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Will

The Sunday Times Bestselling Autobiography

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Will

By: Will Smith, Mark Manson
Narrated by: Will Smith
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin
The Instant Sunday Times Bestseller
The Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller
The Instand #1 Audible Bestseller

NARRATED BY WILL SMITH.

One of the most dynamic and globally recognized entertainment forces of our time opens up fully about his life, in a brave and inspiring book that traces his learning curve to a place where outer success, inner happiness, and human connection are aligned. Along the way, Will tells the story in full of one of the most amazing rides through the worlds of music and film that anyone has ever had.

Will Smith's transformation from a fearful child in a tense West Philadelphia home to one of the biggest rap stars of his era and then one of the biggest movie stars in Hollywood history, with a string of box office successes that will likely never be broken, is an epic tale of inner transformation and outer triumph, and Will tells it astonishingly well. But it's only half the story.

Will Smith thought, with good reason, that he had won at life: not only was his own success unparalleled, his whole family was at the pinnacle of the entertainment world. Only they didn't see it that way: they felt more like star performers in his circus, a seven-days-a-week job they hadn't signed up for. It turned out Will Smith's education wasn't nearly over.

This memoir is the product of a profound journey of self-knowledge, a reckoning with all that your will can get you and all that it can leave behind. Written with the help of Mark Manson, author of the multi-million-copy bestseller The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, Will is the story of how one exceptional man mastered his own emotions, written in a way that can help everyone else do the same. Few of us will know the pressure of performing on the world's biggest stages for the highest of stakes, but we can all understand that the fuel that works for one stage of our journey might have to be changed if we want to make it all the way home. The combination of genuine wisdom of universal value and a life story that is preposterously entertaining, even astonishing, puts Will the book, like its author, in a category by itself.

PRAISE FOR WILL
'The best memoir I ever read' Oprah Winfrey
'If you read one book this year, make it this one' Jay Shetty
'Incredible' Idris Elba
'The book is awesome. So candid and considered...fascinating' Chris Evans
'A triumph...really inspiring, so well written, vulnerable and deep. I highly recommend it' Mindy Kaling
'It's fantastic...very moving' Zoe Ball
'Incredibly honest...inspiring' Greg James
'A wild ride' New York Times
'Raw, comedic, inspirational' GQ


©2021 Will Smith and Mark Manson (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Entertainment & Celebrities Music Personal Development Personal Success Inspiring Celebrity Success Heartfelt Thought-Provoking Biography Entertainment Funny

Critic Reviews

Raw, comedic, inspirational.
If you read one book this year, make it this one (Jay Shetty)
A wild ride
Bracingly honest, vivid and compelling [...] how an average talent became the biggest movie star in the world
Brilliant
Eye-popping revelations [...] Will Smith bares all about his childhood and life
The book is awesome. So candid and considered...fascinating. (Chris Evans)
All stars
Most relevant
I enjoyed Will's unashamed story.. he wasn't too scared to bare his soul and show his faults.

hreat production

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reading this book was like a slap to the face
reading this book was like a slap to the face

reading this book was like a slap to the face

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I'll admit I'm only halfway through the book thus far, so I might come back and edit this review.

First of all, it is very entertaining and reveals some deep truths about Will that are profound, such as a deep-seated belief that deep down he is a coward. He further reveals failures in his life driven by this fear, some of which would take extreme courage to reveal. I suspect many people will identify with these fears, I certainly have. Will also shows the drive that it takes to succeed in his business - it is clear that he is relentless in his pursuit of his career.

Will is (by his own admission) a master storyteller, and the story is built excellently. HIs performance though is often flat, and his tone never really wavers from his signature 'joker' accent, even when dealing with quite profound sections of the book. It is possible that this is because Will is using that tone as a defence mechanism in these sections - they are, after all, about his life and not an act.

However, it still comes across as from someone who is extraordinarily self-absorbed. Despite the lessons learned, Will doesn't ever appear to regress on his position, only the way in which he communicated it. His reflections on failed communication, while appropriate, still don't appear to hear the concerns of his family and friends - they just rephrase his own wants and needs to try and get his point across in a more mature fashion. This reflects some development in self-awareness but little in empathy.

Having said all that, I have been hooked until 2am on multiple nights listening to it, resulting in far less sleep. It's an amazing insight into an incredible human and the industry he works in, and it's structured really well so it keeps the reader / listener wanting more. I'm a big fan of Will Smith and grew up with his music and early movies like Bad Boys and Independence Day.

It is really entertaining and I think it's well worth listening to, but don't drink the Kool-Aid of some remarkable personal growth story. I'm not seeing it, so far.

Now, I gotta get back to listening...

Worth a listen but don't drink the Kool-Aid

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I loved this book & Will Smith's honesty & integrity. He truly is an inspiring man. It goes to show how hard actors & musicians have to work to become famous!

An Inspiring Story.

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Wills story telling is next level, highly recommend. Honestly like no other book I've listened too

like nothing I've listened to before, fresh!!!!

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