Will Smith (1)Critiques

It was an interesting read. Going in I had no real positive or negative feelings about Will Smith; I’ve watched and enjoyed his TV series and several of his movies. After reading this book I am not sure that he realizes how much sheer dumb luck has played in his life. So many others with talent and drive didn’t make it simply because they were not in the right place at the right time. The most adult thing I read in this book was a 12 year old Willow saying „poor Daddy, he has an image of a family in his head and it’s not us.“

Not just a great story of the life of Will Smith, but to hear him tell it, was the icing on the cake!

Phenomenal read. I don't think the media did a very good job with the salacious headlines. Reading this memoir was nothing like what the media made it out to be. This was heartfelt and spoke on many topics including children witnessing domestic violence and the effects on later in life, fear, relationship building and following a dream at the expense of loved ones. I literally could not put this book down.

Thoroughly engaging and vulnerable at times. I love reading about the BTS of the Ali movie, how Will and Jazzy Jeff met, Gigi, and Will’s childhood.

The messy part of me is sad that there was no mention of August :>

Huge journey of inner transformation and a look into another side of Will Smith

I can’t say how happy I am to have made this book my first #audiable #audiobook!! @willsmith tells his life story in true “Fresh Prince” style. No-holds bar truth throughout this masterpiece.

DISCLOSURE – I have always been a HUGE fan of his, so my review may be a little bias. I have watched every movie, know the words to every song, and obviously have seen The Fresh Prince of Belair (every episode) numerous times!

Now to finish my review! As a great book should, Will tells us things in his memoir that most of us didn’t know. From childhood struggles, to basically blowing his first $3,000,000, to learning from past mistakes, taking risks and refocusing to find and become the man we know and love today. I highly suggest listening to the audiobook as you get to hear bits of those first tracks, all the emotions, and blunt truths from the man himself!

wow. I’ve never read a memoir before but I knew this would be the one to start with. Now I’m worried no others will live up to it. It was amazing hearing everything from Will Smith’s perspective, like behind the scenes (especially about that beloved improvised scene on fresh Prince about his dad

One of the best books I have read

4.5 stars

Growing up I was a huge fan of action star Will Smith - from The Fresh Prince to Independence Day to The Pursuit of Happyness, Will proved time and again the strength and calibre of his acting. So when I heard about his (audio)book I was intrigued.

The book is an in-depth look at the past 40 years of his life. It's honest, funny and thought-provoking. The first 3/4 of the book covers his childhood to rise to fame and is very entertaining - especially as he talks about the artistic journey behind some of his most famous films.
However, my favorite part of the book was the last quarter, when he talks about his struggles and lessons with finding happiness and purpose. I love learning about other peoples journeys and I appreciated his honesty and lessons.

Entertaining for all the Will Smith fans and interesting enough for those that aren't - I highly recommend!

Rating is for audiobook only, and I can’t imagine doing this book any other way. You must hear this in Smith’s voice or so much will be lost. I can see how hard-copy readers found him arrogant and the book ridiculous—you’ll miss the sarcasm, his laughing at himself, the music, the impressions, etc. Smith doing Schwarzenegger, Ali, and Mandela should not be missed. Highly entertaining book.

I loved this book. Tackling a stereotype, but with rhythm I think many students would really get into. I think the family was represented well and clearly from the eyes of a young boy who looked up to his dad.

Excited to read this autobiography having fond memories watching Fresh Prince as a child. I was surprised how little I knew of his important involvement with the music industry. I enjoyed reading about his tours. Sometimes his personal descriptions made me feel as Ii was uncomfortably prying into his life, but as the book progressed, it became more philosophical, had references to literature (including a brilliant description of Joseph Campbell's Hero With a Thousand Faces book - obviously not just name dropping), and books that Will had not only read, but applied to his own life. Funny at times (his Mommom is truly inspirational in herself "CUT IT OFF!"), and heartfelt throughout, but mostly emphasises his love for his family. Will recommends Christopher Vogler's The Writer's Journey, and watching Dances With Wolves back to back with Avatar.

I can't be the first one to say this, but if you're looking for a reason why at the 2022 Academy Awards Will Smith defied all sense of boundaries and norms to walk onstage and slap Chris Rock across the face, then look no further. The answers are here. But don't assume one single moment explains it. All of it explains it. All the hard work, the childhood abuse, the lucky breaks, the fear, the courage, the self-sacrifice and the self-centeredness—all of it is why he did it. It's who he is.

The flip side is that everything you DO love about Will Smith, none of that would exist without this highly flawed individual doing all the necessary groundwork in order to be rich and famous. The man is a bonified star in every sense of the word. And there are enough trials and tribulations throughout his life that he is certainly going to get his own biopic one day (think Elton John, Ray Charles or Elvis).

This is a great auto-biography, entertaining and thought-provoking, but holy cow Will Smith is the epitome of "never meet your heroes."½

I’m not a huge fan, but I enjoyed parts of the autobiography. This just goes to show that wealth and fame has little to do with happiness. Why does his wife put up with him, I kept wondering?

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/1dRiQS8YHqE

Enjoy!

Jada was right. It wasn't funny. I've tried to think of what to say for a review and all I can--I just...I want to read Jada's autobiography, then Jaden and Willow's. The Will Smith they will talk about is going to be different than the one in this book. I'm glad I read this, though, and learned so much about him.

Best audiobook I’ve listened to. Fantastic!

Will Smith is a global phenomenon. We know him from "Parents Just Don't Understand" through "Independence Day" but not many know his full backstory. Having grown up in West Philadelphia, Will was taught that he could be anything he wanted as long as he worked hard and put his mind to it.

Will details his first rap song and the way he met DJ Jazzy Jeff and how they became so popular during the 1980s. He also explains how quickly his popularity and money went to his head and he thought he was far more important than he was. He also explains how he quickly had his ego deflated when he could not even gain access to a top-tier club.

Despite his multiple years of record-breaking achievements, there is one thing Will has never been able to achieve...the perfect work-life balance. Having been taught his whole life that the only road to happiness was to be successful and rich, this thought has affected all of his relationships as he tends to put work above everything else.

Will Smith narrating this book was perfection. Hearing the emotion when he discussed his grandmother, who he called Gigi, and their close bond to how he discussed the dark side of his thoughts while helping his dying father one night. Another benefit of listening to Will is the chance to hear him rap. Will performs a few small songs here and there along with a great track at the end of the book which made the listen worth it.

Sixteen hours is a long time for a book about a celebrity and not a political figure, but it was worth the listen. Although I enjoyed the book, I do have to say that I wasn't thrilled with learning how self-centered Will Smith is. He has a lot to be proud of, but his ego is unattractive and makes me wonder how he and Jada have been married so long. I appreciate the honesty that Will showed in this book, and I don't think there was much he held back when telling his story.

Will

I Picked Up This Book Because: Celebrity memoirs are my vibe.

Media Type: Audiobook
Source: Audible
Dates Read: 3/17/22 - 3/25/22
Stars: 4
Narrator(s): Will Smith

The Story:

Writing: Concise and clear. This book covered a lot of time and stayed interesting and tasteful.
Forward Motion:This was well progressed from childhood to teenaged shenanigans to adult struggles.
Overall Interest: I think I listened pretty consistently, even during the time I wasn’t in the car so good.
Length of Reading Time: It took me 9 days but it is a sixteen hour long book.
Re-read-ability: Not necessary.

The Random Thoughts:

For more reviews and book posts visit my booksh blog at: https://manoflabook.com/

Will by Will Smith and Mark Hanson is a memoir of the famous actor, musician, producer, family man, and all-around nice guy. Mark Hanson is a New York Times bestselling author and a widely (and wildly) published writer.

I enjoyed this memoir way more than I thought I would. It is entertaining, funny, introspective, extremely personal, open, as well as one hell of a ride. Will Smith’s natural charisma, a trait he’s certainly known for, drips out of the pages.

Will by Will Smith and Mark Hanson starts at Mr. Smith’s childhood in Philadelphia, early successes, and, of course, becoming a world-wide superstar. I found it amusing that the great advice he got from Arnold Schwarzenegger (whose memoir I also enjoyed tremendously), got him to focus his efforts to become a worldwide sensation, instead of just a Philly boy who made it big.

Will Smith and I are approximately the same age, which made the book even more relatable. I know exactly how he felt when he watched Dallas, I remember the start of hip-hop, as well as other cultural milestones.

Will Smith, obviously a talented bright man, also had the discipline to take his gifts and create a successful legacy. This is a reoccurring theme in the book, giving a double meaning to the title. Mr. Smith loves to give credit to others, his family, co-stars, mentors, and life-long friends. He is indeed a lucky man to find such good friends, so early in life. Friends whom you can trust, especially when climbing upwards, are rare and he knows how lucky he is.

The pre-Internet chapters, making music with DJ Jazzy Jeff, touring with the biggest names in hip-hop, as well as changing music forever are fantastic. We follow Mr. Smith on his downfall from the musical Olympus, to second chance given to him by Quincy Jones to star in a new sitcom called The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Along the way, Mr. Smith’s quest for money (a hero’s journey of sort), fame, box-office records, and a Southfork style ranch takes over his life. A disciplined man who thrives on details (side note: I found at least one minor error in the book), he cannot separate Will Smith, movie star, from Willard Carroll Smith, Jr. – family man. That realization is central to the book and the self-reflection which it provides to the reader. As his fame hits cloud nine, he realizes that he is addicted to fame, money, and records. However, his family and friends are suffering due to his addiction, and, to his credit, he takes steps to change himself.

And, I thought how he introduced Jada Pinkett to his Mom was funny… since he asked. I, however, would never do that to anyone I know, or don’t know for that matter.

A powerful testimonial on the people and events that haunt and inspire the man. Well done.

***who sucked me in***
Olive of the the channel abookolive on YouTube in their (...) video published on zo 12 september 2021

Once upon a time Will Smith was responsible for over half of the movies coming out which had a black man as the main character. I can't remember the exact number but it was absurdly high and I was in my twenties which made it even more bizarre.

He's been a staple in my household for what feels my whole life. Words cannot describe how all of his works has impacted my life.

To me he is one of the Greats. So I was very excited to see his name popping op in Olive's video.

A single father talks about his love for his son. He would do anything for him to ensure he lives his best life.

This book was about a father growing up with his son, he had to adjust to changing times all while raising a son.

I enjoyed this book a lot, it has a lot of positive messages about the importance of family and of doing the right thing. Shows the unconditional love a father has for his son.