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  • Greenlights

  • Raucous Stories and Outlaw Wisdom from the Academy Award-Winning Actor
  • By: Matthew McConaughey
  • Narrated by: Matthew McConaughey
  • Length: 6 hrs and 59 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (12,580 ratings)

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Greenlights cover art

Greenlights

By: Matthew McConaughey
Narrated by: Matthew McConaughey
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Publisher's Summary

From the Academy Award-winning actor, an unconventional memoir filled with raucous stories, outlaw wisdom and lessons learned the hard way about living with greater satisfaction.

I've been in this life for 50 years, been trying to work out its riddle for 42 and been keeping diaries of clues to that riddle for the last 35. Notes about successes and failures, joys and sorrows, things that made me marvel and things that made me laugh out loud. How to be fair. How to have less stress. How to have fun. How to hurt people less. How to get hurt less. How to be a good man. How to have meaning in life. How to be more me.

Recently, I worked up the courage to sit down with those diaries. I found stories I experienced, lessons I learned and forgot, poems, prayers, prescriptions, beliefs about what matters, some great photographs and a whole bunch of bumper stickers. I found a reliable theme, an approach to living that gave me more satisfaction, at the time, and still: if you know how, and when, to deal with life's challenges - how to get relative with the inevitable - you can enjoy a state of success I call 'catching greenlights'.

So I took a one-way ticket to the desert and wrote this book: an album, a record, a story of my life so far. This is 50 years of my sights and seens, felts and figured-outs, cools and shamefuls. Graces, truths and beauties of brutality. Getting away withs, getting caughts and getting wets while trying to dance between the raindrops.

Hopefully, it's medicine that tastes good, a couple of aspirin instead of the infirmary, a spaceship to Mars without needing your pilot's license, going to church without having to be born again and laughing through the tears.

It's a love letter. To life.

It's also a guide to catching more greenlights - and to realising that the yellows and reds eventually turn green, too.

Good luck.

The audiobook now includes an exclusive interview with Matthew McConaughey which was recorded during his book tour in 2021. 

©2020 Matthew McConaughey (P)2020 Penguin Audio

What listeners say about Greenlights

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    2 out of 5 stars

Seems like a Whole load of bull

Not my cup of tea. It just seemed to self satisfied. Kinda like listening to a footballer talk about their genius.

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73 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Tears of laughter and tears that the book has ended

An amazing storyteller, don’t hesitate on getting this book. In the fine words of an Australian “You’re gonna loveit mate”

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40 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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like chatting with an old mate

don't read this book, listen to Matthew tell you his story himself. this felt like we were having a beer and chatting life, like two old mates. absolutely worth the listen.

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35 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Much more than just a very pretty face! Thanks

I'd always liked him as an actor and obviously he's cute, but never dreamed I would find such wisdom and heartfelt warmth. I couldn't stop listening, his voice is amazing and so too is the rich and imbibing tapestry of his life story! loved every second!! ♡☆♤

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26 people found this helpful

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Much more than just alright, alright, alright...

Loved listening to this... stayed in my car to continue listening most times... Kind of wished my drive to work was longer at times...

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21 people found this helpful

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Couldn’t wait to delete from device

This book did my head in. And I liked Matthew. I’ll never get that time back. RED LIGHT

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17 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Had me hooked

This had me hooked from the get go. The way Matthew tells a story. I laughed and was shocked. I felt emotions and felt a connection to the stories...

Love this a lot

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15 people found this helpful

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Thoroughly enjoyed this Book

I struggled to put it down lol. Matthew has one of those voices and accents you could listen to all day and the way he tells a story keeps you hanging off every word.

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12 people found this helpful

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Great book

once I started listening to Greenlights I couldn't stop.
10 out of 10, highly recommended.

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11 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant Green Light

refreshing, raw and dynamic .
loved every second of it and as it was read by Matthew even more sincere.
proud of the man, father, husband, and actor you are.

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10 people found this helpful

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