Gallery Books, Simon and Schuster (2019)
“In her gratifying debut, Simon deconstructs faulty narratives in a blend of advice and personal experiences aimed at millennials pondering how to find success while also leading meaningful lives. Those looking for advice from a perceptive peer will appreciate Simon’s refreshingly blunt take on happiness. ”
In her late 20s, Erica was living the quintessential millennial life.
She had a successful career in politics and social impact that landed her on TV, on stage at Davos and on all of the “30 under 30” lists. And, if that wasn’t enough, she had just married her high school sweetheart. On the outside, she was black girl magic personified.
But inside, she was, like many of her peers, frustrated by the gap between the life she was told could be hers if she followed all of the rules and the reality, which was far less Instagram-picture perfect: cash poor, overworked, uninspired, and crushing under the weight of constant pursuit.
So she did the thing that women like her are never supposed to do: She quit. And that’s when her transformation began.
In the process, she uncovered that the key for true fulfillment and radical change lies in getting “story smart”: becoming aware of the powerful narratives that shape our lives—what she calls “narrative intelligence”— and exercising our agency to change the stories that we believe. You Deserve the Truth is a masterclass story and how to recognize and challenge the dominant cultural narratives—ideas about success, work, time, money, identity, fear, faith and love that have crippled us and broken our world.
In her authentic and relatable voice, Erica provides a blueprint for anyone seeking a new way to live and change the world.
“In this beautifully written, smart and soulful book, Erica Williams Simon gives us what we all need more of: The knowing that life, at its best, is more about wonder than certainty. With You Deserve the Truth, Erica invites us beyond the old stories we’ve been told about ourselves, and into the wonder of our dreams, hopes and love – so we can find our truth and purpose there.”
“Erica is the girlfriend everyone deserves: full of wisdom, grace and unwavering honesty. You Deserve the Truth is the smart and all too real guidebook for anyone striving to craft an authentic and inspired life from the ground up. Erica’s willingness to share the messy parts of her truth is a needed reminder for the rest of us to live ours.”