I just love, love, love Taraji P. Henson. I fell in love with her back when she played Evette in the 2001 film Baby Boy. Although, I was too young to understand her struggle when the film first came out. As a young adult now, I completely understand.

 

I have a bittersweet feeling about the success she has gotten from playing the role of Cookie in the Fox hit show Empire. Don’t get me wrong, I love that she is finally in the spotlight and getting the attention she deserves. But why did the role of Cookie have to be it for her. She has played some very interesting roles. Evette was award winning for me. But it took so much longer for the rest of the world to see that.

I love memoir’s written by celebrities I admire. But “Around the Way Girl” is a term I wasn’t ready for. I wanted to read Taraji’s book but I was not trying to shade my judgment of how amazing she is to me with the phrase, “around the way girl”. Where I’m from that phrase is used to describe the girls who get around with every fella in town. That’s not how I wanted to know Taraji P. Henson. So it took me a minute to want to read the book. But when I did decide to read it, I was completely wrong about her meaning of “Around the Way Girl”. Reading her memoir made me fall more in love with her. I love feeling connected to my favorite celebrities.  If you read this book you will see for yourself, it’s not a tell all book. It’s an inspirational story about her struggle to get to where she is today. She is a hustler. She fought her way from DC to Hollywood in a way that was fit just for her. She had many heartbreaks and set backs but she never gave up. Her story will make you cry, laugh and love her even more. I respect her craft and support her even more after reading this book.

So if you haven’t already, read Around the Way Girl: A Memoir by Taraji P. Henson. I purchased the audible version from amazon. The audible is read by her, which makes the story extra special. Audible is a great innovative way to enjoy good books in a better way. You can listen to your favorite books anytime. You can sign up with amazon and purchase books straight from the app.

If you have read or plan on reading Taraji P. Henson’s memoir please share with me your thought and opinions about the book.