James Patterson by James Patterson: The Stories of My Life
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- Create Date：2022-05-23 10:21:43
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：James Patterson
- ISBN：0316397539
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Summary
How did a boy from small-town New York become one of the world's most successful writers？
· On the morning he was born， he nearly died。
· Growing up， he didn't love to read。 That changed。
· He worked at a mental hospital in Massachusetts， where he met the singer James Taylor and the poet Robert Lowell。
· While he toiled in advertising hell， James wrote the ad jingle line "I'm a Toys 'R' Us Kid。"
· He once watched James Baldwin and Norman Mailer square off to trade punches at a party。
· He's only been in love twice。 Both times are amazing。
· Dolly Parton once sang "Happy Birthday" to James over the phone。 She calls him J。J。， for Jimmy James。
· Three American presidents have invited him to golf with them。
These are the stories of James Patterson's life: the most anticipated memoir of 2022。
· On the morning he was born， he nearly died。
· Growing up， he didn't love to read。 That changed。
· He worked at a mental hospital in Massachusetts， where he met the singer James Taylor and the poet Robert Lowell。
· While he toiled in advertising hell， James wrote the ad jingle line "I'm a Toys 'R' Us Kid。"
· He once watched James Baldwin and Norman Mailer square off to trade punches at a party。
· He's only been in love twice。 Both times are amazing。
· Dolly Parton once sang "Happy Birthday" to James over the phone。 She calls him J。J。， for Jimmy James。
· Three American presidents have invited him to golf with them。
These are the stories of James Patterson's life: the most anticipated memoir of 2022。
Reviews
Gary O'Dell
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Fascinating reading from an author I didn't know that much about。 Loved the way the book was laid out in short chapters。 Added quite a few titles to my reading list that were referenced in this book。 Fascinating reading from an author I didn't know that much about。 Loved the way the book was laid out in short chapters。 Added quite a few titles to my reading list that were referenced in this book。 。。。more
Nan
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Quick， easy read。 It was quite entertaining with lots of humorous stories of life and career！
Jessie
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This is a one star… read and I didn’t want to boost his ego by giving him a sole star but even he admits that his book was an ego booster。 I wanted to rate it two but the more I think on it the more I hope no one ever picks this book up。Look， a lot of people know I feel mixed on Patterson， & this book only pushes that further。 I appreciated his open honesty about his life， & there were a ton of moments that felt genuine and interesting。 It could’ve just been the fact that each story was only aro This is a one star… read and I didn’t want to boost his ego by giving him a sole star but even he admits that his book was an ego booster。 I wanted to rate it two but the more I think on it the more I hope no one ever picks this book up。Look， a lot of people know I feel mixed on Patterson， & this book only pushes that further。 I appreciated his open honesty about his life， & there were a ton of moments that felt genuine and interesting。 It could’ve just been the fact that each story was only around 1-3 pages long。 But there were definite parts in the story that rubbed me the wrong way （primarily his story about Stephen King [& I’m not even a big fan of King either 😂] and Kurt Vonnegut）。 Overall， I feel weird leaving my usual overall comment ~ So you just get this。 。。。more
Mavis
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Not the usual memoir; a scattergun of anecdotes about his life。 The title is very apt。 I enjoyed reading about his early life， how he became a writer， all done in a conversational style as if he is chatting to you personally。 I was also pleased to read about his collaborations with other authors and discover he has a great deal of input， rather than as many think， are being ghost written。 Nice short anecdotes， but as with his books， they keep you reading and are pithy， insightful and sometimes p Not the usual memoir; a scattergun of anecdotes about his life。 The title is very apt。 I enjoyed reading about his early life， how he became a writer， all done in a conversational style as if he is chatting to you personally。 I was also pleased to read about his collaborations with other authors and discover he has a great deal of input， rather than as many think， are being ghost written。 Nice short anecdotes， but as with his books， they keep you reading and are pithy， insightful and sometimes poignant。 I also admire him for his literacy work with children which he is passionate about。 He comes across as a genuinely likable guy， totally invested in writing。 Very readable and recommended。Thanks to Cornerstone， Random House UK and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest opinion。 。。。more
Sean Loughran
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When I heard of James' memoir， I was curious。 As a man who takes up so much shelf space and always seems to have a book at the top of the New York Times bestseller list， I wanted to know more about him。 And as a writer myself， I was hoping for some insight into Patterson's writing process。 How does an author turn out so many great books in such a short amount of time？I'm also drawn to memoirs， stories about the lives of others， especially in the celebrity category。 James starts out with tales of When I heard of James' memoir， I was curious。 As a man who takes up so much shelf space and always seems to have a book at the top of the New York Times bestseller list， I wanted to know more about him。 And as a writer myself， I was hoping for some insight into Patterson's writing process。 How does an author turn out so many great books in such a short amount of time？I'm also drawn to memoirs， stories about the lives of others， especially in the celebrity category。 James starts out with tales of his time at McLean hospital — well known for housing patients like James Taylor， Robert Lowell， and Susanna Kaysen。 Having read and watched Girl， Interrupted， I'm well aware of Susanna's story。 I found it interesting hearing of his time at McLean， and also how he started reading while working there。 He talks of the books he read on the ward， the ones that inspired his writing in his early years — Mrs。 Bridge and Mr Bridge by Evan S。 Connell。 Also， Jerry Kosinski's Steps and The Painted Bird。 He continues to reflect on his youth and upbringing in Newburgh， which felt quite charming。 He attended Manhattan College with a full scholarship。 Eventually， he attended Vanderbilt and studied English before getting a copywriting gig at J。 Walter Thompson in New York， an advertising agency。James began work on his first novel early in the morning before his Man Men job。 Although starting in a low position， he worked his way up to CEO at Thompson North America while continuing to work on his novels morning and late into the night。I was surprised by how short and snappy the chapters were， each one telling a tale from some part of James' life。 I found him to be very funny。 He did jump around a lot， from moment to moment， year to year。 It did feel a bit manic at times。 He explains that his brain moves faster than his pencil。Almost right away， I took a liking to Patterson， exuding a warm and welcoming feeling from the book。 His prose is quite conversational and casual。 Humbling， and down to earth。 I can definitely see the appeal with James' writing and why he's so popular。 Whether he approaches his fiction the same way， I'm not sure。 But he's a wonderful writer， and able to connect very well with the reader。 His memoir is rich with humanity， beautifully written， and is an absolute stand out from the crowd。 I moved through it at a rapid speed， and with each turn of the page I felt like I was getting to know James on a deeper level。 I never knew what the next page would have in store for me。 To conclude， Patterson has had an incredible amount of successes， and has so many wonderful stories to share。 I loved that Norman Mailer and James Baldwin made an appearance in the book。 Imagining a young twenty-six-year-old James at his first literary event attended by those two made me feel all kinds of emotions。 James has lived such a splendid life to date。 I definitely recommend picking up a copy of this， another five start read from me。 It was absolutely fantastic。 Finishing his memoir， James closes it out with， “like a lot of things in this crazy world， I find it more than a little funny， and also a little sad， that I’m the bestselling writer in the world。”。Avocado Diaries 。。。more
Flora
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It's nice to read autobiographies by well known authors as they are bound to be well written。 I found James Patterson's highly engrossing。 A lot of humor， a lot of name dropping and a lot of questions answered （especially how he co-writes）！ It's sweet that he seems so eager to show himself as a good， humble， likable personality with lots of friends。 Something rare for a celebrity who rubs shoulders with Presidents and other celebrities， I suppose！Definitely a must-read for writers and die hard f It's nice to read autobiographies by well known authors as they are bound to be well written。 I found James Patterson's highly engrossing。 A lot of humor， a lot of name dropping and a lot of questions answered （especially how he co-writes）！ It's sweet that he seems so eager to show himself as a good， humble， likable personality with lots of friends。 Something rare for a celebrity who rubs shoulders with Presidents and other celebrities， I suppose！Definitely a must-read for writers and die hard fans of the author's！5 stars from me， for all the chuckles！ 。。。more
Patricia Romero
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James Patterson is one of the most prolific writers I have had the pleasure of reading。 But that wasn’t always the case。 When I finished reading this memoir， I couldn’t help but think of all the people we perceive as being an instant success in the writing world。 I wonder how many of them haven’t quit their day job yet？James had a very interesting life before he wrote his first bestseller。 And he didn’t quit his day job for a while。 He didn’t particularly like reading growing up。 He worked in a James Patterson is one of the most prolific writers I have had the pleasure of reading。 But that wasn’t always the case。 When I finished reading this memoir， I couldn’t help but think of all the people we perceive as being an instant success in the writing world。 I wonder how many of them haven’t quit their day job yet？James had a very interesting life before he wrote his first bestseller。 And he didn’t quit his day job for a while。 He didn’t particularly like reading growing up。 He worked in a mental hospital for a while where he met a few famous people。 He wasn’t wealthy and famous。 He was trying to figure out what his place was in the world。 He also had to make a living。 So it was off to the world of advertising for him。 Writing copy and jingles。 Did you know he wrote the “I’m a Toys ‘R’ Us Kid？”。There were a lot of things I didn’t know about him。 He has led a very interesting life。 Golfing with presidents， being serenaded by Dolly Parton， meeting famous people， and putting out bestsellers left and right。 And yet he tells funny stories of people not believing him when he tells them who he is。The back of the book tells us the bare facts of the author。 This put all of his work in perspective for me。 Writing is hard work。 And you need a Plan B。 But never sacrifice your work for a publisher。Very interesting and quite funny。NetGalley/ June 6th， 2022 by Little， Brown， and Company 。。。more
Mandy White （mandylovestoread）
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I have been reading James Patterson books for as long as I can remember。 In fact， his Alex Cross books are some of the first grown up books that I remember reading。 Needless to say， I am a big fan and I urge every crime book lover to read his books。 When I heard that this book was coming out I just had to read it。 It is always fascinating to learn more about the people that you admire， and James has had a very interesting life。This is a book of stories， in not particular order really。 He jumps a I have been reading James Patterson books for as long as I can remember。 In fact， his Alex Cross books are some of the first grown up books that I remember reading。 Needless to say， I am a big fan and I urge every crime book lover to read his books。 When I heard that this book was coming out I just had to read it。 It is always fascinating to learn more about the people that you admire， and James has had a very interesting life。This is a book of stories， in not particular order really。 He jumps around his life， telling stories of what he has done， people he has met and how he became the world best selling writer。 I enjoyed reading about his time as an advertising executive， his school days， his experience at Woodstock and his lack of confidence at becoming a fiction writer。 He talks about his friendship with former President， Bill Clinton and their writing collaboration。 It was written in his usual conversational style， with short chapters which makes it a very fast read - just like his fiction novels。I look forward to my physical copy arriving so that I can see the photos to go along with the stories。This is a must read for fans of the great man's books。 Absolutely recommend。 All the starsThanks to Random House UK and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read。。 。。。more
Stephanie
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I've been a fan of James Patterson novels for a number of years so it was really intriguing when the author announced he was releasing a story of his own life。I do enjoy autobiographies/memoirs so this was definitely one I was interested to read and was lucky enough to get to read it early （via netgalley） 。 Made up of his signature short and snappy chapters， this was a gripping read， and hard to put down， but from James Patterson I have come to find that all of his books are highly enjoyable and I've been a fan of James Patterson novels for a number of years so it was really intriguing when the author announced he was releasing a story of his own life。I do enjoy autobiographies/memoirs so this was definitely one I was interested to read and was lucky enough to get to read it early （via netgalley） 。 Made up of his signature short and snappy chapters， this was a gripping read， and hard to put down， but from James Patterson I have come to find that all of his books are highly enjoyable and satisfying， and definitely are always hard to put down。 If you enjoy his work then this one is definitely recommended to be added to your book collection。 。。。more
Diane Wordsworth
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Many thanks to both NetGalley and to Random House UK for letting me see an advance reader's copy of The Stories of my Life。From the moment I knew that this book was coming out， I wanted it。 Therefore， I was delighted when I was approved to write a review。The Stories of My Life by James Patterson is exactly that， filled with what appears to be lots of little anecdotes about， well， his life。 I can imagine them being spoken during an after dinner speech， and it also appears that that's where many o Many thanks to both NetGalley and to Random House UK for letting me see an advance reader's copy of The Stories of my Life。From the moment I knew that this book was coming out， I wanted it。 Therefore， I was delighted when I was approved to write a review。The Stories of My Life by James Patterson is exactly that， filled with what appears to be lots of little anecdotes about， well， his life。 I can imagine them being spoken during an after dinner speech， and it also appears that that's where many of the stories originated: from speaking events。The best bits for me were the ones about Patterson's writing process。 He's one of the most prolific writers in the world and I was interested to see how he does it。I'd also heard rumours that he wasn't writing his own stories any more， and that did put me off reading him for a while。 I was very happy to be corrected on this in that the books with only his name on the front are， in fact， written by him。 Any others are co-written rather than ghostwritten and， hence， the co-writers also get a credit on the cover。The copy I received was a scrappy， unedited draft and there were text dumps in various places， either copied and pasted in error， or the typist forgot to go back and cut out the extra， unwanted bits。 This interfered with the reading for me， but I pressed on to the end regardless。I would have liked to have known more about Patterson's writing process， such as how many drafts does he write before the typist takes over， and then how many revisions。 I also would have liked to know where the ideas come from before they land in his ideas file。 It could also have been much longer for me。However， I did enjoy it and I'm glad I read it。 Every writer， or reader of James Patterson， would enjoy this book， I think。Four stars。 。。。more
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OMG i’m so excited to read this？？？ the ads i’ve seen for it are pure comedy gold and i think it’s going to be so so funny。 just waiting here for all to be revealed…
Randy O'Brien
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James Patterson is a very hard-working writer。 He's earned every bestseller he's written because he used his talent to the fullest。 He's still a hungry dog running as fast as he can。 And he's had nine holes-in-one。 Do I need proof？ Nope， I believe him。 James Patterson is a very hard-working writer。 He's earned every bestseller he's written because he used his talent to the fullest。 He's still a hungry dog running as fast as he can。 And he's had nine holes-in-one。 Do I need proof？ Nope， I believe him。 。。。more
Nicholas Masters
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James Patterson’s The Stories of My Life is just that， countless snippets and thoughts that James has kindly shared with us。 I am sure there are many many more stories， but I definitely don’t think more could have fitted in the book。 At one point I thought to myself that the snippets were too short， and sometimes too scattered， but reflecting back on the book it really worked well。 We get a brilliant insight into James Patterson， his influences， his career， and his life as a whole。 And wow has h James Patterson’s The Stories of My Life is just that， countless snippets and thoughts that James has kindly shared with us。 I am sure there are many many more stories， but I definitely don’t think more could have fitted in the book。 At one point I thought to myself that the snippets were too short， and sometimes too scattered， but reflecting back on the book it really worked well。 We get a brilliant insight into James Patterson， his influences， his career， and his life as a whole。 And wow has he had some incredible experiences。 A real testament to living with an open mind。 And through it all he （seems） to have remained kind， caring and humble。The below quote is so fitting;“I look at myself as just another idiot wandering planet Earth with no real idea what makes the world go round， no particular identity， just another lost soul”Thanks James for saving lives （whilst still writing with a pencil）。Thanks NetGalley and Random House UK for a review copy。 。。。more
Cory Beyer
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Thank you to NetGalley and @littlebrownandcompany for this ARC。 Patterson writes his biography just like he writes all other books - quick， short chapters that keep you invested until you are shocking to find you finished the book in one sitting。 He is everything I wanted him to be。。。。nice， whitty， slightly arrogant （he is the best selling author of all time） and from a humble background。 What I did not know is that he isn't as tall as I imagined and he is a major advocate of children's literacy Thank you to NetGalley and @littlebrownandcompany for this ARC。 Patterson writes his biography just like he writes all other books - quick， short chapters that keep you invested until you are shocking to find you finished the book in one sitting。 He is everything I wanted him to be。。。。nice， whitty， slightly arrogant （he is the best selling author of all time） and from a humble background。 What I did not know is that he isn't as tall as I imagined and he is a major advocate of children's literacy WIN！ In my business， I have been able to see the other side of celebrities and how they treat the "commoner"。 Some people treat others so unkindly that you no longer want to support anything they do （insert Dr。 Phil and Bill Cosby）。 So when you read a biography， there is always a real chance they may not be who they thought they were。 I was worried。。。will I still want to read his books？ I am happy to say I am still a major fan！ Phew - I would have really missed Alex Cross and the Women's Murder Club。 #JamesPattersonByJamesPatterson #June2022 #LittleBrownAndCompany 。。。more
Robin
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Readers should take note of the sub-title of this autobiography: "The Stories of My Life。" Patterson is a storyteller， proudly and skillfully， and continues to be one even while talking about himself and his own life。 His chapters are characteristically brief， the order is somewhat chronological， and the information is presented in a story-like style。 I am a Patterson fan， and I knew a little about his pre-writing life， but I learned a lot more after reading this entertaining bio。 When I was fin Readers should take note of the sub-title of this autobiography: "The Stories of My Life。" Patterson is a storyteller， proudly and skillfully， and continues to be one even while talking about himself and his own life。 His chapters are characteristically brief， the order is somewhat chronological， and the information is presented in a story-like style。 I am a Patterson fan， and I knew a little about his pre-writing life， but I learned a lot more after reading this entertaining bio。 When I was finished reading， I felt like I had just spent a lovely evening with a new friend。 Thanks to NetGalley and Little， Brown and Company for providing an ARC。 。。。more
Dallas Strawn
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For a rather short memoir; I found myself very entertained by “James Patterson by James Patterson”。 Written in the style that his fans have come to appreciate; the autobiography is full of little two to three page vignettes that he has dubbed “The Stories of My Life” and I though for the most part， they were fascinating。 I learned a great deal about him， even as vague as some of the stories were。 I didn’t know much about his childhood and pre-writing career in marketing before reading this memoi For a rather short memoir; I found myself very entertained by “James Patterson by James Patterson”。 Written in the style that his fans have come to appreciate; the autobiography is full of little two to three page vignettes that he has dubbed “The Stories of My Life” and I though for the most part， they were fascinating。 I learned a great deal about him， even as vague as some of the stories were。 I didn’t know much about his childhood and pre-writing career in marketing before reading this memoir， and honestly， I gained a great deal more respect for him as an author after reading this。 He’s very candid with his reasons for using co-authors and how that process works for him， and he eloquently describes a lot of the charity work that he has done in his life; he just seems like a pretty humble guy。 Thanks to Little， Brown for the advanced readers edition。 4。5 ⭐️ 。。。more
Em Ann ♡︎♡︎♡︎ - theglitterybookworm_
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completely uninterested in this misogynistic white dude's audio biography that I highly doubt will even be written by himself。 completely uninterested in this misogynistic white dude's audio biography that I highly doubt will even be written by himself。 。。。more
Pauline
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Interesting reading， once I started I didn't want to put it down。 I've read many of James Patterson books over the years， and like those JP's stories did not disappoint。 Made all the more interesting when you knew which novels he was referring to （although reading them before not essential to reading this book， may draw you in to his long list of books， also noted at the back）。 Definite should read。 Interesting reading， once I started I didn't want to put it down。 I've read many of James Patterson books over the years， and like those JP's stories did not disappoint。 Made all the more interesting when you knew which novels he was referring to （although reading them before not essential to reading this book， may draw you in to his long list of books， also noted at the back）。 Definite should read。 。。。more
Fiona Wilson
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As a huge fan of the author I was delighted to receive a copy of this book to read。 I thought I knew a little about the man behind Alex Cross but I had no idea how little I did actually know。This is a book which jumps from one story to another， with the typical short chapters fans have come to expect from the author。 One of these stories actually explains why he chose to stick to this format in his books。 The stories take us behind the scenes of his life from school to working at an advertising As a huge fan of the author I was delighted to receive a copy of this book to read。 I thought I knew a little about the man behind Alex Cross but I had no idea how little I did actually know。This is a book which jumps from one story to another， with the typical short chapters fans have come to expect from the author。 One of these stories actually explains why he chose to stick to this format in his books。 The stories take us behind the scenes of his life from school to working at an advertising agency and beyond。 The list of famous faces he has met over the years gets longer the further into the book you go。 Such an impressive list I can tell you。 My heart broke for the author on reading one particular story。 I won’t say anything more as I don’t want to spoil it for others。 Suffice to say this is a man who has experienced loss。I was so engrossed in this book that I read it in one sitting。 Huge thanks go to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy。 Thanks also to the author for allowing us an insight into his life so far。 。。。more
Vicki - I Love Reading
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When this author has been one of your all time favorite authors for so so many years， it's really exciting when you see he has book about him， and his journey， My love of reading has been going for many years and this is an author i've enjoyed following， The murder Club series， Alex Cross series， and many more have been among some of the best books i've read。 It actually felt like an honour to be able to read this book。 When this author has been one of your all time favorite authors for so so many years， it's really exciting when you see he has book about him， and his journey， My love of reading has been going for many years and this is an author i've enjoyed following， The murder Club series， Alex Cross series， and many more have been among some of the best books i've read。 It actually felt like an honour to be able to read this book。 。。。more
Elainedav
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