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DEEP, SINCERE AUTHOR COMMITMENT: This is a gritty and authentic portrayal of Williams’s life growing up in difficult circumstances in Brooklyn, his conflicts with his mother, his struggles to fit in with the crowd during his adolescence, and his battles with addiction.

BESTSELLING CO-AUTHOR: Sternfeld has co-authored twelve books and has thoughtfully rendered Williams’s story. A Stone of Hope with Jim St. Germain was recommended by President Barack Obama, and his own book, Unprepared, was called a “damning portrait” by Publishers Weekly.

A GRIPPING, TIMELY, AND INSPIRING READ: Williams’s story and activism work dealt with social justice issues that loom large in the public consciousness—poverty, crime, race, mass incarceration, and prison reform—and that have been the subject of numerous recent bestsellers.

OUTPOURING OF LOVE: When MKW died, there was an incredible outpouring of love from fans and luminaries alike on social media, including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Viola Davis, Spike Lee, Mariah Carey, Isiah Whitlock Jr, Kerry Washington, Charles Booker, Marc Maron, George Takei, Jeffrey Wright, and Edward Norton. This is publishing just before the one-year mark, so we expect Hollywood to get behind this for the anniversary.

Michael K. Williams was an Emmy-nominated actor and producer. One of his generation’s most respected and acclaimed talents, Williams was best known for his roles on The Wire and Boardwalk Empire. He died in his native Brooklyn, New York, on September 6, 2021.



Jon Sternfeld is a former editor, the author of Unprepared: America in the Time of Coronavirus, and the co-author of Crisis Point, with Sen. Tom Daschle and Sen. Trent Lott, A Stone of Hope, with Jim St. Germain, and A Forever Family with Rob Scheer, among other non-fiction books. He lives in New York.

Author Residence: Brooklyn, NY

Author Hometown: Brooklyn, NY

“Williams’s cool rasp leaps off every page, his story told in the direct yet impassioned language that defined his greatest characters.”—Vulture

“Gripping, revelatory . . . Scenes from My Life tells a story which could have been a movie on its own.”—Eric Deggans, NPR
 
“Striking.”—GQ

“Refreshingly straightforward…Scenes from My Life is an altogether superior memoir.”—The Washington Post

“Moving…[Williams’s] warmth and hard-earned wisdom shine through the pages, his story ending far too soon.”—The A.V. Club

“This incredibly powerful, incredibly moving book should be on everyone’s must-read list.”—Brad Thor, New York Times bestselling author of Rising Tiger

“It is too easy to call this memoir moving, although it is that. It also does not seem enough or adequate to call it powerful, emotional, and honest—although it is all of those things. Perhaps above all, the truest thing that I can say about this book is that it is honest. It is so honest that it repels the cowardice in the reader, as it also calls forward one’s highest self. You want to cover Michael in armor, in a blanket, in love, and in forgiveness. Being the consummate artist-human that he was, Michael’s words thank you for your care but asks you to first give those things to yourself. It is truly a profound read.”—Tressie McMillan Cottom, author of the National Book Award finalist Thick

“A bittersweet memento of a generational talent gone too soon.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Scenes from My Life will cement Williams’s legacy as a kind, thoughtful man who used his public prominence to give back to his community.”—BookPage

“Immensely inspiring and candid…This bittersweet and poignant work will leave readers in awe.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)