Will by Will Smith
⭐⭐⭐- Kindle- Worthy!
Kindle & Audible: US or CA
Morning Readers & Happy Sunday!
What a chaotic month, this is definitely one for the books! My mentorship is going amazing, and things are really starting to come together and pick up, although my reading time has taken a bit of a dent. Lucky for me I was able to throw in a set of ear buds and listen to Will as I did some of my running around tasks.
Will is a candid and introspective memoir that traces the actor’s life from his childhood in West Philadelphia to his rise as a global entertainment icon. Smith shares how his early experiences, especially with a strict father and a deep desire to please others, shaped his relentless work ethic, perfectionism, and desire for control. He explores the highs of his music and film career alongside the personal costs of fame, including strained relationships and emotional struggles. It comes to life as a reflection on identity, transformation, and the pursuit of inner peace.
I picked this book up in large part when I learned that Mark Manson, the author of ‘The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F‘, helped Will co-author his memoire. It did not disappoint as Mark’s writing style and methods of introspection shine through.
I personally really enjoyed this listen and would highly recommend the audible version. A bit of a bias but I adore when the author narrates their own memoire, especially when it’s an actor, it really turns it into a performance and listening experience.
I genuinely could not get over some of Will’s quotes:
Those early months in Jeff’s basement were among the most creative times I’ve ever experienced. Everything was cutting edge, everything was hot, it was experimental and inspiring. I never wanted to leave. We were seeking our sound, but we found ourselves.
From not understanding to understanding. From confusion to clarity. By universal design you are born into a perplexing situation, bewildered. and you have one job as a human. Figure this shit out. Life is learning. Period. Overcoming ignorance is the whole point of the journey. You’re not supposed to know at the beginning… I heard a great saying once, Life is like school with one key difference. In school you get the lesson and then you take the test, but in life you get the test and its your job to take the lesson. We’re all waiting until we have deep knowledge wisdom and a sense of certainty before we venture forth. But we’ve got it backward, venturing forth is how we gain the knowledge.”
I thought there were only two options; you complete the mission, or you die. Where did the third option of quitting come from? I would never have gotten married if I though divorce was an option. If quitting is a possibility, everybody would pick that. It’s the easiest one. Who wouldn’t pick not running at 5am over running at 5 am. If quitting is an option, you’ll never finish anything hard…To me, the heart of all successful human interactions is we look at each other and we know we’re about to attempt something that is difficult to impossible, and we look in each others eyes and we shake hands and we both vow to die before we quit. and that’s what I thought we did. The vow is not to your partner, the vow is to the weakest part of yourself… Your mind is trying to protect you form hard things. to defend you form pain. The problem is all of your dreams are on the other side of pain and difficulty.”
Jada had no illusion that love and family would be an easy endeavor, this was another reason she hated traditional wedding ceremonies. She thought that the fluffiness and pageantry of a classic wedding ceremony was flawed symbolism and gave a false sense of the true gravity of the undertaking. She would say that a real wedding ceremony should be a marathon. We should have to run an actual marathon together, and if we’re both still there at the end of the finish line then we’ve earned the right to et married. You’ve got to know that that person is a survivor. While I understood her point, I would always think… that’s some real unromantic shit right there.
Overall just a really enjoyable listening experience and loved getting a little more less-known background on a well actor!
I hope you all had a great weekend and an even better week ahead! Happy Reading!
-Anna R.
Don’t forget to check out my review on Mark Manson’s other book, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F
*As always if you purchase through any of the links in this post, or throughout this blog, a small commission comes back to help support the page & what I do here!
Kindle & Audible: US or CA
The Weekend Readers 
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