James Patterson by James Patterson: The Stories of My Life

From jamespatterson.com

How did a kid whose dad lived in the poorhouse become the most successful storyteller in the world?
• On the morning he was born, he nearly died.
• His dad grew up in the Pogey—the Newburgh, New York, poorhouse.
• He worked at a mental hospital in Massachusetts, where he met the singer James Taylor and the poet Robert Lowell.
• While he toiled in advertising hell, James wrote the ad jingle line “I’m a Toys ‘R’ Us Kid.”
• He once watched James Baldwin and Norman Mailer square off to trade punches at a party.
• He’s only been in love twice. Both times are amazing.
• Dolly Parton once sang “Happy Birthday” to James over the phone. She calls him J.J., for Jimmy James.

(Patterson at RMWF 2020. Photo: Michael Segal)

Patterson’s career is driven by a single mission: to prove that there is no such thing as a person who “doesn’t like to read,” only people who haven’t found the right book. He’s given over three million books to school kids and the military and more than seventy million dollars to support education. Patterson has had a record 67 New York Times bestsellers, and he has sold over 300 million books. James Patterson appeared at the 2020 RMWF as part of Angel Night.