Jennifer Lopez pens ‘cathartic’ book to be released in October

Jennifer Lopez, the singer and actress, has penned a memoir for Celebra, a Penguin imprint, that will tackle two eventful years in her life that followed her becoming a parent.

“In ‘True Love,’ Lopez explores one of her life’s most defining periods — the transformative two-year journey of how, as an artist and a mother, she confronted her greatest challenges, identified her biggest fears, and ultimately emerged a stronger person than she’s ever been,” Penguin Group said in a news release.

The book, Lopez’s first, is set for release Oct. 28 and will be published simultaneously in English and Spanish. The release describes the book as “an honest and revealing personal diary with hard-won lessons and heartfelt recollections.”

Lopez, who was awarded an Icon Award at the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday night, married the singer Marc Anthony in 2004. In 2008, she gave birth to the couple’s twins, a boy and girl -- with People magazine reportedly paying millions for exclusive photographs. But in 2011 she separated from Anthony and the singer has called herself a “single mom.”

“Writing ‘True Love’ has been a deeply cathartic, personal, and vulnerable experience,” Lopez said in a statement. “If it were not for the love and courage given to me by my children, this story wouldn’t have been possible.”

Celebra focuses largely on mainstream Latino authors and has published books by Ricky Martin, George Lopez and Soledad O’Brien. Publisher Raymond Garcia, who acquired the rights, said in a statement, “Jennifer Lopez is a remarkable author, who fully invested her heart and soul into every page or her book.”