Around the Way Girl

A Memoir

By: Taraji P. Henson, Denene Millner

Narrated by: Taraji P. Henson

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).

Cookie!!!

This book was everything!!! I have listened to it twice
And I FELT IT GO THROUGH MY SOUL

amazing journey!!!

i have always been a fan of Taraji but after hearing her story, her journey i have a profound level of respect for this woman. i felt every emotion as she was telling her memoir. i cried when her father and the love of her life passed. my heart broke when she had to walk away from the relationship with the father of her son. i was overwhelmed and elated when she got a part or role. as a young black talented woman trying to find her way in this world i 100 percent give props.

Riveting, an Absolute Must Read!!!

I absolutely loved this book. I was inspired by every chapter. I did not even know Taraji wrote a book, but I am glad I found it. This only solidifies my previous opinions about Taraji's talent. This woman is without a shadow of a doubt brilliant and the very epitome of talent. Thank you so much Taraji for sharing your life story.

must read

The storyline is a bit all over the place but the story itself is so incredibly inspirational. I feel like I learned about Taraji P Henson on an intimate level I never imagined. This book is a great read for young women of all ethnicities.

Relatable, real!

Per usual, this story made me feel closer to Taraji and made me respect and love her even more!