This is me : loving the person you are today / Chrissy Metz ; with Kevin Carr O'Leary.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

An inspirational book about life and its lessons from the Golden Globe and Emmy nominated star of NBC's This Is Us.

When This Is Us debuted in fall 2016, a divided America embraced a show that celebrates human connection. The critically acclaimed series became America's most watched--and most talked about--network show, even building on its fan base in the drama's second season. As Kate Pearson, Chrissy Metz presents a character that has never been seen on television, yet viewers see themselves in her, no matter what they look like or where they come from. Considered a role model just for being her authentic self, Chrissy found herself on magazine covers and talk shows, walking red carpets, and as the subject of endless conversations on social media "I don't know what you've been through to play her," she is often told by fans, "but it was something."

In This is Me, Chrissy Metz shares her story with a raw honesty that will leave readers both surprised but also inspired. Infused with the same authenticity she brings to her starring role, Chrissy's This is Me is so much more than your standard Hollywood memoir or collection of personal essays. She embraces the spirit of Shonda Rhimes' Year of Yes, and shares how she has applied the lessons she learned from both setbacks and successes. A born entertainer, Chrissy finds light in even her darkest moments, and leaves the reader feeling they are spending time with a friend who gets it.

Chrissy Metz grew up in a large family, one that always seemed to be moving, and growing. Her father disappeared one day, leaving her mother to work a series of menial jobs and his children to learn to live with the threat of hunger and the electricity being cut off. When her mother remarried, Chrissy hoped for "normal" but instead experienced a form of mental pain that seemed crafted just for her. The boys who showed her attention did so with strings attached as well, and Chrissy accepted it, because for her, love always came with conditions.

When she set out for Los Angeles, it was the first time she had been away from her family and from Florida. And for years, she got barely an audition. So how does a woman with the deck stacked against her radiate such love, beauty and joy? This too is at the heart of This is Me.

With chapters that alternate from autobiographical to instructional, Chrissy offers practical applications of her hard-won insights in a series of "Bee Mindful" interstitials. There she invites you to embrace gratitude in "Say Thank You" or to be honest with your partner and yourself in "The Shrouded Supreme." Blending love and experience, Chrissy encourages us all to claim our rightful place in a world that may be trying to knock us down, find our own unique gifts, and pursue our dreams.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Introduction (p. 1)
• 1 Use the Pretty Napkin (p. 5)
• 2 Bottle Rocket in a Beer Bottle (p. 21)
• 3 Too Much but not Enough (p. 41)
• Bee Mindful Say Thank You (p. 61)
• 4 Secret Summer (p. 65)
• 5 Be Not Afraid (p. 81)
• Bee Mindful Preschool Rules Still Apply (p. 97)
• 6 You're Here for a Reason (p. 105)
• 7 These Are The Breaks (p. 117)
• Bee Mindful How to be an Agent of Change in Your Own Life (p. 125)
• 8 Woo Me with Your Words (p. 131)
• Bee Mindful the Shrouded Supreme (p. 141)
• 9 Lost Angeles (p. 143)
• 10 If Nothing Changes, Nothing Changes (p. 155)
• Bee Mindful My New Vows (p. 179)
• 11 When You're so Thirsty You're Dehydrated (p. 185)
• Bee Mindful Don't Call Him Back (p. 203)
• 12 Falling Forward (p. 209)
• 13 The Not-So-Big Easy (p. 215)
• Bee Mindful Hurt People Hurt People (p. 231)
• 14 Do Whatcha Wanna Do (p. 237)
• Bee Mindful Wear What Makes You Happy (p. 251)
• 15 Return on the Investment (p. 259)
• Bee Mindful the Power of an Apology (p. 277)
• 16 A Reason, a Season, Or a Lifetime (p. 281)
• Bee Mindful Give Back to Others (And to Yourself) (p. 289)
• 17 Forever Never Fades (p. 293)
• P.S. A Letter From Chrissy to Kate (p. 305)
• Acknowledgments (p. 307)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Booklist Review

Metz, who plays beloved sister Kate on This Is Us, occupies a unique place in the cultural landscape one of the few plus-size women on a hit television show. As such, there's much speculation about her personal story ­especially how weight has affected her career and the ways in which the show's story line intertwines with her own life. In this compact book, Metz shares her story, but this is more than a celebrity bio. At its heart, it's a how-to book how to take charge of your own life, with Metz and coauthor O'Leary detailing what she had to overcome: an absent father, an abusive stepfather, an overworked mother, and weight issues that impacted her in numerous ways. Moving from Florida to Los Angeles led to a career as an agent, though she wanted to act and sing. A role in American Horror Story led to This Is Us. Writing in an agreeably folksy voice, Metz drops include her empowerment messages throughout the book face your fears, practice gratitude, visualize success. These nuggets have appeared in thousands of books, but coming from Kate, they'll have new resonance for fans.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2018 Booklist