John Fetterman’s ‘Unfettered,’ memoir detailing stroke and depression, goes on sale this fall

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman’s long-awaited memoir finally has a release date.

“Unfettered” will hit bookstore shelves on Nov. 11, the book’s publisher, Crown Publishing Group, announced Wednesday.

The 240-page book bills itself as an “unapologetic account” of the Pennsylvania senator’s “unconventional life.”

Fetterman will discuss his time as mayor of Braddock, Pa., and his path to the U.S. Senate, along with his stroke in 2022 and his struggles with mental health.

“My public service path, the stroke, depression —UNFETTERED lays it out and pays it forward for anyone dealing with mental health challenges,” Fetterman wrote in a post on X from his personal account.

The senator worked on the book with Buzz Bissinger, a former Inquirer reporter best known for his book Friday Night Lights, the Associated Press reported. The news website Semafor first reported the collaboration in January 2024.

Fetterman’s publisher said the book “displays a rare level of candor for a sitting senator, sharing insights into the difficult and nonlinear path to mental health, the strain his challenges have placed on his family, the auditory processing issues he’s still overcoming, and more—all in the hope of paying it forward for anyone who has struggled with the depths of depression in their own life."

Fetterman has emerged as a controversial figure within the Democratic Party in recent years for his often harsh criticism of the party’s progressive wing, his outspoken support for Israel’s war in Gaza and his outreach to President Donald Trump’s administration. Former staffers have also raised concerns about his behavior.

The book may give insight into those topics from Fetterman’s perspective. The publisher’s description said the book will reveal the senator’s “vision for fighting the battles that matter in a divided country” and “the truth about what really happens in Washington.”