Let Me Be Real with You: A Memoir of Personal Growth and Inspiring Lessons on Living a Life of Service

by Arshay Cooper

Instant #1 USA Today Bestseller — From the celebrated athlete and award-winning author, a motivational memoir and inspirational collection of personal stories and lessons that will spark change within you and transform how you contribute to the world.

Arshay Cooper believes in bringing people together, seeking out opposing ideas to collaborate and find consensus rather than focusing on differences and “othering.” In Let Me Be Real with You, he reflects on his personal journey—from the trials he faced as a young Black boy from the West Side of Chicago to finding international recognition as an athlete and philanthropist—sharing insights to guide you on your own healing journey.

The stories in Let Me Be Real with You will help you navigate difficulties and challenges with grace, awareness, hope, and even humor, and fortify your commitment to community building and a life lived in service to others without sacrificing your own self-care. In this powerful guide to personal transformation, Arshay introduces you to the eight essential tenets of wellness—mental, physical, environmental, vocational, financial, intellectual, social, and spiritual—and teaches you how to incorporate them into daily life. You'll

How to tell and own your stories.The importance of unlearning so you can learn.The balance between pushing yourself and recovery.Cooper reveals how a wellness mindset and practices became an integral part of his life and success and how they can become central to yours as well. A memoir and inspirational guide, Let Me Be Real with You is for all of us who want to change our lives and find the courage to “do it afraid.”

225 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 14, 2025

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Part memoir and part self help. The stories Cooper shares are inspiring, but the action steps for self help felt lacking. He lost me in the chapter on physical wellness when the suggestion for nutrition was reduced to finding healthier options at Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. This suggests that his intended audience has a level of privilege that he himself did not have growing up. It doesn’t acknowledge food deserts or food insecurity that the underprivileged youth and athletes he works with may be facing. So who’s the intended audience for his stories and guidance?

[Bella A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has good meanings and presents a life story very well. Liked seeing rowing in the story and how powerful it was for the author to start rowing and continue life lessons with the sport. One critique I had which made this three stars was that it was hard to follow, chapters had stories a little all over the place and too much back and forth between years and such. (Wish it was like in order by the years) but the lessons throughout the book were amazing!!!

[Sylvia · Rating 3 out of 5]

to be honest i didn’t think the prose in this book was very good and that’s mostly why it’s not getting a higher rating. i really struggled with reading it because a lot of the transitions between topics felt pretty stilted and it didn’t feel completely cohesive.
that being said, the message of the book and arshay cooper’s own life story were both incredibly inspiring, and i am definitely a person who needs to work on wholistic wellness.

[Rob Connor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This guy seems very inspiring. I bet it's amazing to talk to him or hear him speak. I found the book to be in need of much more forceful editing. It was disorganized to the point of almost down to 2 stars for me. Maybe his other book is better. I was also disappointed that rowing was only discussed on maybe 20 pages of the whole book since that seems to be his thing - it was also a big part of why we had the book to begin with.

[Nora Fischer]

hocr gave this book & a $160 vineyard vine vest to all volunteers so read during my shift! also think i saw an olympian in the cambridge boat club women’s locker room & felt wildly inferior but in a good way?

[Mark Harbour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great perspective from someone who grew up on the south side of Chicago with a difficult environment but developed great personal values by reading people well and engaging their perspectives in growing his character...

[Andrew Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of hope and growth. This man skilfully ties rowing to individual and societal growth in both simile and metaphor. Brave, honest, vulnerable, he pulls us towards each other.
Self-help meets “help each other”. A feel-good, but very real read.