T he Real Housewives of Atlanta averaged 1.3 million viewers per episode in its first season. Nene Leakes, the show's outrageous, dazzlingly captivating, tell-it-like-it-is star, has been lauded by her legions of fans for her refreshing honesty, her infectiously genuine style, and her clever sense of humor.

Here, in this straight-talking and provocative memoir Nene charts her journey from the family black sheep to single motherhood to making good and realizing her dream. Nene tackles her painful childhood, the abuse she suffered at the hands of a violent boyfriend, her struggle...