Jennifer Grey Gets Candid in 'Powerful' New Memoir 'Out of the Corner' : 'Take Back Your Narrative'

Jennifer Grey found her happily ever after in the arms of Patrick Swayze in their iconic 1987 film Dirty Dancing. But in real life, the actress had many battles ahead of her.

On Friday, Grey announced that she's written a book, Out of the Corner, in which she details her long journey to "reclaiming her sense of self." The deeply personal memoir will be published by Ballantine Books on May 3, 2022.

"Writing Out of the Corner has been the one of the most gratifying things I've ever done," Grey, 61, tells PEOPLE in an exclusive statement. "It gave me the opportunity to slow down and unpack my story, to be more curious than certain about what I thought I knew, and through a lens of compassion, empathy, and, at times, absurdity."

"I think everybody should write the story of their life. We're all so busy telling everyone else's story. Especially in Hollywood," Grey, who is also a Dancing with the Stars champion, continues. "Take back your narrative. It's one of the most empowering things you can do. For yourself. For your kids. And not only is it a radical act of self-inquiry that can lead to really knowing yourself, but it can also shine a light on where it is you want to go."

Grey was 27 when she starred in Dirty Dancing, but the actress was long familiar with Hollywood. Her father is beloved Broadway and film actor Joel Grey. Before landing the career-making role, the young actress made her debut in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

In Out of the Corner, Grey recalls these roles and other appearances in 1980s films like Red Dawn and The Cotton Club. She also writes about her "wild child nights" partying in New York City and revisits her romantic life with "self-deprecating humor and frankness," according to the press release. Grey went on to marry actor Clark Gregg, with whom she shares daughter Stella, 19. Last year, Grey and Gregg split after 19 years of marriage.

Grey's memoir explores all of these milestones, including the fallout from her plastic surgery. After rhinoplasty surgeries in the early '90s changed her look, she says casting directors stopped calling. ("I went in the operating room a celebrity and came out anonymous," she has said of the effect it had on her career.)

The actress opens up about this time in her life "with enormous bravery," according to the press release.

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"Grey inspires with her hard-won battle back, reclaiming her sense of self from a culture and business that can impose a narrow and unforgiving definition of female worth," reads the book description. "Distinctive, moving, and powerful, told with generosity and pluck, Out of the Corner is a memoir about a never-ending personal evolution, a coming of age story for women of every age."

This isn't the first time Grey has reflected on her life to inspire others.

Last year, she was preparing to reprise her role as Baby in a much-anticipated sequel to Dirty Dancing. In an interview with PEOPLE, Grey explained she has no regrets about her past.

"Your self-esteem shouldn't be attached to being perfect or judged," she said of what she's learned with age. "What if we all just did what makes us happy?"

"I think one of the things I've understood as I've gotten older is how little I care what other people think of me," she continued. "What I'm mostly concerned about is how I feel about myself."

Out of the Corner hits bookstores in May 2022.