Gypsy Rose Blanchard will voice the audiobook edition of her first memoir.
Audiobook publisher RBmedia announced Tuesday that Blanchard will narrate the audiobook edition of her first memoir, My Time to Stand: A Memoir. Written by Blanchard with Melissa Moore and Michele Matrisciani, the memoir will release in December, a year after Blanchard’s release from prison.
Blanchard said in a statement: “I can’t think of a better way to connect with readers than for them to hear my voice as I read the words of my life’s journey so far. By narrating my memoir, My Time to Stand, I hope readers will feel like I’m in the room with them, so they can find the strength, hope and inspiration to explore their own stories and heal. For my whole life I was denied a voice. Now, to be in a place where I am literally speaking my truth feels like a miraculous gift. And I can’t wait to share it.”
Blanchard was famously sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2016 after she pleaded guilty to persuading her then boyfriend Nicholas Godejohn, whom she met online, to kill her mother Dee Dee Blanchard after she had forced her daughter to pretend for years that she was suffering from serious illnesses, including leukemia and muscular dystrophy. The younger Blanchard was released on parole from Missouri’s Chillicothe Correctional Center on Dec. 28 after serving 85 percent of her original sentence.
“In this revelatory, harrowing and ultimately hopeful memoir, Gypsy shares the painful realities she grew up with and the details of her life that only she knows,” RBmedia said of the book, adding that it “offers an unprecedented look at the real Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who is proudly embarking on her ongoing journey to recovery and self-discovery.”
RBmedia chief content officer Troy Juliar added, “Gypsy Rose has overcome so much incomprehensible adversity in her life. With only a second-grade education, what an amazing feat and achievement to now write and narrate her own book. RBmedia is honored to bring her incredible story to audio for the very first time in her own words and iconic voice. The audiobook will capture the authenticity and raw emotion in Gypsy Rose’s voice, engaging listeners in a way that only audio format can.”
The audiobook will include exclusive bonus content from Blanchard and her co-authors that offers a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the book.
In addition to the upcoming memoir, Blanchard’s life story has been explored in various documentaries including HBO’s Mommy Dead and Dearest and Lifetime’s docuseries Gypsy Rose: Life After Lockup —the follow-up to The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard. Her story was also adapted into Hulu’s fictional series The Act, starring Joey King and Patricia Arquette.
The announcement of Blanchard’s memoir comes amid her surprise reveal that she and her boyfriend, Ken Urker, are expecting their first child together. “Well … the rumors are true!” she wrote in the caption for her YouTube video. “Ken and I are so excited to start our family together and i can’t wait to share my journey with you here on YouTube and my other social media platforms. Thank you for all your support so far and i can’t wait to see our family grow.”
RBmedia will publish the audiobook edition of My Time to Stand: A Memoir under its Recorded Books audio brand, with the hardcover and eBook editions from BenBella Books releasing simultaneously. My Time to Stand: A Memoir is available to preorder and will release on Dec. 10, 2024.