NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Many of Tina Knowles鈥� fondest childhood memories are of sitting under a pecan tree as her mother recited the history of their family, stretching back generations. Now, the mother of Beyonc茅 and Solange with 鈥淢atriarch: A Memoir,鈥� out this week.
鈥淏eyonc茅 and Solange have been busy since they were little kids working, and Kelly (Rowland). 鈥� I鈥檝e told them stories, but I don鈥檛 even know if they really listened,鈥� said the 71-year-old Knowles. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e young, it鈥檚 very few people that want to hear those stories about old times.鈥�
At 59, Knowles began recording voice notes of that history 鈥� adding in her contributions 鈥� after contemplating her mortality following her divorce from Mathew Knowles after a three-decade marriage. The recordings were meant only for her grandkids and future great-grandchildren, before eventually becoming the book's foundation.
The 432-page Oprah鈥檚 Book Club selection explores a vast range of topics, including her enslaved great-grandmothers, her entrepreneurial spirit, the Houston childhoods of Beyonc茅 and Solange, her infidelity-plagued first marriage, Destiny鈥檚 Child's struggle to get a record deal, and the blatant racism her family experienced navigating a segregated United States. (She was once allowed to briefly sit in the front of a whites-only bus as a child, disguised by her fair skin tone.)
But you won鈥檛 find juicy details from the protective mother; there鈥檚 no mention of between Jay-Z and Solange, or of Kanye West taking the mic from Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV VMAs in his attempted defense of Beyonc茅. This is Celestine Beyonc茅's story 鈥� not her children's 鈥� still intriguing and very personal, revealing she was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer last year. She had initially left it out of the book.
鈥淚 just wanted to keep it to myself 鈥� as I went through that process of getting the surgery and all of that, there were things that I felt that I needed to share,鈥� said Knowles, who is now cancer-free after surgery and treatment, and urges women to make mammogram appointments and get second opinions.
Knowles, who next month will launch a nine-city book tour that will include conversations with famous friends like former first lady Michelle Obama and Tyler Perry (she also hints at 鈥渇amily鈥� joining her at some stops), spoke with The Associated Press about receiving due credit, regrets as a parent and finding happiness. Answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.
AP: Some may have thought of you as only Destiny鈥檚 Child's stylist or Beyonc茅鈥檚 mom. Is there a desire to get due credit?
KNOWLES: I gave a lot of people credit for things 鈥� and I鈥檓 fine with that 鈥� but this is all about my truth.
I definitely feel like I was a driving force, and I can say that now without feeling like 鈥� I was taught as a kid to just be super humble and to not ever brag. 鈥� I think I鈥檝e dimmed my light for so long, I don鈥檛 want to do it anymore.
AP: There are events involving Beyonc茅 or Solange that you barely mentioned 鈥� if you mentioned them at all 鈥� like the reasons surrounding Destiny鈥檚 Child's breakup. Why exclude your perspective?
KNOWLES: I don鈥檛 think that鈥檚 important, because from that time, everyone has flourished and just moved on from that. And I just choose to focus on the positives in life. 鈥� I don鈥檛 feel like it鈥檚 a need to harp on those things. I don't want to talk about them.
AP: In highlighting the differences between Solange and Beyonc茅, you describe how Solange loved school and craved structure, and you weren't always able to provide that as Destiny's Child began to take off. Why be so vulnerable with your parenting mishaps? (Solange, not wanting to travel or leave friends, eventually stayed with a family friend for a period of time for consistency.)
KNOWLES: Solange has been a speaker of truth since she was little 鈥� she was the one that was in my case all the time. 鈥機ause she鈥檚 like, 鈥淢om, you鈥檙e just so irresponsible when it comes to school.鈥�
I just felt like that was healing for me to talk about it. Because people think ... you're trying to be the perfect mother, and definitely, I was screwing up just like everybody else. And so, I was really wanting to be honest about my shortcomings.
AP: Why did you mention the importance of teachers, negatively affecting your own confidence attending Catholic school, as well their impact on your daughters?
KNOWLES: Some of them can be detrimental, and I go into detail about that because I realize that a teacher telling me that Beyonc茅 was slow in kindergarten and that she needs to repeat the grade and it鈥檚 December 鈥� that woman could have messed up my child鈥檚 life. We wouldn鈥檛 even have a Beyonc茅 today if I had listened to her.
You gotta fight for your kids. I hope that lesson came through loud and clear. 鈥� That was important to me because I see a lot of parents that don鈥檛, and my mom didn鈥檛 protect me.
AP: Have Beyonc茅 and Solange read the book yet?
KNOWLES: By the time I finished the book and I was ready to share it with them, both of them were on these really crazy schedules and I just didn鈥檛 want them to feel, 鈥淥h, I got to stop and go read a book.鈥� So, I sent them all of their parts and they approved the parts.
AP: Did they asked you to cut anything after they read their parts?
KNOWLES: No. They were in agreement with everything.
AP: What do you hope readers will take away from 鈥淢atriarch鈥�?
KNOWLES: Your life, whatever it is, cannot just center around everyone else but you. And it took me a long time 鈥� I had to be 59 years old before I realized I deserve to be happy. And I deserve to have the things that I deserve, and not feel bad about it, not feel guilty about it.
I鈥檓 going to live my life 鈥� live my best life, as the kids say.
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Follow Associated Press entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton at @GaryGHamilton on all his social media platforms.
Gary Gerard Hamilton, The Associated Press
