James Patterson by James Patterson: The Stories of My Life

If you would name James Patterson as someone with whom you would love an hour just to pick their brain about life, stop reading this review and buy the book. This is an up close and personal account of a man whose family was not part of the aristocracy. Quite the opposite, they were poor. Not Holiday Inn versus Marriott or Ruth's Chris poor, but not always knowing where their needs would be met kind of poor. Yet, Patterson tells the story that grit and determination, sometimes doggedly hard work, and consistency win the day. He doesn't say it's easy. Just possible.

I love the transparency with which he writes. His stories are personal, heart-wrenching, funny, heart-warming, and you get the sense, like Patterson himself, no nonsense. All told with the consistent tone that you find when you hear him doing interviews to promote his books. He embodies the mantra, what you see is what you get. And so does this book. It's an excellent, easy, addictively compelling read that will leave you with the desire to be a better person after you've finished it.