Welcome to Litsy!

I finished WILL while I sat outside with a bowl of soy sauce noodles. Damn. He hasn‘t always led an admirable life, but he‘s all kinds of interesting even when he‘s made poor choices. I have lots of emotions and lots to think about.

4 out of 5.

I've just given my thoughts at length on GR... how best to summarise?

Will doesn't make himself look good in this warts-and-all memoir. Although it's obvious that he has a tireless work ethic, determination, commitment and drive, he treats the people around him as accessories to his own success and empire.

Will (the book) is punchy, raw, and full of emotion, but expect shoddy behaviour and CONSTANT bragging.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Enjoyed listening to the audiobook and hearing more about his life.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You know there‘s always celebrities you‘d want to hang out with just by the very little you know about them? Will Smith has always been on my list. Reading this book, I don‘t know if we would be besties. He‘s more extreme than I am. But we could probably hang. It‘s written okay. Narrated well by Will. Has more biblical knowledge than I expected.

It was interesting to hear his life story through his eyes. He has certainly lived through some bizarre situations.

Audio was definitely the right choice for this! An enjoyable read.

Now it makes sense!

For March my best read (well listen) was Will.
I really felt like I got to know the man behind the persona.
And while I enjoyed the book, I can't say Mr. Smith is a nice person. Extremely self-centred and egoistic.

Let's just say I was not at all surprised when the famous slap took place...

#12BooksOf2022
@Andrew65

I lovedddd the book, great audiobook

Enjoyed hearing him narrate and the music in the audio book

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/1dRiQS8YHqE

Enjoy!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⚡️
Let me preface this by saying that I do not condone slapping the living crap out of someone for making a joke...but I also don't believe doing so negates everything else about a person.
This memoir was introspective and insightful. Smith laid it all out there, including moments that he could easily have kept out to make himself look better. He wraps up his life so far in a way that can be difficult when writing of a life in progress.

Oh my gosh! Is Will Smith famous? If you didn‘t know before, you definitely will after reading this memoir. I listened to the audiobook, and in typical Will Smith fashion it was entertaining. I did enjoy it, and while he spent a lot of time tooting his own horn, he was also authentic and vulnerable. Overall a pick. #bigjunereadathon @Clwojick

This book should definitely be enjoyed as an audiobook. It was incredible! It made 17 hours feel like a breeze. Will is the ultimate entertainer. I felt like we were best friends by the end of it. Praying for him to truly heal, I have a deeper understanding of his emotions and his desire to protect after listening.

Did not think I was going to enjoy this book as much as I did! I loved how it felt like a conversation between myself and Will Smith. It felt authentic and real, and I learned so much about him that I found super interesting.

#BookNookBuddies2022 #BookSpinBingo

An interesting read. I enjoyed the audiobook very much. I‘d recommend for sure.

Huh. I finished this but *just barely*. I got the audio before the infamous slap and was looking forward to it. I don‘t think my feelings about his attack on Chris Rock actually affected my reading of this. Instead I think it just needed a lot of editing that it didn‘t get. Way too long. I would have rather read a biography of Jazzy Jeff. Oh well.

The life up to this point of musician/ actor Will Smith. I learned a lot of things I never knew.
#nonfiction2022 @Riveted_Reader_Melissa #pantone2022colorchallenge @Clwojick

Not sure how I feel about WHAT I read or how to fit any of it into the context of the now-infamous Oscar slap. And I‘m skeptical of Will Smith‘s take on some events because it differs from the public record. I feel sorry for Jada—it can‘t be easy navigating his giant ego. I don‘t like Will Smith any better for getting through this. But I have to say it was a helluva read. I couldn‘t put it down.

#Nonfiction2022
Prompt: I‘m a Rule Breaker

I mean, everyone brings two hardcovers and a fully stocked iPad with them to wait for service at the car dealership, right? 🤷🏻‍♀️

I listened to this one on audio (as I usually do in the case of celeb memoirs/biographies because I find it much more entertaining hearing them read it). I always loved Will Smith and he told a lot of stories I had never heard before. It was interesting getting a read on his philosophy on life. The audio was a highly entertaining experience and I recommend going that route

4⭐/5⭐

I enjoyed this audiobook, especially being narrated by Will Smith himself. Definitely recommend.

I don‘t usually go for books about entertainers but recent events brought this to my attention. It‘s a very thought provoking and honest look at life at the top.

After the Oscars, I almost cancelled my hold on this one, but I'm glad I didn't. I wasn't blown away by it, but I did enjoy the stories and his openness about himself.

I definitely do not condone his outburst at the Oscars. However, having read this I understand more of what might have pushed him to act that way. Like all of us he's a flawed individual with lots to work on to be a better person.

#BookSpinBingo for March 🤩
With all the free spaces I managed to get one bingo! 🎉. Finished my #BookSpin (Will) and my #DoubleSpin (Broken Ground) and 4 more books.

Not bad, but not my best.

@TheAromaofBooks

Thought about quitting this book after the Oscar event but then voted against it so I finished this book but did not enjoy it very much.
This is a good lesson that don‘t easily believe in what people say (and write) and don‘t blindly worship someone because of what he/she said because what matters is what they do. Especially no one is flawless. That said thank this book for introducing me the poet “I'd rather see a sermon than hear one any day”.

An interesting time to be reading this book, in the context of the Oscars. I was really enjoying it, and about two thirds in, when Sunday happened. I was so disappointed that I nearly bailed, but listened to the end.

Two interesting points come out of this. Firstly, his constant refrain that he has always felt like a coward that he didn‘t protect his Mum from his Dad‘s abuse. Secondly, when his daughter shaved her head as he wasn‘t ⬇️

I haven‘t seen many Will Smith films, which makes this a strange pick for me. About a quarter of the way through I thought about bailing. I don‘t love the story structure, but enjoyed the crazy and outrageous stories of Smith‘s life. While I didn‘t love the book's structure, the uniquely Will Smith experiences made it worthwhile.

The last couple of chapters are the gem. Will was so open, honest, and real about his struggles off the big screen between family and success, and the journey finding what love really means…

Audio book is also the way to do it, if you wanna hear him rap, sing, and imitate various people he encountered in his life!

As many others have said, this was one of the best audiobooks I have ever listened to! Will reads, and there are snips of his hits interspersed as he takes us past those moments in the timeline. I bought the book because there are so many great quotes that I wanted to have easier access. Learning about how he got there and the choices he made was fascinating.

I love this book. I love this book so much that I bought myself a copy of the hardback. This book is so inspirational and motivating. I liked hearing Will‘s struggles and realizations through his own life. The #audiobook is probably one of the best audiobooks I‘ve listened to in my lifetime.

I just started this #audiobook last night, and listening to Will Smith read his own book is quite a gem.

#BookSpinBingo board for March 🤩 looks like an easy one.

📗#BookSipn - Will
📙#DoubleSpin - Broken Ground

@TheAromaofBooks

It took me a couple chapters to get into this audiobook. There were definitely sections where I was wondering what all the hype was about, and thinking maybe this just isn‘t for me, and then I‘d hit sections where I‘d be completely consumed by Will‘s story. I learned a lot about him, his family, and his career that I didn‘t know before, and overall I‘m definitely glad I read this one! #Nonfiction2022 #ImAdventurous @Riveted_Reader_Melissa

PSA: read as an audiobook! I have no idea who told me to do so but I am so glad I listened (pun intended). Y‘all. This was an experience. He sang, he rapped, he mimicked each voice (Will Smith‘s Arnold Schwarzenegger impression had me rolling…at work). Was this full of important life lessons? Not really. Did I have a great time? 100% yes. His natural gift for comedy combined with luck and hard work has led to an impressive list of hit movies. ⬇️

I‘ve always had respect for his acting chops, but now I have immense respect for the man behind the scenes as well. Fabulous autobiography. There‘s a lot of “there there” with Will Smith!

I wasn‘t a massive fan of Will the rapper, as a DJ myself back in the day, it was Jazzy Jeff who drew my interest. He was, & still is, one of the best scratch DeeJays & listening to his cuts was the reason to buy a Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince record. So, the first half of this book is good, charting the duo‘s rise to fame. The 2nd half (Hollywood years) is disappointing. His journey of self discovery was boring and lack of gossip was a let down

1. Tagged
2. No
3. She's Too Pretty to Burn by Wendy Heard

#WonderousWednesday @Eggs

Currently reading. Has anyone read this one? I‘ve always been a fan of Will Smith so I‘m excited to read this.

Though I‘ve never thought of myself as a particular “fan” of Will Smith‘s, I‘ve enjoyed many of his movies. As a kid, I knew *all* the words to the Fresh Prince theme song, & my husband shares knowledge of the complete lyrics of Big Willie Style with his younger brother *&* his dad. In January, I learned that I could be happy listening to Will Smith talk for (almost) forever…which is fortunate because I spent 16hrs & 16minutes doing just that. 😅

Phenomenal book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

@MidnightBookGirl , @kimmypete1 - my #swoonathon swap hits the mail to @StayCurious tomorrow