The Upcycled Self by Tariq Trotter arrives November 14
The Roots emcee Black Thought has officially announced the release date of his upcoming new memoir, titled The Upcycled Self. Launching on November 14 via One World, the memoir “gives readers a courageous model of what it means to live an examined life.”
The Upcycled Self by Tariq Trotter, Black Thought’s birth name, begins with a tragic fire that a young Trotter started in his family home. In a statement from the publisher, the book is described as “a beautifully bluesy story of a boy genius’s coming of age.”
“Trotter explores the vital questions we all have to confront about our formative years: How can we see the story of our young lives clearly? How do we use that story to understand who we’ve become? How do we forgive the people who loved and hurt us? How do we rediscover and honor our first dreams? And finally, what do we take forward, what do we pass on, what do we leave behind?”
Black Thought posted his own personal statement and the book’s cover via Instagram. “I’m so proud of this work. It’s been years in the making. The story of the Upcycled Self — a focus on childhood forged from the fire. I hope in sharing so much about my upbringing we can find new courage to start the difficult conversations that prompt healing, with ourselves and others. As men. As Black men. As humans.”
Eve Attermann and Sam Birmingham at WME sold the book to Chris Jackson at One World. WME has the TV/film, U.K., and translation rights.