an excellent memoir.
Taraji shares her journey, from growing up in Washington DC, Attending Howard University, while raising a young son, Marcel, Taraji made the decision to be a single mother, and has always been a central figure in his life. Her strength and character helped her accept the work needed to break into Hollywood, as a beautiful, talented and strong Black woman.
This was such a great memoir. It is well written, full of interesting stories of her life and her beliefs. Taraji's life story is inspiring, funny, candid and fun. I hope this is the first of many books by Taraji.… (more)