Britney Spears’ memoir to be narrated by Michelle Williams

Britney Spears’ memoir The Woman In Me will be released on October 24, promising a first-hand account of Spears’ rise from child stardom to teen icon to media magnet to her much-discussed conservatorship and the ensuing legal battle that freed her from her father’s control. (A firsthand account you can’t already get from her prolific Instagram posts, that is.) On Friday, publisher Simon & Schuster shared an exciting announcement about the audiobook version, which will be narrated by none other than Oscar-nominated actor Michelle Williams.

“This book has been a labor of love and all the emotions that come with it,” the pop star said in a statement to People. “Reliving everything has been exciting, heart-wrenching and emotional, to say the least. For those reasons, I will only be reading a small part of my audiobook. I am so grateful to the amazing Michelle Williams for reading the rest of it.”

In her own statement, Williams said simply, “I stand with Britney.”

Per Simon & Schuster’s website, the autobiography reveals Spears’ “incredible journey—and the strength at the core of one of the greatest performers in pop music history.” The synopsis continues, “Written with remarkable candor and humor, Spears’s groundbreaking book illuminates the enduring power of music and love—and the importance of a woman telling her own story, on her own terms, at last.”

Spears’ controversial conservatorship came to an end in November 2021; her book was announced in February 2022. There was reportedly a heated bidding war for the manuscript, ultimately ending up at Simon & Schuster with a $15 million deal. “Having to reflect my past in a book was not easy,” Spears, who is going through a divorce with ex Sam Asghari, wrote in a recent Instagram post. “I’m taking it one day at a time and learning to breathe.”