Fans anxiously awaiting the arrival of Eminem's new album, Relapse, have a drama-filled way to pass the time with The Way I Am, the Detroit rapper's new memoir (out October 21), which is chock full of personal photos, handwritten lyrics, sketches, and personal details about his tumultuous and often violent past.

For a sneak peek, check out a few quotes from the book below.

Eminem on dealing with success and living in Detroit:
"I was losing my mind. I got up in one kid's face with a pistol. Unloaded, but still. Was that the right thing to do? Hell, no. But my temper was out of control. Thank God I was in enough control to not do something tragic. I had to move out of there before I wound up hurting somebody."

Eminem on his erratic behavior:
"When I look back at myself during those years when everything was blowing up, I think maybe at first I was a little, you know, too aggressive and loud. It was like I had this voice and I had to be heard. ''Don't f*ck with me,' to the point where people must have been wondering, Why is this dude so angry? Is he on crack? Is he on crystal meth? I go back and see old interviews and even now I wonder, Why was I so hyper?

To read the complete exclusive excerpt, visit EW.com