From bestselling cookbook author and Food Network star Paula Deen, a warm and inspiring memoir of Paula’s life chronicling her long journey to success and stardom.

You may think you know Paula Deen—the butter-loving, joke-cracking queen of Southern cooking—but her real story goes far deeper than her fame.

In this candid and spirited memoir, Paula shares the bumpy road that led to her success. She talks about childhood summers spent in a bathing suit and roller skates, hard years living in the back of her father’s gas station, a difficult marriage, and the debilitating agoraphobia after the loss of her parents. But even when the going got tough, Paula never lost the good grace and sense of humor that would eventually help carry her to success and stardom. Of course, you can’t get by on charm alone, as Paula has learned, you need plenty of willpower, hard work, and—above all—the love and support of family and friends to finance, sustain, and run a successful restaurant.

Told in her signature warm, irreverent voice, Paula shares the triumphs and setbacks that shaped her, along with deeply personal stories, never-before-seen family photos, and beloved comfort-food recipes woven throughout.

Honest, inspiring, and just a little bit saucy, this is the real Paula Deen—a story of resilience, reinvention, and the enduring power of the American dream.