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To Leave A Legacy
In My Good Life, you share your life with readers from your difficult childhood in Chicago to a late-life brush with death that forced you to reevaluate your experiences. Why was this an important book for you to write?
It was important for me to leave a legacy and digital footprint for children and grandchildren. I wished I had known more about my parents before they died. My children now grown had recently expressed a sincere desire to learn more about their dad. It also was on my to-do list when I retired in 2018. Sometimes we overestimate how much time we have left so it was always on the back burner. My near death experienced forced me to face the fact that the next day, week, or month are not guaranteed so as soon as I was able, I finished up the book.
I appreciate the candid nature with which you tell your story. What was the most difficult thing for you to write about?
The most difficult thing to write about was the death of my mother and wife. Initially I planned to leave these details out but they are integral to my story so they were included. Another area difficult for me to write about was my failures and missteps but that turned out to be the impetus of my future successes.
What surprised you most about yourself while revisiting memories and planning this book?
I did not realize all the obstacles I had to overcome until I started to journalize the significant events in my life. The book resurrected feelings and memories I thought I had long forgotten. Obstacles were a part of my day-to-day living.
What advice would you give someone who is considering writing their own memoir?
I recommend those considering a memoir is to write from the heart. One of my biggest fears was not being able to express myself properly so I wrote all my thoughts down and revised later as required. My main goal was to transmit clear and concise thought and feelings. As with most things you must start. I started with a rough outline and filled in the details later.
Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter
In My Good Life, Lee traces a remarkable journey that defies expectation at every turn. Born into poverty on Chicago’s South Side, he faced bullying, loss, and the racial tensions of the 1960s. Yet through grit, curiosity, and an unshakable work ethic, he carved a path few believed possible-becoming a U.S. Air Force officer, earning advanced degrees, programming cutting-edge military computer systems, traveling the world, and pushing his body to limits he never imagined.
But his greatest test came decades later, when a sudden ruptured aorta nearly claimed his life. Surviving against a 20% chance, he emerged with renewed clarity and a desire to leave a legacy-one that captures his triumphs, failures, close calls, and the philosophies that shaped him.
My Good Life is more than a memoir. It is a testament to resilience, discipline, faith in possibility, and the belief that one person’s determination can alter the trajectory of an entire life. Inspiring, candid, and deeply human, this book is a gift to his children, grandchildren, and anyone seeking proof that no dream is out of reach.
My Good Life
My Good Life is a memoir that traces Dr. Gregory M. Lee’s path from a hard childhood in Chicago to military service, higher education, work in computing, family loss, and a late-life brush with death that pushes him to look back and make sense of it all. What stuck with me most was the sheer range of the life on the page. We move from bullies, buses, and museums to Air Force bases, missile duty, programming, marathons, grief, teaching, astrophotography, and a final set of life lessons. This is a book about endurance, self-invention, and the stubborn belief that hard work can still open a door, even when the world keeps trying to slam it shut.
Lee tells you what happened, how it felt, and why it mattered. That directness gave the book real force for me. The opening chapter, with the ruptured aorta and the awful sense that he might not make it, grabbed me right away. So did the childhood sections, where books, music, and museums feel like lifelines. I also admired how honest he is about failure. He doesn’t dress himself up as some flawless hero. He shows bad choices, setbacks, doubt, and embarrassment. That made the book feel human. Sometimes I wanted a bit more reflection and less straight chronology, because some chapters move fast and read almost like a life log. Even so, the candor won me over. It felt earned and authentic.
I was moved by Lee’s steady faith in discipline, learning, and personal grit. His life gives that message real weight. He keeps going through racism, poverty, professional roadblocks, family pain, and loss, and that kind of resolve is hard not to respect. I was especially drawn to the parts where he turns weakness into strength, like pushing himself in math, finishing a PhD after a brutal setback, and even facing fear through hobbies after surgery. The book leans into a no-excuses mindset, and I think some readers will love that. Lee’s ideas never felt cheap to me because he paid for them the hard way. They come from bruises, long nights, and real work. That gave the book a grounded and heartfelt punch.
I came away respecting My Good Life more than admiring its polish. It’s not a flashy memoir. Its strength is its sincerity. Lee sounds like a man taking stock, telling the truth as he sees it, and trying to leave something solid behind for his children and grandchildren. I would recommend it to readers who enjoy memoirs about resilience, military life, education, Black life in America across decades, and the long haul of building a meaningful life piece by piece. It would also be a good fit for anyone who likes stories that say, in plain language, keep going. Even when things go sideways.
Pages: 118 | ASIN : B0GJ8L9SZ4
