In this remarkable memoir former Olympian and Kardashian family member Caitlyn Jenner reveals shocking and heartbreaking stories from her journey to become a transgender woman and fight for the LGBTQ+ community.
Imagine denying your core and soul. Then add to it the most impossible expectations that people have for you because you are the personification of The American Male Athlete.
Bruce Jenner, the celebrated Olympic icon and later the patriarch of one of the most famous families in the world, seemed to be living a dream life of success, fame, and prosperity. But the all-American image and million-dollar smile belied a lifelong struggle with gender dysphoria, and it wasn't until the sensational Diane Sawyer interview that the public mask of Bruce Jenner was finally retired, and through the memorable Vanity Fair piece by Buzz Bissinger, that Caitlyn Jenner was introduced to the world and set free to exist on her own terms. Since then, Caitlyn has undertaken an arduous emotional and physical odyssey to achieve the completeness she always felt was missing.
In The Secrets of My Life, Caitlyn reflects on the inner conflict she experienced growing up in an era of rigidly defined gender identities, and the cruel irony of being hailed by an entire nation as the ultimate symbol of manhood. She recounts her Olympic triumph, her rise to fame, and relates how her sense of frustration and shame grew with the passing years and the lengths to which she had to go to conceal her true self. Caitlyn in turn uncovers the toll that these personal struggles had on her three marriages and, subsequently, the relationships with her children. She also talks candidly about her life in the public eye as a member of the Kardashian clan, what led to her decision to become Caitlyn, and how she, her family, the transgender community, and the rest of the world has since embraced her new life.
Filled with incredibly personal and moving stories of struggle and victory, of anxiety and fear, and, finally, of surrender and acceptance, The Secrets of My Life reveals the real Caitlyn Jenner by tracing her long and eventful journey to becoming herself.
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“Narrator Erin Bennett gives voice to Jenner’s autobiography, though Jenner herself introduces the book. Bennett is able to draw the listener into Jenner’s stories, both before and after her transition. While telling the stories that the public already knows about Jenner—the Olympics, marriages, fame—she reveals just how much more was going on behind the scenes and in her heart and mind. Listeners will find Jenner’s story relatable despite how very different her life has been from the average American’s.”
— AudioFile
“Revelatory for the depth with which Jenner details the staggering challenges of finding her true self and the repercussions of hiding her gender dysphoria.”
— USA Today“Charts her journey from Bruce to Caitlyn with affecting candor: decades of distressful dysphoria as an Olympic champion and reality-TV patriarch, and the excruciating, exhilarating odyssey to her renewed identity in the spotlight.”
— Vanity Fair“Painting a life both shallow and deep, painstakingly choreographed and unscripted, Jenner’s candid portrait of a self in the remaking is a marvel to behold.”
— Kirkus Reviews“Caitlyn Jenner is a star in every sense of the word: her shine has continued to burn brighter with each incredible feat she achieves.”
— Rae Paoletta, MTV.comTHE SECRETS OF MY LIFE is revelatory for the depth with which Jenner details the staggering challenges of finding her true self, and the repercussions of hiding her gender dysphoria.
— USA TodayTHE SECRETS OF MY LIFE...charts her journey from Bruce to Caitlyn with affecting candor: decades of distressful dysphoria as an Olympic champion and reality-TV patriarch, and the excruciating, exhilarating odyssey to her renewed identity in the spotlight.
— Vanity FairPainting a life both shallow and deep, painstakingly choreographed and unscripted, Jenner's candid portrait of a self in the remaking is a marvel to behold.
— Kirkus" My first audio book was a real joy. I found it to relaxing while at the same time I could multi-task. Her story was an informative learning experience . I wasn't crazy about the timeline of it all jumping around so much, however she always got back on track. I clearly felt a disappointment that Caitlyn chose not to narrate her own words. Enjoyed overall. "
— shirley, 8/2/2017Caitlyn Jenner, formerly known as Bruce Jenner, is an American television personality and retired Olympic gold medal–winning decathlete.
Erin Bennett is an Earphones Award–winning narrator and a stage actress who played Carlie Roberts in the BBC radio drama Torchwood: Submission. She can be heard on several video games. Regional theater appearances include the Intiman, Pasadena Playhouse, Arizona Theatre Company, A Noise Within, Laguna Playhouse, and the Getty Villa. She trained at Boston University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.