Former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms: The Rough Side of the Mountain
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Tuesday, April 21, 2026
Long before she became Atlanta’s mayor, a CNN political commentator, and senior advisor to President Joe Biden, Keisha Lance Bottoms was simply a daddy’s girl from Atlanta’s west side—talkative, outgoing, and shaped by a big, loving Southern family that taught her confidence and resilience.
In her powerful new memoir, The Rough Side of the Mountain, Keisha takes us on a deeply personal journey of excavation. After years of sanding down her story for political success—hiding her father’s drug abuse and prison time, her own experiences with sexual abuse and an eating disorder, and the beautifully unpolished truth of her family—she realized something was missing. In her early fifties, she stepped back from the grind and chose to reclaim every part of herself she once thought she had to leave behind.
This is more than a political memoir—it’s an honest, heartfelt celebration of unmasking, authenticity, and the joy of showing up fully. Through raw stories and hard-won lessons from her kinfolk, Keisha shows how the roughest chapters become the strongest foundation for leadership, purpose, and real resilience.
Tune in for an inspiring conversation about embracing your full story and spreading the powerful message that you don’t have to hide who you are to rise.
https://keishalancebottoms.com/
