On Writing
Writing Memoir
Tell your story
This little book of writing prompts from The Writers Grotto, where Julie was a member, opens with a foreword by Julie that offers pointers for crafting a compelling narrative from your own experiences. The rest of the book consists of prompts and space to write, providing opportunities to reframe aspects of your life in thoughtful and interesting ways.
A peek inside…
Press on your joy and moments of triumph and ask yourself why those times were so eventful—they are clues as to what matters most to you.
Also press on what hurts in order to understand what you fear. The material you can’t bear to face or write about could ultimately form some of your most impactful writing. See if you can go there. If you don’t, you might make the mistake of telling the story that stands in front of the story that actually wants to be told.
More books by Julie
On adulting
Your Turn: How to Be an Adult
Being an adult, it turns out, is not about any particular checklist; it is, instead, a process, one you can get progressively better at over time―becoming more comfortable with uncertainty and gaining the knowhow to keep going. Once you begin to practice it, being an adult becomes the most complicated yet also the most abundantly rewarding and natural thing. And Julie Lythcott-Haims is here to help readers take their turn.
On race
Real American: A memoir
In this powerful reflection on identity, belonging, and community, Julie details growing up Black and biracial in white spaces. She shares the toll that racism, discrimination, and microaggressions took on her self-worth, and how she found acceptance through the healing power of community.
ON parenting
How to Raise an Adult
The New York Times best-seller. In this provocative anti-helicopter parenting manifesto, Julie highlights the ways overparenting harms children, their parents, and society at large—and offers practical alternative strategies for raising kids to be self-sufficient, resilient, and successful.