The Next Day: Transitions, Change, and Moving Forward

The Next Day: Transitions, Change, and Moving Forward operates as a hybrid work that straddles multiple literary genres, primarily functioning as both memoir and self-help literature. The book’s subtitle explicitly signals its self-help aspirations with the phrase “Moving Forward,” while its content structure reinforces the memoir’s focus on personal experience as the vehicle for universal insights.

The work fits within the established tradition of celebrity memoir, yet distinguishes itself through its emphasis on transition and transformation rather than achievement or scandal. Unlike traditional celebrity memoirs that often focus on career highlights or public controversies, French Gates centers her narrative on the liminal spaces between major life events—what she terms “the next day” after significant change occurs.

Within the memoir tradition, The Next Day belongs to the category of reflective memoir, where the author examines past experiences through the lens of acquired wisdom rather than simply chronicling events chronologically. This approach connects the work to established memoir writers like Joan Didion, whose The Year of Magical Thinking similarly explores profound life transitions through personal loss, and Cheryl Strayed, whose Wild examines personal transformation through physical and emotional journey.

The book’s structure around life transitions places it within the growing subgenre of midlife memoir, exemplified by works like Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love and Glennon Doyle’s Untamed. These works share common characteristics: they are written by women who have achieved public recognition, focus on personal transformation in middle age, and offer insights intended to guide readers through their own transitions. However, French Gates’s approach differs from many in this category by maintaining a more measured, contemplative tone rather than embracing the dramatic revelation or radical life change narratives that characterize some midlife memoirs.

The self-help elements of The Next Day reflect the influence of contemporary mindfulness and transition literature. French Gates draws explicitly on psychological frameworks such as Donald Winnicott’s “good enough” parenting and Susan Silk’s “Ring Theory” for supporting people in crisis. This integration of psychological research with personal narrative aligns the book with evidence-based self-help literature rather than purely inspirational or motivational writing.

The book’s emphasis on mindfulness, presence, and the value of pausing during transitions connects it to the broader mindfulness movement in contemporary literature. French Gates references meditation teacher Jon Kabat-Zinn and contemplative practices, positioning her work within the tradition of secular spirituality that has gained prominence in American self-help literature since the 1990s. This approach differs from explicitly religious or New Age self-help traditions by grounding spiritual practices in psychological research and practical application.

The Next Day also contributes to the emerging subgenre of philanthropic memoir, in which wealthy individuals reflect on their charitable work and personal growth through giving. This category includes works like Bill Gates’s The Road Ahead and Warren Buffett’s various writings, though French Gates’s approach is notably more introspective, focused on personal transformation rather than strategic philanthropy or business philosophy. The philanthropic memoir subgenre often grapples with questions of privilege, responsibility, and the intersection of personal wealth with public service. French Gates addresses these tensions directly by both acknowledging her privilege and emphasizing universal human experiences that transcend economic circumstances. This approach distinguishes her work from philanthropic memoirs that focus primarily on charitable achievements or policy recommendations.