Britney Spears’ younger sister, Jamie Lynn Spears, will open up about her struggles with mental health and more in a new memoir, Things I Should Have Said.
Spears announced that she had completed the book on Instagram, sharing what appears to be the cover as well. The book will be published January 18th, 2022 via Worthy Publishing, an imprint of Hachette Book Group.
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On Instagram, Spears said she felt a strong desire to share her story around 2017, after her daughter Maddie almost died in an ATV accident. “[B]ut there was a lot of personal work and healing that had to happen before I could share my truth the proper way,” Spears said. “I’ve spent my whole life believing that I had to pretend to be perfect, even when I wasn’t, so for the first time I am opening up about my own mental health, because this process challenged me to have to be painfully honest with myself, and face a lot of hard things, that I normally would have just glossed right over, like I was taught to.”
Per a description of the book on the Worthy website, Things I Should Have Said will find Spears writing about her life as Britney Spears’ sister and as a child star on Nickelodeon shows All That and Zoey 101. She’ll also open up about becoming a mother while still a teenager and how Maddie’s accident upended her life, but also helped her rediscover her faith and redirect her life.
“I owe it to myself, my younger self, and to my daughters to be an example that you should never edit yourself or your truth to please anyone else,” Spears said. “I know I still have a lot of learning to do, but I feel like finishing this book gave me closure on this ’30 year long’ chapter of my life, and hopefully helps anyone else out there who forgot their worth, lost their voice, or is trying to break an unhealthy cycle in their life.”
Spears said she will donate a portion of her book proceeds to This Is My Brave, a nonprofit dedicated to using stories to spread awareness of mental health issues. “I know how scary it can be to share personal struggles, especially if you don’t feel you have the support or a safe space to do so, and they are doing amazing work to support and encourage people as they bravely share their experiences,” Spears said of the organization, before ending her note: “Last but certainly not least, I want you all to know, YOU matter, YOUR story matters, YOU are enough, and don’t ever let this world try to convince you otherwise.”
From Rolling Stone US
