WILL, Not Just A Name

When I walked into Barnes and Nobles, I was immediately drawn to the yellow and blue abstract cover, naturally walking over to the table, stunned to see the face of Will Smith. When did he write a book? Again, the cover was hard to resist, so I picked it up and added it to my pile. Originally, I thought this would be a book that would sit in a pile for a while; I have 100's of other books waiting for me to choose them to read. However, it was something about this book that just drew me in, before I even opened it or read the first page.

Although I know some of my peers were huge Fresh Prince fans, I have only seen a few episodes here and there growing up. I've also watched a few more thanks to HBO Max in more recent years. I can't sit here and say I am a huge Will Smith fan, unlike my mother who was always infatuated by him. I knew who he was before reading this memoir, but I can say I now know who he is.

Smith holds little back, jumping from his childhood, his rap career, how he managed box office success, to his relationships with women and his children. This is the first book in several years I had a hard time putting down. Each page is filled with laughs, cries, and self reflection. He is a great story teller, and writes keeping true to who he is. I have gained much respect for him as a creator, individual, and artist that he is.

5/5 Stars, easily.