Kirk Franklin is best known for his contributions to gospel music over his three-decade-plus career, but did you know the musician is just as powerful with a pen as he is with a mic? The 55-year-old has authored multiple books, including an autobiography and a self-help book about how God can be your life’s architect. Here’s a look at Franklin’s bibliography.
RELATED: Meet your favorite authors, including Kirk Franklin, and get inspired at BlavityFest—come for the stories, leave with strategies to level up!
‘Church Boy: My Music & My Life’
Franklin released his first book, an autobiography titled Church Boy: My Music & My Life, in 1998. The book chronicles his journey from a troubled youth to becoming a gospel music powerhouse. It also details a terrifying moment in 1996, when he survived a 10-foot fall off a dark stage—an incident many thought would end his career.
The musician told Essence in 2010 that he worked with a ghostwriter on the book who followed him around, interviewed him, and pieced their conversations together to create the narrative.
‘The Blueprint: A Plan for Living Above Life’s Storms’
The seven-time Grammy Award winner published The Blueprint: A Plan for Living Above Life’s Storms in 2010. Franklin described the book as “a transparent approach to talking about issues — from marriage to politics to sex and religion — and it’s from my perspective. Not from a Princeton, mainline, protestant, evangelical or liberal viewpoint, but from a 2010 Christian moderate, with swag.”
At the time of its release, Franklin told Essence that he hoped the book would help readers see their lives from a different lens.
“With The Blueprint, my goal is to try to inspire people to take these Godly principles and see their lives through God’s lenses when it comes to purpose, when it comes to marriage, when it comes to sex, when it comes to parenting as well as issues of faith, religion and the struggles of the African-American man,” he told the outlet. “I wanted to do all of that in a way that was humorous and with a little swag to it, but it’s still clearly Christian, still very inspirational. The book is smart and witty, but I also wanted to share some of my own battle scars and the lessons that I’ve learned.”
Franklin’s work as an author adds another layer to his impact in the gospel community. Through his books, he offers readers insight into both his personal experiences and his faith-based approach to navigating life.
