Think You'll Be Happy - by Nicole Avant

Book Synopsis

USA TODAY BESTSELLER

An intimate and uplifting story of one family's journey from tragedy to triumph, inspiring readers to transform life's obstacles into opportunities for growth and change.

"Nicole Avant gives a raw and courageous look into how she found the light in her darkest moment. She reminds us that grief is different for everyone, and we have the power to move through it in our own unique way." --Cleo Wade, New York Times bestselling author

"A love song to a great woman told through the eyes of the great woman she created." --Tyler Perry

Nicole Avant--diplomat, philanthropist, filmmaker--shares her deeply personal journey of resilience and legacy. Raised in a vibrant home where artists, politicians, and business leaders gathered, Nicole's extraordinary upbringing shaped her into a force for positive change.

Her parents--entertainment mogul Clarence Avant and philanthropist Jacqueline Avant--turned their home into a place of refuge and inspiration for a generation of geniuses, from Ella Fitzgerald to Bill Withers to Quincy Jones. This foundation guided Nicole through a trailblazing career in music, diplomacy, and film. Then, an unthinkable tragedy struck: her mother was fatally shot in December 2021.

In this powerful memoir, Nicole transforms grief into a catalyst for profound personal growth and a renewed commitment to service. Think You'll Be Happy--her mother's final words--becomes a mantra for resilience, guiding readers toward hope, purpose, and positive change, even in life's darkest moments.

Review Quotes

"At some point in every life, we are faced with a challenge that we think we can't overcome. This book should be required reading for anyone wanting to understand how to trust in the light even at the darkest times. Drawing on her own grit, grace and gratitude - not to mention a deep and abiding faith - Nicole Avant has gifted us a roadmap out of the darkness of her own profound loss and into a life filled with meaning, purpose and service."--Jay Shetty, #1 New York Times Bestselling author of Think Like A Monk

"In Think You'll Be Happy: Living with Grit, Grace and Gratitude, Nicole Avant brilliantly weaves through her family's story and her mother's tragic death, some of the most important cultural themes at this moment in our history -- faith, forgiveness, resilience, service and redemption -- and she does it all with grace and with the gift of a born storyteller." --Arianna Huffington, Founder & CEO, Thrive Global

"In this inspirational, Christian-centric memoir, the daughter of Clarence Avant, a music and entertainment entrepreneur who worked with such celebrities as Freda Payne, Don Cornelius, Babyface, and Muhammad Ali, shares how she managed to keep going after the family matriarch, Jacqueline, was gunned down by a home intruder in 2021...Thanks to help from trusted friends (including Oprah Winfrey and Barack and Michelle Obama) and fueled by her mother's final text to her ("Think you'll be happy"), Nicole Avant upholds her mother's legacy with strength, positivity, and pride."-- "Booklist"

"Magnanimous, inspiring, and relentlessly optimistic."-- "Kirkus Reviews"

"Nicole Avant gives a raw and courageous look into how she found the light in her darkest moment. She reminds us that that grief is different for everyone, and we have the power to move through it in our own unique way."--Cleo Wade, New York Times Bestselling author

"Prepare to be profoundly moved by this powerful exploration of faith, love, grief, grace, and grit. Nicole Avant's words weave a tapestry of hope and redemption, reminding us that even in our darkest moments, grace and resilience can guide us towards healing and renewal. An extraordinary and deeply inspiring book."--Bishop T.D. Jakes, New York Times bestselling author

"This remarkable account of moving through grief will resonate with readers who've been touched by tragedy."-- "Publishers Weekly"

About the Author

Nicole Avant is a philanthropist, businesswoman, filmmaker, and former diplomat. After a career in entertainment and political fundraising, she served as the United States Ambassador to the Bahamas under President Obama. She has produced the critically acclaimed films The Black Godfather and Trees of Peace, and Six Triple Eight, a Tyler Perry movie about the all-female, all-Black battalion in World War II. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Ted, and their dogs.