Pattie Mallette, mother of teen superstar Justin Bieber, is releasing a special edition of her best-selling book Nowhere but Up , which will be aimed at teens.
The 38-year-old collaborated with author A.J. Gregory for both the original version, which was published last September, and the new edition of the book which is due out on July 2.
Often referred to as “mom” by her over two million Twitter followers, Mallette is often asked for advice about the kind of problems teenagers face.
The new edition is designed to relate her own troubled to turnaround life-story toward teen readers and includes features such as a group discussion guide and side bars on topics based on questions from Mallette’s Twitter followers.
In her autobiography, Nowhere but Up: The Story of Justin Bieber’s Mom , she revealed harrowing details about her early life. These include several instances of sexual abuse, experimentation with drugs and alcohol from the age of 14, a suicide attempt, depression, petty theft, a school suspension, and teenage pregnancy.
Like her son, Justin, Mallette displayed a talent for singing and acting as a child and won a number of awards. But, for reasons that may have been financial, her parents were unable to let her join a Toronto-based talent agency that wanted to sign her up.
She began a relationship with Justin’s father, Jeremy, at the age of 15. Their on-off relationship ended when she was 19, although he remained a presence in his son’s life. At one point during these turbulent years, Mallette’s depression led to a stay in a mental health facility after she threw herself into the path of a truck. To this day, she credits Christianity for turning her life around.
When she became pregnant at 18, despite the urging from others, she refused to have an abortion and raised her son largely on her own in low income housing. Returning to school in later life, she earned a high school diploma before going on to college to study web design before a career as a producer and author beckoned.
Of the new teenage edition, Mallette said in announcing the book:
“When I was a teenager, it always helped me to hear the stories of others, and how they made it through difficult circumstances.” She added. “I hope to help teenagers identify with their own stories and navigate through some of their own pain.”
Mallette, who executive produced the film Crescendo — which is based on the real life story of German composer Beethoven and his young mother’s decision to keep her baby despite having an abusive husband — directed the proceeds from the movie to numerous pregnancy centers around the world.
It’s a giveback that’s particularly close to Mallette’s heart as she once lived in a single mothers’ residence when she was pregnant with Justin.
“I don’t know where we’d be today without that place. The center that I lived in had to close its doors for lack of funds,” she told Access Hollywood in March , “I want to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
At the time, asked to comment on Justin’s bad press and some of the incidents that occurred on and off his Believe tour (some allegedly), the still young mom said:
“I think him being 19, you know, I just gotta let go a little and let him make some of his own decisions. I’m sure you can appreciate as a mom how I feel when I read some of these stories. I come at it from a different angle.”
Having been to the edge herself, literally jumped and survived, before finding a belief system that worked for her, perhaps Mallette’s personal perspective is exactly what her embattled son and the teens who look up to her need to hear.
[ Image via Jaguar PS / Shutterstock.com ]