Selfish, Kerry Docherty
Selfish, Kerry Docherty
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Selfish
Unlearning, Reclaiming, and Telling the Truth

Author: Kerry Docherty

Narrator: Kerry Docherty

Unabridged: 8 hr 31 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/21/2026


Synopsis

In this provocative memoir, one woman discovers that after years spent prioritizing other people’s needs (her husband, their business, their children) over her own, she has reached a threshold she is ready to cross: putting herself first.

“Selfish is a revelation—a brave reminder that choosing yourself isn’t betrayal, it’s truth-telling. Kerry Docherty writes with clarity and grace about what it means to come home to your own life. . . . A must-read.”—Kate Baer, #1 New York Times bestselling author of What Kind of Woman: Poems

What does it mean to be good? What are the consequences of doing what we want? Who determines what is selfish?

These are the questions that haunted Kerry Docherty—the co-founder of Faherty brand, mother of two, and wife—as she realized she was giving away too much of herself: to a marriage with her college sweetheart, to the fast-paced family startup, and to a growing household that demanded attention she didn’t always want to give. Determined to feel seen—as an artist, activist, poet, romantic—she began to steal simple moments for herself, replacing her to-do lists with poems, pushing the business towards the things she cared about, and widening her circle of creative friends. However, as she leaned more deeply into her passions and purpose, she found herself veering into an ambiguous relationship with a musician, a potentially destructive direction that would seriously test her marriage.

With incisive observation, biting humor, and searing honesty, Selfish details Kerry’s twisting, sometimes conflicted journey to self-understanding. It chronicles her efforts to reconcile capitalism with her own heart’s desire, her complicated family dynamics, her struggles with motherhood, and her efforts to rediscover parts of herself buried under other people’s expectations. Her example invites us to demand to be seen, do what we need to do, and dare to put ourselves first—and shows how doing so can actually be a gift to others. Selfish is both a love letter to the Self, and an unapologetic call to action for women everywhere to meet their own needs.

Reviews

Goodreads review by *TUDOR^QUEEN* on December 02, 2025

3.5 Stars This was an interesting, unabashedly honest memoir from a young woman who runs a successful clothing company with her husband, brother-in-law, and mother-in-law. She ruminates on the shifting state of her marriage, parenthood, environmental concerns, finances/housing, and a simmering, tempt......more

Goodreads review by SusanTalksBooks on January 25, 2026

*** 1/25/26 *** Thank you NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I tore through this book in 24-hrs, which tells me Kerry Docherty's writing propelled me into and through the time highlighted in this memoir, which is primarily the time of her marriage. The writing is cris......more

Goodreads review by Amber on November 08, 2025

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC. The author has written a memoir that I wanted to connect to, but struggled to do so. She grew up in Buffalo, NY; I've lived in Western New York for almost thirty years. She had traumatic birth experiences; so did I. She gets energy from being on her own and takin......more

Goodreads review by tei on November 07, 2025

this was recommended to me because i enjoyed amy griffin’s “the tell”, and truly, this is the same caliber of beautiful memoir about how sometimes, all someone wishes for is to be seen, to be heard. i truly enjoyed this. thank you netgalley for the ARC copy.......more

Goodreads review by M. on November 06, 2025

Not my cup of tea. Too much new-age sort of stuff and weirdness. If the book gets better later then she should have started there.......more


Quotes

Selfish is a revelation—a brave reminder that choosing yourself isn’t betrayal, it’s truth-telling. Kerry Docherty writes with clarity and grace about what it means to come home to your own life. A must read.”—Kate Baer, New York Times bestselling author of What Kind of Woman: Poems

“This book is a dangerous invitation as well as a life-affirming hand to hold as you ask: Is there a better way to live? Kerry’s undaunting humanity had me laughing with her, crying with her, and nodding at how hard growing up is for all of us.”—Jedidiah Jenkins, New York Times bestselling author of Like Streams to the Ocean and Mother, Nature

“For any woman who has been called selfish or is scared to be called selfish . . . this is a must read. Kerry has written a memoir of brutal honesty, and her courage gives the reader permission to make her own voice louder.”—Jennifer Freed, PhD, author of A Map to Your Soul

“In this book, Kerry Docherty articulates a lot of things that very, very few women have the courage to say about motherhood, relationships, and commitment. It’s a book that’s going to set a lot of women free to at last express the things they need for themselves. Selfish is a gift of a book and I salute Kerry Docherty for writing it!”—Laura McKowen, author of Push Off from Here and We Are the Luckiest