Author, motivational speaker and mental health advocate Lawyer Johnson is reintroducing his memoir, My Pain Is My Identity, to a new audience through a Goodreads Kindle giveaway. The promotion offers 100 copies to readers who enter by October 17, 2026. The giveaway comes as Johnson expands his work from recounting his personal survival story to examining the lasting effects of unresolved trauma on identity and behavior.
My Pain Is My Identity is not merely a chronicle of what Johnson endured. It explores how childhood trauma, adversity, incarceration and painful life experiences can become intertwined with a person’s sense of self—and what can happen when someone decides the past will no longer determine the future. Johnson’s own journey took him through childhood trauma, incarceration and years of adversity before he began rebuilding his life. After his release, he relocated to Arizona and eventually built a career as an electrician and contractor, became a business owner, author, motivational speaker and mental health advocate.
Today, Johnson uses those experiences to speak openly about trauma, resilience, identity and purpose, particularly for people who may have learned to survive difficult circumstances without ever having the opportunity to understand how those experiences affected them.
“I didn’t write My Pain Is My Identity because I wanted people to feel sorry for me,” Johnson said. “I wrote it because I know there are people carrying things from their past that they have never talked about. I want them to see that where your story begins does not have to determine where it ends.”
The Goodreads giveaway gives new readers an opportunity to discover Johnson’s story at a time when his work is moving beyond telling what happened to him and toward examining how unresolved experiences can continue affecting people long after the original trauma.
That conversation continues in Johnson’s newest book, People Like Us Don’t Heal Normally: Every Trigger Has a Birthplace, released September 27, 2026. While My Pain Is My Identity tells the story of survival, the newer book explores the emotional triggers, learned responses and unresolved wounds that can remain after survival. Together, the books reflect Johnson’s larger message: surviving the past is not necessarily the end of the journey. Understanding how that past continues to influence the present can become an important part of moving forward.
As Johnson continues sharing that message, new readers have an opportunity to discover where his journey began. Through October 17, 2026, readers can enter the Goodreads giveaway for a chance to receive one of 100 Kindle copies of My Pain Is My Identity. Readers can enter the giveaway at https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/451251.
The giveaway and the release of Johnson’s second book underscore a growing focus on mental health and trauma recovery, especially among communities where discussing past wounds remains stigmatized. By sharing his own story of incarceration and rebuilding, Johnson aims to show that pain does not have to be a permanent identity—and that understanding one’s past can be a crucial step toward healing. More information about Lawyer Johnson, his books and speaking work is available through Motivational Wingz.
