memoir

This year’s festival will take place Saturday and Sunday at the USC campus, and it’s packed with a mind-boggling array of great participants and exhibitors. You can peruse the complete schedule, download the book festival app, and book your parking and panel reservations here.

I have warm fuzzy feelings about the festival, attending as a budding writer in the early aughts. As someone who aspired to “go long” but had no clue how to go about doing it, the event was an inspiration: all these hot-shot authors talking about their craft, and free admission no less.

Of course the event wasn’t the sprawling, magnificent behemoth it is now, with cooking demonstrations from the world’s greatest chefs, and bestselling children’s authors reading to tiny budding bibliophiles. The first festival in 1996 drew 75,000 book fans; last year, more than twice as many people showed up.

As the festival grew, so did the excitement. In 2007, I waited in line along with hundreds of other fans for the privilege of hearing Gore Vidal talk about his craft in UCLA’s Royce Hall. Gay Talese, one of my journalism heroes and a veteran of some of the very first festivals in the late ’90s, was always a pleasure. His stories about breaking into the New York Times conjured up a lost world that seems positively antediluvian now. “If you show up in a three-piece suit and a hat, and you look like you might have taken a bath recently, they don’t kick you out as fast,” Talese told a packed crowd in 2008.

By that time, much to my astonishment, I knew Talese personally. In 2004, I was working on a book about the New Journalism movement that he spearheaded. That year, he asked me to join him at the book festival as a guest. It was my first time in the “green room,” the backstage area where authors socialize over food and drinks. After ogling all the A-list talent in the room, I was asked by Talese to join him for lunch at a table along with novelists Jane Smiley and John Kaye, historian Doug Brinkley and social critic Naomi Wolf, all of whom were appearing at the festival. Reader, my mind was suitably blown. I just kept my mouth shut and listened.

I will be moderating a panel Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at the Ray Stark Family Theatre (plug) and I can’t wait. There is nothing like this festival; it is The Times’ annual gift to the Southland, and we should all be grateful we get to enjoy it.

Here are some of this weekend‘s festival highlights. All panels are an hour in duration.

📚 Ultimate Festival Guide

Saturday

Drawn to Life: A Conversation on Graphic Novels

Graphic novelists Henry Barajas, Eagle Valiant Brosi, Anders Brekhus Nilsen, Mimi Pond and Angie Wang discuss their latest graphic novels, each of which is based on true events or popular myths.

Where: Albert and Dana Broccoli Theatre
When: 10:30 a.m.

Robert Kirsch Award Winner Amy Tan in Conversation with Thomas Curwen

Acclaimed author Amy Tan is the recipient of the 2025 Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement, which recognizes a writer with a substantial connection to the American West. Tan’s expansive body of work, including essays, memoirs and bestselling novels “The Joy Luck Club,” “The Kitchen God’s Wife” and “The Bonesetter’s Daughter,” is widely celebrated for its profound exploration of the immigrant experience, family bonds and the quest for individual identity. Join us for a conversation with Amy Tan and award-winning former Los Angeles Times writer Thomas Curwen.

Where: Bovard Auditorium
When: 10:30 am

Modern Family: Humor, Chaos, and the Absurdity of Contemporary Life in Fiction

Novelists Jade Chang, Kevin Wilson and Sarah Levin discuss their new novels, which are fresh examinations of family in contemporary life: the ones we’re born with, the ones we make, and the ways we reach out for connection in an increasingly isolated, chaotic, and lonely world.

Where: Hoffman Hall, Edison Auditorium
When: 11 a.m.

The Mirror Effect: When The Writer Becomes The Story

Lana Lin, Melissa Febos, Susan Orlean and Amanda Uhle have produced literary and artistic work that has shaped conversations, influenced culture and established them as leaders in their fields. Now, they turn the pen inward and become the story. Exploring their careers, relationships, sexuality and more, these writers offer a rare and intimate look at the vulnerability, creativity and humanity behind their work

Where: Town and Gown
When: 1:30 p.m.

Democracy, Fascism and America Today

Join California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta, Steven J. Ross, Omer Aziz, Erwin Chemerinsky and Los Angeles Times reporter Seema Mehta for a conversation about the state of our freedoms today and what our current political atmosphere could mean for the future of our democracy.

Where: Hancock Foundation, Newman Recital Hall
When: 1:30 p.m.

Sunday

Raising Gen Alpha: Parenting Today

How do we raise children in an age of rapid technological change, political polarization and global uncertainty? Drawing from their new books and their experience as parents, Reza Aslan and Jessica Jackley will explore how to have honest, age-appropriate conversations with kids about complex and challenging topics, while psychologist Darby Saxbe shares groundbreaking research on the science of fatherhood.

Where: Wallis Annenberg Hall
When: 10:30 a.m.

The Mosaic of Us: Individual Memoirs and the Collective Truth of Black Life in America

Join Austin Channing Brown, Tre Johnson, Tamika D. Mallory and Carvell Wallace as they reflect on the moments that shaped their lives, work and perspectives. Through individual stories of resilience, love, purpose and self-discovery, their experiences weave together like a mosaic to form a deeper collective portrait of Black life and identity in America today.

Where: Hancock Foundation, Newman Recital Hall
When: 10:30 a.m.

Poetry, Power & Sovereignty

Panelists Matthew Cuban Hernandez, Karla Cordero, Sonia Guiñansaca and Yesika Salgado will dive into what it means to be autonomous, to be your own supreme authority, to belong to yourself, the land(s) and people you choose.

Where: De Los Stage
When: 12:50 p.m.

Lionel Ritchie in conversation with Mikel Wood

The legendary performer will discuss his new book “Truly” with the Times’ pop music critic.

Where: Bovard Auditorium
When: 2:30 p.m.

Looking Deeper: The Asian American Experience in Historical Fiction

Christine Bollow, Karen Tei Yamashita and Naomi Hirahara dive deep into the myriad Asian American experiences at turning points in American history, shedding light on untold stories and essential characters in our shared history.

Where: Hoffman Hall, Edison Auditorium
When: 3:30 p.m.

HE IS known to not mince his words – and it seems Simon Cowell could get a taste of his own medicine.

I can reveal that his ex, Baywatch model Carmen Electra, and his fellow American Idol judge Paula Abdul are both working on memoirs — which are set to feature their relationships with the music mogul.

A Los Angeles literary agent said: “Paula and Carmen are strong women and they won’t hold back when it comes to their memoirs.

“Carmen dated Simon, so knows what he is like when the cameras stop rolling.

“Rumours have swirled for years about Paula and Simon.

“They had undeniable chemistry on American Idol and now Paula has the chance to put the record straight.”

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Carmen and Simon were first linked in 2012 when she briefly starred as a guest judge on ITV show Britain’s Got Talent.

The pair were spotted on a series of dinner dates.

Speaking about Carmen in December 2012, Simon said: “She’s not my girlfriend. We’re people who date. She’s adorable, isn’t she?”

Paula had starred on American Idol with Simon for eight seasons between 2002 and 2009.

The pair, who also appear­ed together on The X Factor USA, were known for their chemistry on the shows.

Speaking of their relationship in 2011, he said: “On the first two seasons, we couldn’t travel on the same plane together.

“We really disliked each other that much. I think it was sexual tension — on her part.”

When later asked if the pair had ever dated, Paula replied: “Oh no! No! Ew, no!”.

Simon has proved himself as a family man — after getting engaged to American socialite Lauren Silverman in December 2021.

The couple, who have a 12-year-old son Eric, opened up their home to the cameras for Netflix’s show Simon Cowell: The Next Act.

On the six-part docu- series — which charts how the entertainment boss put together boyband December 10 — Simon praised his ­fiancee.

He said: “Lauren, she’s very strong, very emotional, but I love that.

“The reason we have such a great relationship is she always tells me the truth.”

Let’s hope Simon appreciates the same in these upcoming books.

SIMON likes snacking on oranges while filming the auditions for ITV show Britain’s Got Talent.

A source said: “He loves ­oranges – specifically easy peelers. Runners were tasked with keeping the oranges flowing during filming in Blackpool and Birmingham.

“At one point he was giving them out to the crowd, who were ­asking him to sign them.”

Sabrina’s Carchella

SABRINA CARPENTER revved up the crowd with her headline set at Coachella on Friday night.

In a lace leotard, the starlett danced on top of a convertible car amid a sultry performance at the music festival in Palm Springs, America.

She was supported by Irish singer CMAT, Brit rapper ­Centra Cee and US stars Teddy Swims and Lizzo – who showed off her flute-playing skills.

Sisters Kylie and Kendall Jenner, and Kourtney Kardashian watched on.

It sure looks less muddy than Glasto . . . 

Paul on a Roll with the Stones

HAVING made music history by appearing on a Rolling Stones’ album three years ago, Paul McCartney is repeating the feat.

The Beatles legend will feature on a track on their upcoming 25th album, which is due for release in July.

Believed to be titled Foreign Tongues, the collection of songs is largely being touted as the ­Stones’ final record.

It comes after Macca played bass on Bite My Head Off, a track on the Stones’ 2023 record Hackney Diamonds.

An insider said: “Details surrounding the Stones’ new album have been kept secret, but it’s true that Paul features on a new track on it. It’s a real treat for fans.”

Marty Supreme actress Odessa A’Zion is reported to have filmed their new video in a hushed-up two-day shoot at Battersea Arts Centre in South London last week.

Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood dropped a new single yesterday under pseudonym The Cockroaches.

Macca and Jagger have previously ­competed over who was in the best band.

Caught Live: Craig David

By Olivia Monk

HE is marking 25 years in the game, but Craig David proved he has still got it – and revealed there’s plenty more to come.

The 7 Days singer told fans at the venue in Hammersmith, West London that he is working on new music.

At his Born To Do It: 25th Anniversary gig on Thursday he had the crowd hooked from the off, admitting with hand on heart: “Oh man, we’re getting emotional here.”

But the biggest moment came when he brought out Grammy award-winning producer, songwriter and musician Fraser T Smith – who has worked with Craig as well as Adele and Rita Ora among others – and confirmed they are collaborating again.

Craig said: “He’s my brother, and also someone I’m back in the studio making new music with.”

The pair shared a stripped-back set, with Fraser cheekily flipping Craig’s famous ad lib to: “Fraser T all over your . . . ”

Still, fans were there for the classics – and Craig delivered.

Introducing 7 Days – his second consecutive UK No1 in 2000 – he said: “This song changed everything for me.” Delighted fans sang every word back.

Hit song Rewind sparked more chaos, with one over-excited fan even throwing a red bra on stage as the Apollo turned into one big party.

With energy like that, Craig won’t be Walking Away from the music industry any time soon.

SERIES two of Disney+ hit Rivals is set to feature shocking sex scenes between Danny Dyer and his on-screen partner Katherine Parkinson.

The actress, who plays novelist Lizzie Vereker in the show, back next month, teases: “You’ll see a lot of me and Danny, possibly more than you’ll want to see.”

An insider added: “It’s raunchier than the first series and will raise a lot of eyebrows.” I can’t wait.

LOUIS PARTRIDGE is the latest actor tipped to play the next James Bond – and aged 22, he could be the youngest to take the iconic role.

The Brit, whose two-year romance with Olivia Rodrigo ended last year – starred in House of Guinness, which dropped on Netflix last September.

The historical drama series was created by Steven Knight, who is writing the script for the next Bond film.

Of impressing Steven, Louis said: “Maybe I could just be at the bar swilling a martini, saying nothing.”

Glam dash for Doc in frock

SURANNE JONES does a runner as she films for the third and final series of BBC One drama Doctor Foster.

The actress was spotted running in a black satin dress and heels has returned as the titular character.

She was also seen behind the wheel of a burgundy Porsche, and springing from the motor during filming in Hertfordshire this week.

Of her third season in the thriller, Suranne said: “When I got the call to ask if I wanted to return as Gemma Foster, I knew the time was right.”

The first series premiered in September 2015 and followed Dr Foster as she uncovers her husband Simon – Bertie Carvel – having an affair.
Series two aired in 2017.

Sixteen years ago, writer and academic Daniela Gerson met her future wife Talia Inlender at a mutual friend’s birthday party in Los Angeles. Although Gerson came with a date, she felt a strong pull toward Inlender, an immigration lawyer who shared Gerson’s passion for narratives of exile both past and present. As it turned out, Inlender’s grandparents hailed from Zamosch, the same town in Poland where Gerson’s grandparents lived. As Jews, both families were caught in the double bind of Hitler’s genocidal reign of terror and Stalin’s scorched earth campaign through Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Countless thousands were displaced, tortured and killed, but what became of Gerson and Inlender’s ancestors?

This is what Gerson set out to discover in a five-year journey that took her to Poland, Austria, Uzbekistan and Ukraine, sifting for clues that would culminate in the writing of her new book “The Wanderers.” I chatted with Gerson about her families’ extraordinary tale of resilience and survival.

✍️ Author Chat

Your grandparents were in perpetual exile for almost a decade. They have to leave Poland to escape Hitler’s purges, only to wind up in Ukraine, which results in them being sent to a gulag in Siberia. They had slipped Hitler’s noose but wound up in Stalin’s crosshairs.

I hesitate whenever I’m speaking about it, but it’s one of those things where I’m like, was it the worst thing that ever happened to them? Because their firstborn son had just died, and so that was horrific. They’re mourning their firstborn son, who died immediately of disease upon arriving in Ukraine, [then] almost immediately they’re packed into these cattle cars, with lice crawling all over them. People are sleeping on top of each other, throwing dead bodies out of the train. … The journey takes weeks and they find themselves in this desolate forest hell.

But what’s interesting is this was somehow the better alternative to Poland. As you point out in the book, those who endured the gulag wound up with a higher survival rate than those that remained in Poland.

The deportation saved their lives, and it saved probably about a hundred thousand Jewish lives. It wasn’t just Jews, though. Stalin was also targeting Polish Catholics, and thousands of these prisoners also survived the gulag.

You went to Lviv with your wife to research your family’s exile there, at a time when Ukraine was already at war with Russia. What was the country like when you were there?

It was an odd dissonance. Lviv is just an incredible city. Everywhere were signs of war, but also of people enjoying life. You felt the pain. When I was there, a friend of one of my colleagues was killed. And there was an attack the day after I left. But at the same time, music was everywhere in the streets. Couples were out. The city was beautiful — you could feel both the joy of life and the intensity of war all at once.

Jumping forward in your grandparents’ story: After the war ends in 1946, they go back to Poland, only to be faced with pogroms. After all the forced repatriation and deprivation, they can’t even go home. Why did they not try to go to America?

Not everyone wanted to move to America; some people wanted to move back to Poland. Then Stalin moved the borders of Poland and all of these people are being relocated, the returned people from the Soviet Union, Jews and Polish Catholics, are getting moved to western Poland, what they called Reclaimed Territory. And they face another pogrom there.

Your book is being published at a time when antisemitism is on the rise around the world.

I think it’s become a real issue. It’s an incredibly challenging time to talk about both being Jewish and what it means, and why antisemitism has been so persistent throughout Jewish history, but then to also look separately at the Israeli government’s actions and be able to talk about both separately. To perhaps be in opposition to the Israeli government actions, but also to say the Jews should have rights like any other people. It’s not a binary issue.

“The Wanderers” has a remarkable coda, when your father, who was born when your grandparents were in exile, winds up becoming a lawyer investigating Nazi war crimes.

My father had worked at the U.S. Department of Justice when he was invited to be the first trial attorney for the newly formed Office of Special Investigations. It prosecuted Nazi collaborators who had lied about their participation on immigration forms. He valued the experience deeply but only lasted a year there, ready to move on for a new experience as he often did in his far-reaching and peripatetic career. Toward the end of his life he would reflect upon how the immigration trespasses of the Nazi collaborators he prosecuted were not very different from his own parents’, even if their World War II pasts were very different.

(This Q&A was edited for length and clarity.)

📰 The Week(s) in Books

Author Karan Mahajan’s long-awaited novel “The Complex” confronts India’s hidden histories.

(Los Angeles Times illustration; images from Briscoe Savoy and Viking)

Actor-turned-memoirist Andrew McCarthy has published “Who Needs Friends,” a book about male friendship in a time of social isolation. “Men have no monopoly on loneliness, but it is a massive issue,” McCarthy tells Malina Saval.

“The Complex” revisits the roiling cultural wars of ’80s and ’90s India, when reformists clashed with the repressive policies of the country’s ruling regime. “The book itself was written in solitude and edited in silence because I was trying to mentally travel back in time to 1980s and 1990s India,” author Karan Mahajan tells Sibani Ram.

Thirty-one years after publishing “Bird by Bird,” her beloved guide to writing well, Anne Lamott has now dropped “Good Writing” with her husband, Neal Allen. In a joint interview with Meredith Maran, Lamott and Allen discuss the book’s origins: “I carried around these rules for improving sentences for years,” says Allen. “I think a lot of writers do a book because they notice it’s not out there, and why isn’t it? And then they shrug, ‘Well, I guess it’s up to me.’”

Finally, Paula L. Woods interviews four mystery novelists about their buzzy new books.

📖 Bookstore Faves

The Ripped Bodice is an independent bricks-and-mortar bookstore in Culver City specializing in romance novels.

(Joel Barhamand/For the Times)

Established by sisters Leah Koch and Bea Hodges-Koch in 2016, the Ripped Bodice in Culver City has become a go-to bookstore for romance fiction, which is one of the few literary genres that has been exploding thanks to the romantasy genre and its standard-bearer, author Sarah J. Maas. I talked to general manager Taylor Capizola about the books that customers are excited about right now.

Who are your customers?

We cater to romance lovers and skeptics alike, priding ourselves on finding the perfect romance book for anyone. While most of our customers are romance enthusiasts, we often get visitors who heard about our store through word-of-mouth or social media, so it’s become a bit of a destination location for residents of Los Angeles and tourists as well.

Sarah J. Maas, the queen of romantasy, has two new novels being published later this year. Is excitement already building for that?

Romantasy is currently one of the biggest and most popular genres in all of literature. Excitement is already building around independent bookstore exclusive editions of Maas’ books, potentially signed copies and special events to launch both books. This includes midnight release parties, which we have done for other book releases, including Maas’ third book in the “Crescent City” series. While we haven’t officially announced a midnight release party, it is in the works so we can ensure these books get into readers’ hands as quickly as possible, all while having fun doing it!

Why are romance fiction fans still shopping at your store, as opposed to downloading digital books?

Brick-and-mortar bookstores endure in the digital age for several reasons, but we pride ourselves on being not only a place to buy books, but also a community space. Third spaces are disappearing quickly, and we take that responsibility incredibly seriously, offering multiple author signing events every single week as well as book clubs, craft nights, comedy nights and more. It’s important to have a space where people with like-minded interests can meet, hang out and collectively indulge in their beloved hobbies.

The Ripped Bodice in Culver City is located at 3806 Main St.

(Please note: The Times may earn a commission through links to Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores.)

Tom Junod has devoted his long and distinguished career to writing about other people. He won two National Magazine Awards as a star feature writer for Esquire, GQ and ESPN: The Magazine, covering everything from athletes and movie stars to the victims of 9/11 with his elegant prose style. However, it took Junod years before he could tackle the toughest subject of all: His father, Lou, a decorated World War II veteran who fashioned himself as a kind of suburban Sinatra.

He was a hard-drinking philanderer who carried with him a complicated legacy that Junod untangles in his memoir “In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man.” I spoke with Junod about fathers and sons, and the difficulty of excavating his family’s fraught history.

✍️ Author Chat

You pondered this book for years. Was there a moment when you finally said, “Right, time to write this now”?

There was definitely a moment, when my brother Michael had lunch with a woman named Muntu Law, who was one of my father’s lovers. It was the late summer of 2015. She told him, “Of course, you know your Dad and I had an affair for 11 years.” And he didn’t know that. He called me immediately after and asked me if I knew about the affair and I said yes. He asked me why I hadn’t told him, and I responded that I both knew and didn’t know. I knew it the moment Muntu stood up at my father’s funeral.

You intuited it?

Yes. There was a split there that I needed to reconcile and explore. There was too much unresolved stuff.

Your father’s story is shot through with a lot of tragedy. What is the writing process like for you? Was it an unburdening, a catharsis or something else?

When you unburden yourself, what you wind up doing is taking up much heavier burdens, which is what the book was. But it’s very interesting, because now I’m talking about my father with people in my family, and some of these discussions are difficult, but at least I’m talking about him with them. It was mostly pain, writing the book. Exposing your secrets isn’t particularly a relief, but it allows you to carry on your life without the necessity of being silent.

Tom Junod untangles his father’s complicated legacy in his memoir “In the Days of My Youth I Was Told What It Means to Be a Man.”

(Lee Crum)

Your Dad is emblematic of this kind of postwar American male that served in the war and came home flush with triumph and a kind of male privilege. Would you agree?

To the absolute max. My dad was an extreme character, and I think what the war did for a lot of men was it allowed them to reinvent themselves and create themselves. I look at my dad as a completely self-created phenomenon.

He clearly carried himself like a star.

There’s a line in the book where I say that Dad was the only celebrity I’ve ever known.

What’s remarkable is that you broke the cycle. You write about your marriage to your wife, Janet, in the book, whom you met in college. You have been together for over 40 years.

I think a lot of people are surprised by that when they read the book. People just thought I had it, you know — that I was successful and I was able to handle difficult situations. Back in the summer, I gave a copy to my friend, Lisa Hanselman, who I worked with at Esquire and GQ for a long time. And she called me up one morning and just said, “I didn’t know.” And that meant a lot to me. In my mind, it’s one of those things that justifies the effort it took to write the book.

(This Q&A was edited for length and clarity.)

📰 The Week(s) in Books

In “AlphaPussy,” Gina Gershon’s real-life stories deal with “themes of manipulation, survival, and moving around and being able to stand on your own two feet.”

(Evelyn Freja / For The Times)

Mark Athitakis is agog over Lauren Groff’s new story collection “Brawler,” a book that “blends the depth of the long view and the drama of the pivotal moment.”

Acclaimed nonfiction writer Daniel Okrent has written “Stephen Sondheim: Art Isn’t Easy,” a short, sharp biography of Stephen Sondheim for Yale’s “Jewish Lives” series, and Julia M. Klein approves. “[Okrent] seeks to liberate Sondheim’s reputation from the encrustation of myth and to demystify his relationships, while offering a succinct analysis of his achievements,” she writes.

Actor Gina Gershon has written a freewheeling memoir called “AlphaPussy,” which looks back on her San Fernando Valley childhood as a proving ground for dealing with male toxicity as a woman in Hollywood. “I’m not that tough,” Gershon tells Cat Woods. “But I’d learned how to maneuver a lot just from growing up in the Valley, and it was a crazy time to be living there. So I thought about the stories that led me to be able to steer myself through toxicity.”

Finally, Yvonne Villarreal sat with Christina Applegate to discuss her new memoir, “You With the Sad Eyes.” “This book is not cathartic for me — let’s just go there,” Applegate says. “I just needed to dump this s— out somewhere.”

📖 Bookstore Faves

Casita Bookstore in Long Beach prioritizes stories from unrepresented and marginalized voices, says owner Antonette Franceschi-Chavez.

(Antonette Franceschi-Chavez)

An inviting literary haven in Long Beach, Casita Bookstore prioritizes stories from underrepresented and marginalized voices from the BIPOC, immigrant, LGBTQ+ communities and what store owner Antonette Franceschi‑Chavez calls “other historically silenced communities.” I spoke with Franceschi‑Chavez about what readers are excited about now.

What kind of clientele do you get in the store, typically?

Our clientele is wonderfully diverse, but they share a common desire for stories, knowledge and community that center voices often underrepresented in mainstream spaces. We see a strong mix of local community members, educators, families and young readers, along with writers, activists and creatives who are drawn to our focus on books by [underrepresented and marginalized writers].

What’s selling right now?

That’s a difficult question, because we get a wide range of reader personalities. I can say that one of the top-selling trends in adult reading right now is dystopian fiction. Some of the top sellers in our bookstore are “Parable of the Sower” by Octavia Butler, “Chicano Frankenstein” by Daniel Olivas and Agustina Bazterrica’s “Tender Is the Flesh.”

Is there still a place for bookstores as community builders?

Of course! Indie bookstores are vital community hubs. Even in the digital age, bookstores provide physical spaces for connection, conversation and shared experience. You can’t replicate that type of connection online. We’re also living in a time when voices are being silenced or punished for speaking out about social justice, oppressive actions and, overall, what’s right. Bookstores are here to lend their spaces, share those stories and bring attention to needed causes. I’ve seen many bookstores, including ours, function as fundraising and donation hubs, protest art spaces, open-mic venues to allow for communities to unite in shared social causes.

Casita Bookstore in Long Beach is located at 272 Redondo Ave.

(Please note: The Times may earn a commission through links to Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores.)

WASHINGTON — Jill Biden is breaking her silence about Joe Biden’s decision to abruptly end his 2024 presidential reelection bid under pressure from Democrats concerned about his age, health and viability against Republican Donald Trump in a rematch of their 2020 campaign.

A political spouse for nearly 50 years, Jill Biden said she has never publicly discussed her feelings about the three-week stretch when her husband ended his political career, instead saving her thoughts for the pages of her soon-to-be-released memoir.

Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, on Wednesday announced that her book, “View from the East Wing: A Memoir,” is scheduled to be published June 2.

Jill Biden told the Associated Press in a brief telephone interview that the book is a “reflection of my four years as first lady” and that writing it was somewhat healing.

“It was kind of cathartic for me to write it, and I wrote about all the, you know, sometimes painful — but other times, most of it really beautiful moments that Joe and I shared during his presidency,” she said.

Jill Biden declined on Tuesday to discuss any of those moments, good or bad — including watching her husband work his way to the decision to end his five-decade-long political career by dropping out of the 2024 presidential race.

In an announcement video shared on Instagram, she said she wants to “set the record straight.”

The last chapter of her husband’s political career

In April 2023, then-President Joe Biden was 80 and the oldest president in U.S. history when he announced he was running for a second term. His age and fitness to serve another four years — which would take him to age 86 — became a source of concern for the public. Some fellow Democrats began to pressure him to step aside after he turned in a disastrous debate performance against Trump in June 2024 in which he struggled, in a raspy voice, to land his debating points and often appeared to lose his train of thought. Aides blamed the poor performance on a cold.

Joe Biden at first insisted that he would stay in the race, but after a few weeks he withdrew from the campaign and endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris, his vice president. Harris became the party’s presidential nominee but lost to Trump in the November 2024 election.

Jill Biden said that, with the book, “I have put things in perspective,” presenting what she describes as a “more balanced view” of her husband’s time as president.

The memoir is also a tribute of the sorts to women who, like herself, juggle multiple roles.

“It’s also a story about my being able to balance life, you know, as a working woman and as a mother, a grandmother, a first lady,” she said.

During her four years in the role, Jill Biden, 74, made history as the first first lady to continue the career she had before entering the White House. She had taught English and writing for decades at the community college level, and she continued teaching twice a week at a Northern Virginia school while serving as first lady.

Joe Biden ‘doing well’ after his cancer diagnosis

The former president’s office announced in May 2025 that he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer and that it had spread to his bones. He’s receiving treatment.

Jill Biden said it was “quite a shock getting the diagnosis” for her husband, who’s now 83.

“The fact that it is in his bones means that he will have cancer, you know, all his lifetime,” Jill Biden said. She said the doctors say he will “live out his natural life.”

“Like most retired couples, he’ll probably drive me crazy till the end of it,” she joked.

She said he visits Washington at least once a week for meetings or to give speeches.

A unique period in American history

The former first lady also writes in the book about serving during a unique period in U.S. history, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of the insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, according to the publisher.

Her husband was sworn into office on the steps of the Capitol on Jan. 20, 2021, just two weeks after a mob of Trump supporters, spurred by his false claims that the Republican lost because of election fraud, stormed the building in a violent attempt to keep lawmakers from certifying Joe Biden’s victory.

Joe Biden’s first year in office was dominated by the federal response to the pandemic and, while he mostly stayed at the White House, Jill Biden wore face mask and traveled around the country to encourage people to get their vaccinations. She also continued her advocacy on behalf of military families, education and community colleges, cancer prevention and women’s health initiatives.

Before she became first lady, Jill Biden was second lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017, when her husband was Barack Obama’s vice president. She currently chairs the Milken Institute’s Women’s Health Network.

Jill Biden is also the author of “Where the Light Enters,” published in 2019, in which she writes about meeting Joe Biden, then a U.S. senator from Delaware, and marrying and building a life with him. She also has written three children’s books.

Superville writes for the Associated Press.