The Rough Side of the Mountain - by Keisha Lance Bottoms Hardcover

Book Synopsis

A poignant and inspiring memoir from the former mayor of Atlanta about her modest, hardscrabble upbringing, and fully appreciating the selfless, loving, fierce, and altogether Southern-twinged lessons her family taught her.

Long before Keisha Lance Bottoms rose to prominence in politics, she was a daddy's girl from the Westside of Atlanta--the baby of her family who did well in school, though she talked too much in class; an outgoing kid who dreamt of growing up to be elegant and charismatic like her parents, cool like her older siblings and big cousins, and the pride of her very large, Southern family.

After law school, Bottoms worked as an attorney, served as a judge, and was elected to City Council and the mayorship, where she garnered national attention for her leadership during the pandemic and George Floyd protests. Later, she was appointed senior advisor in President Joe Biden's administration.

Yet Bottoms felt disquieted internally. She was in her early fifties and approaching the age her beloved father was when he died. She couldn't shake the feeling that something in her life was missing, like she'd forgotten to bring an essential element of herself along for her ascension. Stepping away from the daily political grind, Bottoms realized how much she'd sanded down parts of herself in her path to professional success. She'd tucked away the fuller details about her dad's drug abuse and prison stint for dealing; the sexual abuse she endured; the eating disorder she developed; the close-knit, utterly unpolished family who doted on her and gave her an incredible foundation of love and confidence but whose influence she'd pruned to a sleek, charming, campaign-ready sheen. She thought that was the price of upward mobility. Then she realized she was wrong.

The Rough Side of the Mountain is about this excavation. It's Bottoms's deeply affecting journey to rescue a version of herself that she thought she had to leave behind to succeed. An honor to the lessons from kinfolk plainly told, hers is a timely and heartfelt memoir about unmasking oneself, the joys of authenticity, embracing what you see, and spreading that powerful message.

Review Quotes

"The Rough Side of the Mountain is a mighty reminder that it's essential to take your whole entire self along for the ride on life's journeys, even if you have to look over your shoulder to revisit points of pain and hidden abuse. This book has it all: secrets, laughter, history, honesty and powerful life lessons. After reading about Keisha Lance Bottoms and how her sprawling family laid an incredible foundation for her, it's no wonder that she's a woman born to make history." - Michele Norris, author of Our Hidden Conversations and The Grace of Silence
"The Rough Side of the Mountain offers poignant testimony about authenticity, family and misplaced shame. It's no surprise that Keisha Lance Bottoms has put these lessons to powerful use in her advocacy for our community. Moreover, her story shows we can all show up and make a difference in our own way." - Senator Raphael Warnock, author of A Way Out of No Way and The Crooked Places Made Straight
"Balancing leadership with motherhood is never easy, especially during times of crisis. Yet Keisha Lance Bottoms has spent the past two decades navigating both. Now we see how. The Rough Side of the Mountain shows her hard-won strength and the source from which she gained it." - Ambassador Susan E. Rice, author of Tough Love
"Keisha Lance Bottoms's The Rough Side of the Mountain courageously shows the human being inside the armor. Hers is a new and powerful demonstration of leadership, embodied by the valleys, struggles, and victories that connect us all. This type of authenticity and truth will lead us to a better society." - Common, musician and actor
"Learning the origin story of one of our best leaders offered me more than I expected. Keisha Lance Bottoms opens her heart on the page and shows incredible vulnerability about her family, her choices, and maintaining her humanity while in the spotlight. This is uncommon in politics, but it shouldn't be. Her ability to make me see, touch, taste, and feel the world she inhabits had me feeling like I'm climbing the rough side of the mountain with her. This is a gorgeous and necessary book." - Tyler Perry, writer, actor and filmmaker