“A fascinating memoir of Tina Knowles’s journey to become the global figure she is today. We learn how the strength and wisdom of the women who came before her fueled Tina’s passion to achieve and gave her the ability to nurture her own daughters into the incredible women they are today.”—Oprah Winfrey“Both her great-grandmother and grandmother fought to keep their children from being sold away or otherwise separated in slavery. How remains a mystery. Matriarchs, Knowles writes, ‘are filled with the most enduring and ferocious love.’”—The New York Times“As a fan of the Knowles family music empire, I was not expecting to uncover information I did not already know, but [Tina] Knowles proved wrong. She delves deeper into her own backstory than ever before.”—The Washington Post“A great story of a singular American life.”—Kirkus Reviews

Tina Knowles is an American businesswoman, fashion designer, art collector, and activist. Born Celestine Ann Beyoncé in Galveston, Texas, to a longshoreman father and seamstress mother, she learned dressmaking at an early age. In 1986, she opened Headliners, a groundbreaking hair salon that became a multimillion-dollar phenomenon in Houston. As a stylist, designer, and mother, she helped guide the day-to-day path of Destiny’s Child—the music group comprised of Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams—to global commercial success. With her daughter Beyoncé she cofounded and ran the House of Deréon, a clothing line named for her mother, later adding the Miss Tina line, which revolutionized size inclusivity. In 2024, she helped to create Cécred, Beyoncé’s hair-care line. Her philanthropic portfolio includes the nonprofit performing arts organization WACO Theater Center; The Knowles-Rowland Center for Youth in Houston; and Tina’s Angels, her thriving mentoring program for at-risk youth in South Central Los Angeles. She serves as chairwoman of BeyGOOD, a nonprofit dedicated to establishing economic equity through a wide array of initiatives. Tina Knowles is a grandmother of six and a Matriarch to many.