WALK THROUGH FIRE

A memoir from the co-founder of BET (Black Entertainment Television) and the first African-American woman billionaire who shares her deeply personal journey - through love and loss, tragedy and triumph - to discovering her true self and at last finding happiness in her work and life.

From days as a schoolgirl and young violinist in Maywood, Illinois, Sheila Johnson rose to become one of the most accomplished businesswomen in the world. But that success came at a painful personal cost. Sheila grew up in a middle-class family that encouraged her love of the arts and music. But her idyllic childhood ended at age 16, when her beloved father announced he was leaving for another woman, an act that shattered her mother and destroyed Sheila's trust. She vowed she'd never be in her mother's position - dependent on a man for her sense of self-worth and for financial security. Yet when she was barely out of her teens, Sheila married a man who would take her right down that same unfortunate path.

Filled with sharply drawn, emotionally powerful scenes, Walk Through Fire traces the hardships Sheila faced in her marriage and her professional life. And yet, she shares that out of that pain came renewed purpose and meaning. In the third act of her life, Sheila Johnson has not only made her mark as the founder of Salamander Hotels & Resorts and the only Black female co-owner of three professional sports teams, she has also, finally, found true love.

This is a memoir of grit, determination, and an inspiration to women, especially those who have overcome significant obstacles to find success in business and life.