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A review by melsage1823
Will by Will Smith, Mark Manson
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
4.0
Disclaimer: I chose to borrow this off a friend before I was aware of Will Smiths harmful views on what is happening in Palestine. I do not endorse these believes at all.
A Dazzling Memoir That Slams You Head First Into The World Of Will Smith And Makes You Understand Him.
Wow this memoir was a long but very interesting read. Its not even a memoir more an autobiography of Wills life layed right in front of the reader. Do not read the book without grabbing the audiobook to listen alongside, it made the experience so much more lively. This book will feel like a slag if you don't have it. I loved every second despite its flaws and it got me very reflective about love and happiness.
I'll start with the negatives before I go into the positives.
One of this books main weaknesses is that it doesn't know what it wants to be. Although I appreciated some of the lessons given I couldn't tell if it was meant to be a self help about the meaning of happiness or a recap of Will Smiths life and him dealing with his rising fame. A good memoir should have an overall tone or theme which this novel does not have at all it's just balancing from life story to story with random lessons thrown in. It made things very messy and made me wonder the purpose of some of the stories told.
Secondly the lack of acknowledgement about how abusive Will's childhood. Its very interesting learning about Will's childhood and the struggles he faced but it gets a little tiresome and dangerous when Will openly promotes child abuse being okay because his Daddios lessons shaped him as a performer and how to survive. I feel like it's people's choice if they want to forgive their abuser but justifying it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Other than these two things though I generally enjoyed this novel and felt like I learned a lot especially about how the industry works and what appears to the higher ups.
As I mentioned the audiobook adds a lot of colour but isn't it's only strength. Alot of memoirs feel lifeless and bland but here its colourful thanks to Will putting his personality into the novel. Every page screams Will and doesn't feel artificial. I found myself feeling the weight of every story Will recounted from the sad to the happy ones. It also helps that he encoperates raps into the novel and in the audiobook has music. It's not everyday that you find someone rapping an outro to a novel about their life. The charm and personality is what keeps the long memoir intriguing and engaging. Only Will Smith can make a long autobiography fun.
Another strength is the raw honesty that is woven throughout the entire novel. Will through the help of Mark Manson has managed to tip his most vulnerable side into the entire novel. From violent intrusive thoughts to honest feelings about certain relationships, Will doesn't hold back at all. Others have said it feels like a big ego trip but to me it feels like pride that Will as a black boy in philly was able to overcome so much trauma in order to become successful. Without all the honesty about how he felt during certain memories it would have felt souless. I think Will mentions being the biggest movie star multiple times because he can't quite believe it himself.
Finally as much as the balance of identity is frustrating the moral lessons Will passes on through recounting stories of his life it's highly entertaining. Each story is filled with genuine love and care with the lessons they have. The parts about his rise in the music and acting industry are especially informative and hopeful for those who want to be future actors and writers. Through the structure it shows that Will wants to help inspire readers. The Epilogue and Prologue chapters have especially resonating lessons about not giving up and overcoming our fears. From the lessons to learning about Will, I promise you that you will get something out of this.
Overall a honest, fun, raw and ambitious memoir that is very informative and educational. It really does help unmask Will and humanise him. The slap makes alot of sense once you read it. It's a memoir I definitely might revisit in the future.
Highly recommended.
A Dazzling Memoir That Slams You Head First Into The World Of Will Smith And Makes You Understand Him.
Wow this memoir was a long but very interesting read. Its not even a memoir more an autobiography of Wills life layed right in front of the reader. Do not read the book without grabbing the audiobook to listen alongside, it made the experience so much more lively. This book will feel like a slag if you don't have it. I loved every second despite its flaws and it got me very reflective about love and happiness.
I'll start with the negatives before I go into the positives.
One of this books main weaknesses is that it doesn't know what it wants to be. Although I appreciated some of the lessons given I couldn't tell if it was meant to be a self help about the meaning of happiness or a recap of Will Smiths life and him dealing with his rising fame. A good memoir should have an overall tone or theme which this novel does not have at all it's just balancing from life story to story with random lessons thrown in. It made things very messy and made me wonder the purpose of some of the stories told.
Secondly the lack of acknowledgement about how abusive Will's childhood. Its very interesting learning about Will's childhood and the struggles he faced but it gets a little tiresome and dangerous when Will openly promotes child abuse being okay because his Daddios lessons shaped him as a performer and how to survive. I feel like it's people's choice if they want to forgive their abuser but justifying it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
Other than these two things though I generally enjoyed this novel and felt like I learned a lot especially about how the industry works and what appears to the higher ups.
As I mentioned the audiobook adds a lot of colour but isn't it's only strength. Alot of memoirs feel lifeless and bland but here its colourful thanks to Will putting his personality into the novel. Every page screams Will and doesn't feel artificial. I found myself feeling the weight of every story Will recounted from the sad to the happy ones. It also helps that he encoperates raps into the novel and in the audiobook has music. It's not everyday that you find someone rapping an outro to a novel about their life. The charm and personality is what keeps the long memoir intriguing and engaging. Only Will Smith can make a long autobiography fun.
Another strength is the raw honesty that is woven throughout the entire novel. Will through the help of Mark Manson has managed to tip his most vulnerable side into the entire novel. From violent intrusive thoughts to honest feelings about certain relationships, Will doesn't hold back at all. Others have said it feels like a big ego trip but to me it feels like pride that Will as a black boy in philly was able to overcome so much trauma in order to become successful. Without all the honesty about how he felt during certain memories it would have felt souless. I think Will mentions being the biggest movie star multiple times because he can't quite believe it himself.
Finally as much as the balance of identity is frustrating the moral lessons Will passes on through recounting stories of his life it's highly entertaining. Each story is filled with genuine love and care with the lessons they have. The parts about his rise in the music and acting industry are especially informative and hopeful for those who want to be future actors and writers. Through the structure it shows that Will wants to help inspire readers. The Epilogue and Prologue chapters have especially resonating lessons about not giving up and overcoming our fears. From the lessons to learning about Will, I promise you that you will get something out of this.
Overall a honest, fun, raw and ambitious memoir that is very informative and educational. It really does help unmask Will and humanise him. The slap makes alot of sense once you read it. It's a memoir I definitely might revisit in the future.
Highly recommended.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Minor: Injury/Injury detail