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.