First Impressions: Off-Screen Conversations with a Bachelor on Race, Family, and Forgiveness

“First impressions matter, and mine was lacking,” writes James in his incisive debut, a candid take on his role as the first Black male lead on the reality television show The Bachelor. James dishes on his drama-filled stint on the program, as well as his experience growing up biracial and Christian in Raleigh, N.C. The author describes being raised by a white single mother and how the “Christian forgiveness my mother instilled” reconciled him with his absentee father. James’s promising college football career ended after two unsuccessful NFL tryouts, prompting the realization that “failure sucks, but it’s necessary” because it teaches lessons that prepare one for the future. As for his disillusioning time on The Bachelor, James doesn’t pull any punches: “After watching the premiere, I appreciated... just how much of my power I had given away.” Thoughtful reflections on how his “conflicting identities—Christian in an increasingly secular world; Black and white”—have shaped his life reveal a new side of James, and details about his postfinale relationship with Bachelor winner Rachael Kirkconnell ensure there’s plenty of meat for fans. Citizens of Bachelor Nation will eat this up. Agent: Haley Heidemann, WME. (May)