Let Love Have the Last Word: A Memoir

People who know Common from his roles in movies or from his storied career in rap music may be surprised at the vulnerability and self-reflection in his latest book, Let Love Have the Last Word. The seeds of his introspection have been present in his career all along, but there is something more personal in this book than it seems at the start.

Equal parts memoir and manual on how to let love rule your life, the book focuses quite a book on Common’s relationship with his daughter, Omoye, and the way she feels he has let her down. Their honesty with one another about the past prompts Common to look inward, asking himself if her take on his absence as a father is rooted in more than his career goals. He has to let go of his ego and really hear her in order to grow.

Each chapter begins with a thoughtfully chosen quotation, and the story unfolds in correspondence to those quotations. There are some places where the book feels a bit overwritten, especially in terms of platitudes about self-acceptance and the need to love yourself before you can love others. But, if you’re looking for a story about someone whose life isn’t what you would imagine, this book—and its message about love over everything— is a great place to start.