SPOTTED: Rapper and actor, Common, at The Grove in Los Angeles, CA September 15, 2011 for an interview with Renee Bargh of Extra.

Born Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Common was there to promote his new memoir, One Day It’ll All Make Sense: A Memoir by Lonnie Rashid Lynn Jr. This introspective book gives Common’s fans a closer look at the entertainer’s childhood on the streets of Chicago’s South Side, his decision to drop out of college and the road he took to get to his rap and eventually acting career.

The book, filled with details about his life and briefly touching on the music he made over the years, is unique in that each chapter of the book starts with a letter from Common to someone significant in his life like his father and his aborted child.

“It’s about the evolution of a young man growing into manhood,” the rapper and actor told the Sun-Times. “It’s about love relationships, not only on a romantic level but love for the art you’re doing, music and acting, love for my mother, my daughter. And, of course, Chicago. It’s not only the backdrop on the cover, it’s the backdrop of my life.”

“People who know me as Common might find it hard to believe some of the things that made me Rashid,” the rap star says in a press release. “That’s partly why I’ve written this book, so that I can show myself as a man in full. That means telling some tough truths, revealing my faults and vulnerabilities. But it also means showing the true strength of my character.”

For those living in the Los Angeles area, Common will hold a book signing at Barnes & Noble in Glendale at Americana September 19, 2011.

A chance to meet hip hop artist, actor and now author Common, as he promotes his new bookOne Day It’ll All Make Sense. If you are lucky enough to live near these cities to get your own personal copy signed by Lonnie himself will surely be a treat.

Where: Simon & Schuster Book Signing – Diversity Council
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
When: Wednesday, September 14 12:45PM – 2:00PM

Where: ALOUD LA Public Library LA Public Library – Mark Taper Auditorium (soldout)
630 W. Fifth St., Los Angeles, CA 90071
When: Friday, September 16 7:00PM

Where: Barnes & Noble Book Signing
210 Americana Way, Glendale, CA 91210
When: Monday, September 19 7:00PM

Where: Macy’s Book Signing
111 North State Street, Chicago, IL 60602
When: Tuesday, September 20 12:00PM – 2:00PM

Where: Barnes & Noble – Depaul
1 E. Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, IL 60604
When: Tuesday, September 20 5:45PM – 8:00PM

Where: University of Illinois
601 East John Street, Champaign, IL 61820
When: Wednesday, September 21 5:30PM

Where: Saint Louis University
221 N. Grand Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63103
When: Thursday, September 22 6:00PM