One Day It&39ll All Make Sense [Paperback]

From the hip hop icon, Hollywood star, and “a true artist and writer of deep talent” (James McBride, author ofThe Color of Water)—a candid,New York Timesbestselling memoir ranging from his childhood on Chicago’s South side and his emergence as one of rap’s biggest names.

Common has earned a reputation in the hip-hop world as a conscious artist by embracing themes of love and struggle in his songs. His journey toward understanding is rooted in his relationship with a remarkable woman, his mother.

Common holds nothing back in this gripping memoir, both provocative and funny. He tells what it was like for a boy with big dreams growing up on the South Side of Chicago. He reveals how he almost quit rapping after his first album sold only two thousand copies. He recounts his rise to stardom and talks about the challenges of balancing fame, love, and family. Through it all, Common emerges as a man in full. Rapper. Actor. Activist. But also father, son, and friend. His story offers a living example of how, no matter what you’ve gone through, one day it’ll all make sense.Commonwas born Lonnie Rashid Lynn in Chicago March 13, 1972. Best known as a star recording artist and actor, he has also independently published children’s books. He has a daughter Omoye Assata Lynn, born in 1997.
Adam Bradleyis the author ofBook of Rhymes: The Poetics of Hip Hopand the co-editor of Ralph Ellison'sThree Days Before the Shooting..., andYale Anthology of Rap. He lives in Boulder with his wife. 

Topics & Questions for Discussion 

 
Common opens his autobiography with descriptions of his family from two polar perspectives. He wonders what others saw when they looked at his family. At this point in the autobiography, how do you perceive his family?
 
Writing seems to be freeing to Common. What does writing do for youl/