Will

Please listen to the audio version. What a masterpiece read by a master storyteller and masterfully edited as well.

I was surprised by how interesting and enjoyable this book was. The fact that Will Smith was also doing the audio-narrative added a lot to the book. It was lovely to hear a very humane story about someone who I did not know much about. Very much relatable, yet insightful and entertaining.

Good Good and honest memoir. It was interesting to learn about his background and how he started in show business. I recommend it.

3.5/5

book about a dude that slapped that other dude

I’m definitely reading this book again.

appreciated knowing about his upbringing and his internal thoughts and struggles. very brave considering that he’s one of the most famous people ever. huge respect.

This book needs to be listen to. Not read on paper

Actual rating 3.75, rounded up to 4. The primary reason I picked up this memoir was because it was narrated by the author (always a huge bonus for me) and because I love Smith's narrative voice. I wouldn't say I'm a 'fan' of his work, per say, but I have enjoyed several of his movies. I had to place a lot of faith in Will Smith when I got this book because I bought it despite Mark Manson, author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck (a book I absolutely despised), being the writer for this memoir. I was a little worried that this would become a regurgitation of Manson's other works and he would overshadow Will's experiences with his self-help nonsense, and he kinda did a little bit, but Will's narration lent authenticity to his story that kinda balanced it out for me. It was intriguing getting to learn more about this actor. I always struggle with celebrity memoirs because a lot of them can start to sound like the same 'roughs to riches' Hollywood success story, but Will really stood apart as something special. As I expected from a Manson book, there was a heavy focus on the life lessons learned throughout Will's life and at times I didn't feel like it was necessary to always put a positive spin on things like that. Sometimes it's good to tell a story you have conflicting (or even negative) feelings about and it doesn't always need to be followed by a monologue on what you learned or gained from it. Life isn't always good times and you don't have to spin every bad moment into something positive. I think this element of the book is what bothered me the most and it's why I rated it 3.75 stars. All of the 'life lessons' read like Manson's other self-help books and it felt like it didn't really fit with the narrative style of the rest of the story. However, Will Smith's narration of his life and experiences was fascinating. Parts of this book read like fiction because I was so engrossed into the stories Will was telling. Right from the beginning when he's talking about (view spoiler)[building that wall brick by brick, and the narrative choices used to convey how perpetual it all felt until he slowly settled into a routine, going out there day after day, until one day he realized it was completed. (hide spoiler)] That was brilliant. Narrative choices aside, the stories themselves were also very impactful, being absolutely hilarious at times and heartbreaking at others. I LOVED all of the insight on Will's experiences with Fresh Prince and transitioning from his music career to acting. Some parts of this memoir felt deeply personal, such as when he talks about his relationship with his wife, Jada, or his relationship with his family members. What really sold me on this memoir and made it such a good book for me was the narration. Will Smith telling his own story, in his own words, did far more to make this an impactful book than any of the 'life lesson' tidbits squeezed in there. Honestly if I were reading the print version I may have ended up DNFing it. Manson can be a bit overbearing with the toxic positivity self-help guru crap and I really have nothing positive to say about his work. I wouldn't say reading this gave me a more positive or negative impression of Smith, but it did show a little bit of who he is behind the massive celebrity persona of Will Smith the actor.

"The real question is how do I want to live?" This book was thoroughly entertaining and I had so much fun learning about Will Smith's career and life. With that said, he does have a really big ego and it shows in the way he wrote this book and in a lot of his life experiences. The one chapter where he talks about Jada's first meeting with his grandma was unhinged. It was not funny and quite frankly very disturbing.

Anybody who actually knows me is well aware of my lifelong love affair with Will Smith. On the TV show Friends, they have discussions about the “list of five,” those five celebrities that you can have a dalliance with and have zero repercussions in your actual relationship. So of course, all of us Friends fans had (have) a list of five, and Will Smith is the only person that has been on my list the entire time my list has existed. I have long admired everything about him, so it should come as no surprise that I loved this book. It almost doesn’t seem fair though, he has already established he’s a talented musician and actor, and now he proves he can write. Is there anything he sucks at??? Will Smith doesn’t think he’s great at everything, but you’ll have to read this book to find out more. For the most part, he’s not humble in any way. He is aware of his talents and will be happy to sit you down and tell you all about how great he is at everything. I’m pretty sure if I was Will Smith I’d be the same way. His story isn’t about overcoming a difficult childhood, or abuse. He had a solid, middle-class upbringing and he had family who loved him and supported him. He got to where he is through sheer hard work and determination. While there’s nothing spectacular about that, the way he tells his story IS spectacular. This is truly an enjoyable memoir, especially if you’re a Will Smith fan.

Heard this on Audible, Will’s performance is extremely engaging. There are clear highlights on the story of his life and pretty emotional moments throughout the narration.

I'm not a Will Smith fan. I don't go out of my way to watch his films. Back in the day I watched The Fresh Prince and I've seen films like Independence Day and Enemy of the State. His book, Will, was a surprise. Compulsive reading from the start, it was a fascinating insight into a man who was driven to achieve, and the price he paid. It's a warts and all autobiography. The book takes us through Will's own Hero's Journey. Does he get the elixir? Well, I think he peels back the layers and has a clearer understanding of himself, and the challenges of living his truth. Apart from the dodgy ending, I finished the book with a greater appreciation of what life is like for someone like Will and, however glorious that life might appear from the outside, but how easy it is to lose yourself in it.

This book is spectacular. I found it incredibly interesting considering how relatable some of his stories were. Exposing himself in a way that I find very admirable considering his public image. The combination between the book in paper and his audible version (narrated by him) was also superb. The audio version included some excerpts that made commentary on some songs very cool to hear. I learned a ton from Will Smith by reading this book and a bit about myself too.

AMAZING book!!! If I had to pick one book to recommend to people for the rest of my life, this would be my pick right now

I LOVED THIS AUDIOBOOK!!!

sorry for yelling…

I loved this audiobook. My favorite things about audiobooks/audio biographies in audible. I’d that they are most likely read by the author.

Will Smith does an amazing job story telling his own life. He keeps you interested by adding music, being candid and playing characters.

Each chapter has a theme to which has a story and a lesson. I took away life lessons, suggestions and inspiration from listening.

I would recommend to anyone.

This audiobook was the best one I’ve listened to. Will brings his superstardom to narrating his story. He goes deep into his childhood sharing his fears & insecurity, as he goes on to recount glimpses of his journey to the Will Smith we know today. Life gems/lessons are scattered in between his words if you’re listening (reading) carefully. Great book and Life well done.

It’s Will. He delivers a good performance. What he is narrating is a very specific story that is geared toward a self-help rhetoric; unfortunately a fairly redundant one. You cannot make yourself happy by making money, you have to nurture yourself. So, the real reason to consume this is for the performance and the entertainment value while navigating to that point. He goes into his fear of being a coward, but doesn’t really link it to gender roles or anything much beyond the fact that his dad was just like that. He tells you that his father was physically abusive and at one point, even while getting side tracked running to get some smokes, his dad told him that every single thing he does a mission. You either succeed, or you’re dead. Yes, his dad was in the army. And yes, Will’s success coming from a trauma response makes a heck of a lot of sense. Though, we also learn other key people literally in one room mostly was the reason he made it, an orchestration of Quincy Jones. And then… with these things established, he simply launches into his career and highlights and his macro level trajectory to massive success. The vulnerability never really comes back. And I’m not very convinced it was ever really present. To be honest, this book is calculating. There is a performative vulnerability at key sections fostering trust between the reader and Will. And, to be clear, that’s a fine way to construct this kind of a story. But, he often displays a lack of critical self awareness and skates over accountability in favour of easy contrition. I promise you that if you take all the possessions of your partner, pour lighter fluid on them, and then light them all when she arrives home to witness this act, you are not a well person. And frankly, saying she didn’t deserve that and moving on, and you were both young yada yada, is one thing. But he tries to isolate that event. Except… between the lines or in passing—presumably he thinks some of these things aren’t a big deal?—there is even more concerning behaviour. All of which mostly just made me think that he was a person that confronted his trauma far too late for those around him. Ultimately, he navigates to an almost comical ending for me. He ends up going on the spiritual awakening journey and doing pseudo-mystical, drug induced trips, hires a life coach therapist because he doesn’t know who he is (as if that’s a singular experience at mid life). He also comes to the realization that memory isn’t a video, but a personal rendering that is not accurate. Or that, and I am not kidding here, other peoples’ feelings actually matter and should be considered. If you’re 20 maybe some of these epiphanies will be profound to you, but his own journey ultimately conforms to an archetypical journey, which only adds to the sterility and artificial aspects within the structure of the book. That’s why it was comical to me. Don’t get me wrong: I’m glad he’s doing some work on himself and is in a good place now, at 50 years old, but make no mistake, this is, and feels like, a performance that is most likely simply another tick off the bucket list—rather than a wholehearted reckoning and self-examination of an individual.

I have been listening to audiobooks for nearly 2 decades and I have never listened to a book that leveraged the medium as well as this book does. When he is narrating a section about specific music or a scene from the Fresh Prince you actually here the relevant audio making the experience so much richer. This was also an incredibly well written and constructed memoir. Very enjoyable listen

That was such a good book to listen too! The music and just how Will speaks added so much to my enjoyment of the novel. Let me just say I was dancing at the end. I loved learning his story and I get really connected to all the other people in the book.

I do not often pre-order books, but after watching Will Smith’s interview with Oprah on Apple TV where she sang the praises of this book, I was curious. She is still in my opinion one of the best interviewers ever, so I knew I had to read this one. Will Smith is being honest with himself and us, according to his memoir. But is he even capable of it? His book is an interesting study in celebrity and perception. He is-at least in his opinion-giving us the full, rawest story. I still had a lot of questions after reading this, even though it is wonderfully written and very insightful. I loved the sections on how he and his team went about making him one of the biggest movie stars in the world, because he talks about it in a business way instead of the typical eyeroll all about the craft way. Sadly, there are not enough behind the scenes stories about his film work. I would have loved to read more about his experiences on the major hits (that he very specifically lists out as part of his record-making streak). I do appreciate that he is so honest about the work he has done on himself, I just wish we got the full story in the work he has done in his relationships, too.

If you decide you want this one, please get the audiobook. It is simply the definitive way to experience this incredible memoir of Will Smith. His journey from the beginning to now is a fascinating one. All the emotional highs lows are laid bare. It's equal parts insightful and funny. I have always believed African American voices to be one of the most powerful and impactful and this one is narrated by Will himself. Besides this key point the other advantage the audiobook brings is that it sprinkled throughout with music and songs that were such a big part of his life. As an added bonus, Will Smith does the most awesome impressions of other people that are part of the book