Around the Way Girl

"Turns out, the details of Taraji Penda Henson’s climb to fame could have been used as a script for one of her own movies. The Empire star was born in Washington, D.C., raised by a single mom and cheered on by a dad who struggled with alcoholism and his own impulsive behavior. Henson left the love of her life when he hit her, raising their son as a single mom. She earned far less than her white co-stars on movies like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. More a story of empowerment and persistence than a Hollywood tell-all, this book unfolds like a story told by Cookie Lyons’ talented thespian sister; a down-to-earth, around the way girl explaining to contributor Denene Millner how a sister who graduated from Howard and worked as a secretary for the Pentagon became one of TV’s hottest performers."

"Taraji P. Henson's memoir, Around the Way Girl. I was a little sneaky and asked my editor to get me a copy before it came out. I'm only a chapter in and I already love it."