The Way I Am [Hardcover]

Eminem (Author), Sacha Jenkins (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 21, 2008

View our feature on Eminem’s The Way I Am.

For the first time, one of music’s most popular—and headline-making—rap artists shares his private reflections, drawings, handwritten lyrics, and never-before-seen photographs.

Fiercely intelligent, relentlessly provocative, and prodigiously gifted, Eminem is known as much for his enigmatic persona as for being the fastest-selling rap artist and the first rapper to ever win an Oscar. Now, in The Way I Am, he shares his private thoughts on everything from his inner struggles, to the trials of being famous, to his love for his daughter, Hailie, creating a book that is every bit as raw and uncensored as the man himself.

Illustrated with never-before-seen photographs of Eminem’s home and life along with original drawings, The Way I Am is filled with reflections on his greatest hits, previously unpublished lyric sheets, and other rare memorabilia. Providing his millions of fans with a personal tour of Eminem’s creative process, it is poised to be hailed in much the same way as Tupac’s The Rose that Grew from Concrete, Bob Dylan’s Chronicles, and Journals by Kurt Cobain.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The biggest rapper in history."-Rolling Stone

"The best rapper alive."-Vibe magazine

"Part autobiography, part photo gallery, part ephemera collection, it's a handsome roundup for an artist who has been notoriously reluctant to discuss his personal life anyplace but in his music."-New York Times --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Eminem (aka Marshall Mathers) has produced, performed, and written several multiplatinum albums, including The Slim Shady LP and The Eminem Show. He starred in the semiautobiographical movie 8 Mile, winning an Academy Award® for Best Song. His first book, Angry Blonde, was an annotated collection of lyrics and a national bestseller. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult; 1st Printing edition (October 21, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052595032X
• ISBN-13: 978-0525950325
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #80,323 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read for the fans, October 22, 2008

By 

Eduver S. Romero Melendez - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Way I Am (Hardcover)

This book is really great. Since the book is written mostly by him, you will learn A LOT about him, even the most hardcore fans will find somethings new here. He's very open, honest & pretty funny. Also, there's like 20 pages of his lyric sheets with comments on them by him, this was cool for me cause I like seeing how music artist write their stuff (although his handwritting is hard to read). Also there's personal pics (a bunch), drawings (like 4) but mostly this book is like sitting across him and interviewing him.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Explains a lot, well worth the wait, November 1, 2008

By 

E. Phillips - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Way I Am (Hardcover)

Even though I'm a huge Eminem fan, I learned a lot from this book. He covers a lot of subjects that he hasn't before and explains a lot of recent events too. I think the book is very well-written, easy to follow, and very interesting. I've been waiting for Eminem to write a biography for a very long time and I think the wait was well worth it. I'm not too big on reading but I finished this book in three days. If you're an Eminem fan, buy this now. You won't regret it because you'll learn a lot from it.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Impressed, but missing critical details, May 30, 2009

By 

N. Kaufmann (NJ) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Way I Am (Hardcover)

I am one of Eminem's "older" fans that he references in his book -- but it wasn't "8 Mile" that did it, it was his performance of "Stan" with Elton Jon. He has always intrigued me -- never smiles, seems kind of awkward in interviews, but yet is an artistic genius who is obviously the "real deal" and hence his long staying power. I thought the book was wonderfully written -- a conversational style that sounded just like him, yet wasn't so full of rap jargon that I didn't get it. I loved hearing about his relationship with Proof, who I hadn't known much about. It was interesting, and a little sad, to hear how fame has affected his ability to go out in public without a "posse". The book humanizes him and shows that he's matured; he even apologizes for that dumb Triumph the Insult Dog incident. And the photos of the scrawled lyrics, some on hotel paper, were fascinating. However, I felt key details were missing: He glosses over how he first got involved with Dr. Dre; there's barely anything about his relationship with Kim, how he met her, why they remarried then almost immediately split up again; there's nothing about his addiction to painkillers or going through rehab. The book just comes to an end rather abruptly. If he would have gone into more detail about these aspects of his life, the book would've been perfect, to me.