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chareadsss's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I'm a Will fan, but I admit that I got a bit sick of the Will and Jada train at one point, so by the time they released their books, I didn't want to read anything more about either of them 😂 What a shame it would've been to miss out on this book though!
It's funny because as fans, or people watching from the outside, we can often feel like we really know *insert celebrity name here* when, in actuality, we don't have the slightest idea about that person's true experience or who they really are as a person.
Will really isn't who/what I thought he was and is definitely more than the wholesome, clean-cut joker that I saw him as. I loved how open this was and not only do you learn a lot about him, but it was interesting to get an insight into people like Jada, their children (I'd almost forgotten about Willow's "Whip My Hair" days!), Jazzy Jeff and even Will's first wife, Sheree.
There were so many life lessons in this book and it was insightful and informative without losing Will's charm and humour. It threw up a lot of questions, with one topic that I often circled back to being fatherhood, and what a good (or not so good) father looks like to me. Now you may (or may not) have seen/heard things about him, but "Daddio" was a very contentious person for me personally and I loved discussing this with my babe of a buddy reader, @ttsreads.
Some of the subject shifts between paragraph breaks did take a bit of getting used to, and there were a lot of people to remember, but I actually think this helped humanise Will more. I'm also a very visual person so loved the inclusion of pictures. Not only did it add more of a personal touch but it was helpful to get a sense of the physical environments and put faces to names (also, some of the captions were hilarious 😆).
I laughed, almost cried, gasped, winced, literally any expression or emotion you can think of, I probably experienced whilst reading this book. It really felt like I was on a journey with Will, and I actually want to listen to the audiobook because I often felt like I could hear him relaying this to me and this made it even more fun to read!
It's funny because as fans, or people watching from the outside, we can often feel like we really know *insert celebrity name here* when, in actuality, we don't have the slightest idea about that person's true experience or who they really are as a person.
Will really isn't who/what I thought he was and is definitely more than the wholesome, clean-cut joker that I saw him as. I loved how open this was and not only do you learn a lot about him, but it was interesting to get an insight into people like Jada, their children (I'd almost forgotten about Willow's "Whip My Hair" days!), Jazzy Jeff and even Will's first wife, Sheree.
There were so many life lessons in this book and it was insightful and informative without losing Will's charm and humour. It threw up a lot of questions, with one topic that I often circled back to being fatherhood, and what a good (or not so good) father looks like to me. Now you may (or may not) have seen/heard things about him, but "Daddio" was a very contentious person for me personally and I loved discussing this with my babe of a buddy reader, @ttsreads.
Some of the subject shifts between paragraph breaks did take a bit of getting used to, and there were a lot of people to remember, but I actually think this helped humanise Will more. I'm also a very visual person so loved the inclusion of pictures. Not only did it add more of a personal touch but it was helpful to get a sense of the physical environments and put faces to names (also, some of the captions were hilarious 😆).
I laughed, almost cried, gasped, winced, literally any expression or emotion you can think of, I probably experienced whilst reading this book. It really felt like I was on a journey with Will, and I actually want to listen to the audiobook because I often felt like I could hear him relaying this to me and this made it even more fun to read!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, and Grief
tenika04's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
I’ve always been a fan of Will, I can’t believe it took me so long to read this.
Really glad that I now have and what an insightful autobiography it is!
It really felt like Will and I were in conversation (I could just hear him) his charisma shone through with phrases I could just imagine him saying. Although some paragraphs jumped back and forth, at times a little off putting, you could eventually tell that there was a coherent link that he was getting to. I respected Will’s honesty especially in relation to how his childhood impacted his thoughts, work ethic, the highs and lows, values surrounding love & his fear of things not being perfect. It is clear to see that his drive & determination to do well was instilled in him from young. Although he may not have understood many of his Dads teachings it helped to hold him in great stead later on.
It was heart warming to see the repetition of names who supported Will throughout his career. I loved how he loved his Gi-Gi and his mama.
Will has so much to be proud of, why should he not blow his own trumpet?
Really glad that I now have and what an insightful autobiography it is!
It really felt like Will and I were in conversation (I could just hear him) his charisma shone through with phrases I could just imagine him saying. Although some paragraphs jumped back and forth, at times a little off putting, you could eventually tell that there was a coherent link that he was getting to. I respected Will’s honesty especially in relation to how his childhood impacted his thoughts, work ethic, the highs and lows, values surrounding love & his fear of things not being perfect. It is clear to see that his drive & determination to do well was instilled in him from young. Although he may not have understood many of his Dads teachings it helped to hold him in great stead later on.
It was heart warming to see the repetition of names who supported Will throughout his career. I loved how he loved his Gi-Gi and his mama.
Will has so much to be proud of, why should he not blow his own trumpet?
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and Death of parent
brookey8888's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I really enjoyed this one! I’ve always loved Will Smith and it was interesting to read about his life because apparently I didn’t know anything about it really. It was interesting to learn about his rap career because that I had no clue about. This did make me laugh and cry which is always a good sign of a book. I do have to say sometimes it was a little cringey. The audiobook was really good and I recommend it! It includes music and then that one scene in Fresh Prince(which I say a Reddit post or something like that one and it wasn’t factual information, so I’m glad I know the truth).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Abortion, and Death of parent
adiajamille's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.75
At the suggestion of lots of people I chose to listen to the audiobook version. Typically I struggle with audiobooks, but I figured having the voice to match a face I knew would make it easier. I was correct. But besides that the production of the audiobook was top tier. You felt like this was an intimate conversation between you and him. As an elder millennial I’ve watched him my whole life. And it was great to hear the backstory of what I saw from afar. The book is engaging, heartfelt, loving, heartbreaking, and thoroughly inspiring. It was also a reminder of the importance of claiming and naming our wins. ESPECIALLY for Black folks. Not only as a reminder that we don’t have anything to prove to anyone but ourselves, but also as a reminder that when we achieve things, especially after extensive work, it is ok to look back at the things we’ve done and feel proud of them. BUT now I need me a DJ Jazzy Jeff memoir.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, and Death of parent
greenlivingaudioworm's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Racism, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
ashp's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse
Moderate: Death
chaitai00's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Murder
kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual content
mtrout's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
rowanleereads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
5.0
No book has ever made me laugh as hard, cry as hard, or think as hard. I needed this book. Interesting how someone else's autobiography could be so life changing. This book is honest, raw, and real. Everyone should read this book. It will be a journey you never forget and one you will constantly want to relive.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death and Death of parent