Like Me

LIKE ME: CONFESSIONS OF A HEARTLAND COUNTRY SINGER Chely Wright, singer, songwriter, and country music star, writes in this moving, telling memoir about her life and her career; about growing up in America's heartland and about barely remembering a time when she didn't know she was different. The youngest of three children, Wright would ascend the ladder to the top of the country-music world, only to find herself trapped in a place she hadn't foreseen, but had to face.From high-school homecoming queen to successful recording artist with her first hit single, “Shut Up and Drive ” Wright's journey was dictated by keeping the truth of who she was closeted in a world in which country music stars had never been – and could not be – openly gay. Working with the biggest names in Nashville, she navigated these treacherous waters until the charade took too great a toll.Ultimately, as she reveals in this candid and outspoken work, Wright found the courage to untangle herself from the image of the country music star she'd become, an image steeped in long-standing ideals and notions about who – and what – a country artist is, and what fans expect that artist to be.

From Wright--an award-winning country music singer and songwriter--comes a candid and inspiring glimpse into her extraordinary journey from high school homecoming queen to #1 "Billboard" artist, and an exploration of the toll that success has taken on her life. 256 pp. 60,000 print.