Overview

• Truly. Die Autobiografie is out in German through Reclam, spanning more than 500 pages and billed by the publisher as a mercilessly personal account.
• Richie tells the New York Times the book is not a roster of encounters but a study of confronting fear, adding, "We need a hug."
• He recounts racist exclusion in the American South and the 1963 church bombing that killed a girl he secretly loved, which he describes as the end of his innocence.
• The narrative traces his rise from the Commodores to solo fame, with co-writing We Are the World with Michael Jackson marking a turning point he says changed his life.
• Richie writes about ongoing struggles with depression, stage fright and fear of failure, dedicates the book to Tuskegee and the Commodores, and reflects on his family, including daughter Nicole and children Miles and Sofia.