'This Bright Future: A Memoir' by Bobby Hall

Why I'm Reading It

This one was recommended to me by my partner, Allison. She knew I had recently read Will Smith's autobiography, and she thought I'd be riveted by Bobby Hall's early efforts at social media.

My Thoughts, Critique, Review

Allison was right. This book is wonderful. Bobby's tale is a painful, messy, rewarding one. His life was never easy. But he tells it honestly, attempting to understand and empathize with the people in it, regardless of how they may have treated him. He deals with poverty and race, the difficulties of growing up poor, the joy of finding your people and your calling, the excitement of achievement, and the complications of fame. Reading it will make you take a hard look at your life, and that's never a bad thing.

Publisher's Description

The instant New York Times bestseller and "inspiring and vulnerable" (Trevor Noah) memoir from Bobby Hall, the multiplatinum recording artist known as Logic and the #1 bestselling author of Supermarket.

This Bright Future is a raw and unfiltered journey into the life and mind of Bobby Hall, who emerged from the wreckage of a horrifically abusive childhood to become an era-defining artist of our tumultuous age.

A self-described orphan with parents, Bobby Hall began life as Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, the only child of an alcoholic, mentally ill mother on welfare and an absent, crack-addicted father. After enduring seventeen years of abuse and neglect, Bobby ran away from home and--with nothing more than a discarded laptop and a ninth-grade education--he found his voice in the world of hip-hop and a new home in a place he never expected: the untamed and uncharted wilderness of the social media age.

In the message boards and livestreams of this brave new world, Bobby became Logic, transforming a childhood of violence, anger, and trauma into music that spread a resilient message of peace, love, and positivity. His songs would touch the lives of millions, taking him to dizzying heights of success, where the wounds of his childhood and the perils of Internet fame would nearly be his undoing.

A landmark achievement in an already remarkable career, This Bright Future "is just like the author--fearless, funny, and full of heart" (Ernest Cline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ready Player One) and looks back on Bobby's extraordinary life with lacerating humor and fearless honesty. Heart-wrenching yet ultimately uplifting, this book completes the incredible true story and transformation of a human being who, against all odds, refused to be broken.