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by Will Smith with Mark Manson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 9, 2021

A refreshing celebrity memoir focused not strictly on the self but on a much larger horizon.

One of Hollywood’s biggest stars delivers a memoir of success won through endless, relentless work and self-reckoning.

“My imagination is my gift, and when it merges with my work ethic, I can make money rain from the heavens.” So writes Smith, whose imagination is indeed a thing of wonder—a means of coping with fear, an abusive father with the heart of a drill instructor, and all manner of inner yearnings. The author’s imagination took him from a job bagging ice in Philadelphia to initial success as a partner in the Grammy-winning rap act DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. Smith was propelled into stardom thanks to the ministrations of Quincy Jones, who arranged an audition in the middle of his own birthday party, bellowing “No paralysis through analysis!” when Smith begged for time to prepare. The mantra—which Jones intoned 50-odd times during the two hours it took for the Hollywood suits to draw up a contract for the hit comedy series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air —is telling, for hidden within this memoir lies a powerful self-help book. For Smith, all of life is a challenge in which one’s feelings are largely immaterial. “I watched my father’s negative emotions seize control of his ample intellect and cause him over and over again to destroy beautiful parts of our family,” he writes, good reason for him to sublimate negativity in the drive to get what he wanted—money, at first, and lots of it, which got him in trouble with the IRS in the early 1990s. Smith, having developed a self-image that cast him as a coward, opines that one’s best life is lived by facing up to the things that hold us back. “I’ve been making a conscious effort to attack all the things that I’m scared of,” he writes, adding, “And this is scary.” It’s a good lesson for any aspiring creative to ponder—though it helps to have Smith’s abundant talent, too.

Pub Date: Nov. 9, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-984877-92-5

Page Count: 432

Publisher: Penguin Press

Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2021

BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR | SELF-HELP | ENTERTAINMENT, SPORTS & CELEBRITY | GENERAL BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR

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BOOK REVIEW

by Will Smith & illustrated by Kadir Nelson

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by Stephanie Johnson & Brandon Stanton illustrated by Henry Sene Yee ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 12, 2022

A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer.

A former New York City dancer reflects on her zesty heyday in the 1970s.

Discovered on a Manhattan street in 2020 and introduced on Stanton’s Humans of New York Instagram page, Johnson, then 76, shares her dynamic history as a “fiercely independent” Black burlesque dancer who used the stage name Tanqueray and became a celebrated fixture in midtown adult theaters. “I was the only black girl making white girl money,” she boasts, telling a vibrant story about sex and struggle in a bygone era. Frank and unapologetic, Johnson vividly captures aspects of her former life as a stage seductress shimmying to blues tracks during 18-minute sets or sewing lingerie for plus-sized dancers. Though her work was far from the Broadway shows she dreamed about, it eventually became all about the nightly hustle to simply survive. Her anecdotes are humorous, heartfelt, and supremely captivating, recounted with the passion of a true survivor and the acerbic wit of a weathered, street-wise New Yorker. She shares stories of growing up in an abusive household in Albany in the 1940s, a teenage pregnancy, and prison time for robbery as nonchalantly as she recalls selling rhinestone G-strings to prostitutes to make them sparkle in the headlights of passing cars. Complemented by an array of revealing personal photographs, the narrative alternates between heartfelt nostalgia about the seedier side of Manhattan’s go-go scene and funny quips about her unconventional stage performances. Encounters with a variety of hardworking dancers, drag queens, and pimps, plus an account of the complexities of a first love with a drug-addled hustler, fill out the memoir with personality and candor. With a narrative assist from Stanton, the result is a consistently titillating and often moving story of human struggle as well as an insider glimpse into the days when Times Square was considered the Big Apple’s gloriously unpolished underbelly. The book also includes Yee’s lush watercolor illustrations.

Pub Date: July 12, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-250-27827-2

Page Count: 192

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: July 27, 2022

BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR | ENTERTAINMENT, SPORTS & CELEBRITY | GENERAL BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR

More by Brandon Stanton

by Brandon Stanton

by Brandon Stanton photographed by Brandon Stanton

by Brandon Stanton ; photographed by Brandon Stanton

LOVE, PAMELA

by Pamela Anderson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 31, 2023

A juicy story with some truly crazy moments, yet Anderson's good heart shines through.

The iconic model tells the story of her eventful life.

According to the acknowledgments, this memoir started as "a fifty-page poem and then grew into hundreds of pages of…more poetry." Readers will be glad that Anderson eventually turned to writing prose, since the well-told anecdotes and memorable character sketches are what make it a page-turner. The poetry (more accurately described as italicized notes-to-self with line breaks) remains strewn liberally through the pages, often summarizing the takeaway or the emotional impact of the events described: "I was / and still am / an exceptionally / easy target. / And, / I'm proud of that ." This way of expressing herself is part of who she is, formed partly by her passion for Anaïs Nin and other writers; she is a serious maven of literature and the arts. The narrative gets off to a good start with Anderson’s nostalgic memories of her childhood in coastal Vancouver, raised by very young, very wild, and not very competent parents. Here and throughout the book, the author displays a remarkable lack of anger. She has faced abuse and mistreatment of many kinds over the decades, but she touches on the most appalling passages lightly—though not so lightly you don't feel the torment of the media attention on the events leading up to her divorce from Tommy Lee. Her trip to the pages of Playboy , which involved an escape from a violent fiance and sneaking across the border, is one of many jaw-dropping stories. In one interesting passage, Julian Assange's mother counsels Anderson to desexualize her image in order to be taken more seriously as an activist. She decided that “it was too late to turn back now”—that sexy is an inalienable part of who she is. Throughout her account of this kooky, messed-up, enviable, and often thrilling life, her humility (her sons "are true miracles, considering the gene pool") never fails her.

Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2023

ISBN: 9780063226562

Page Count: 256

Publisher: Dey Street/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023

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Book Review: Will Smith’s Audiobook Memoir ‘Will’

Archuleta is an author, poet, blogger, and host of the…

The entire world knows Will Smith. No, I mean really, it’s like we know him. Our Fresh Prince, our Man in Black, our Bad Boy, our hero that saves the day. There aren’t too many people I meet that have not been a fan of Will Smith’s since the ’90s. In the audiobook version of his new memoir, Will , Smith gets real, raw, and honest from the start. He introduces another side of himself that has driven his unmatched work ethic and is also rooted in pain.

I love rich storytelling, and Smith doesn’t disappoint. He begins not with the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song we all love so much or even a wild Hollywood story. He begins with him being 9 years old standing in the doorway watching his father beat his mother. It was a moment that shaped his identity. He described his father as being the “greatest blessing and the greatest source of pain” in his life.

From the book: “What you have come to understand as ‘Will Smith,’ the alien-annihilating MC, the bigger-than-life movie star, is largely a construction — a carefully crafted and honed character designed to protect myself. To hide myself from the world. To hide the coward. How we decide to respond to our fears, that is the person we become.”

Listening to this audiobook gives extra special features. Smith raps, plays piano, and plays sound-bites from his life. It was so well done. It covered everything from his early home life, how he got started rapping, his rise to fame and immense success, but also the downfalls. It was hilarious, especially his teenage stories. It was the humor we have come to love from Will Smith.

Smith is a master storyteller. A few stories he admits to not remembering all the details fully. It’s okay, because he still has a great memory. I laughed out loud about Uncle “Whatchamacallit” and Charlie Mack, cried tears over his grandmother GiGi, gave gratitude he had a friend like J.L., became shocked over how he handled his 2011 break-up with now wife Jada Pinkett Smith, and got up off my couch to dance and rap along to the music.  

In Chapter 5, entitled “Hope,” Smith tells the story about receiving his SAT scores midway through his senior year of high school. “Low 1200s. This was far from a perfect score but for a Black kid from an inner-city school in Philadelphia, those numbers were more than good enough to get me really good options for college.”

Smith excelled in math and science. His mother, who he affectionately called Mom-Mom, valued education more than anything. She was an educated woman herself. He said that “she loved words and spoke with an academic excellence.” You could hear his voice beaming as he described how Mom-Mom built a “war room” for him. She had a map of the United States, cross-referenced engineering schools with cities where they had family. She narrowed down the schools, filled out all the applications, handled all the logistics for housing, travel, and financial aid.

This story particularly stood out to me because this was a moment in Smith’s life where he was attempting to declare his independence. We’ve all had that moment — the moment when parents, or anyone, are trying to create your path, and all you want is the opposite. You start to get down on yourself, because you don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. But I also felt for his mother. As most mothers would, all she wanted was the best for her son and to get him out of West Philadelphia.

Something happened that changed everything. Smith was working a job bagging ice and thinking maybe he could just get a job selling mattresses. He was really in a defeated place. Then, as he listened to the countdown on Power 99, “Girls A’int Nothing But Trouble” took the #1 spot. That song used to be my jam, by the way! He heard his song on the radio for the first time. This was his something that changed everything.

Smith also gives us some sugary tea. Like, the time he fell in love with his co-star Stockard Channing from Six Degrees of Separation . He was newly married at the time and just welcomed his first son Trey. “After the film wrapped, Sheree and Trey and I moved back to L.A,” Smith writes. ”Our marriage was off to a rocky start. I found myself desperately yearning to see and speak to Stockard.”

This is what we want from a Will Smith memoir — great moments that are transparent, behind the scenes, heartbreaking, joyful, and even a little boastful. All of them from his life let us see who Will Smith was, is, and still wants to be. I was impressed by the level in which he opens up. It allows the reader to make a connection with him, outside of the big screen. He lets us see that he’s a real person just like us — managing life, failing, succeeding, and becoming a better version of ourselves.

Even though this audiobook has a lot of profanity, don’t let that deter you. Smith has focused on some very emotional lessons in each chapter, but you have to follow the entire story to fully understand them. It was worth hearing them straight from his mouth. I can tell there’s still more to his story, which I hope he shares with us at some point.

Oprah was right: ”It’s just the best memoir I have ever read because you got the perfect combination of telling me the story and giving me the wisdom behind the story. And then telling me another story and making it so funny.”

Will Smith’s latest film King Richard is currently playing in theaters and streaming on HBO Max.

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Archuleta is an author, poet, blogger, and host of the FearlessINK podcast. Archuleta's work centers Black women, mental health and wellness, and inspiring people to live their fullest potential.

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Will by Will Smith: Extraordinary story of Hollywood’s Fresh Prince

Book review: actor’s self-help memoir could make napoleon feel unmotivated.

If the bookies are right, Will Smith is set to walk away with this year’s best actor Oscar for his performance King Richard. Photograph: Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Will Smith is not the first person with that forename to propel an unaccompanied synonym for resolve onto the cover of his memoir. It is only two years since Will Self released his own Will, but, with respect to that loquacious author, the former Fresh Prince has the edge on fanatical determination.

“I would be the golden child,” he explains early on. “It was going to be the performance of a lifetime. And over the next forty years, I would never break character. Not Once.” The drive sustains him from childhood in middle-class Philadelphia to hip-hop success to a brief career slump and on to life as the biggest movie star on the planet. Twenty pages of this book could make Napoleon feel unmotivated.

I have some experience of that commitment. A decade and a half ago, I saw Smith boss a press conference as if it were a Fresh Prince gig. When a tape recorder gave out with an audible click, he picked it up and waved it at the hacks. “Who’s is this? Nobody? Man, you’re just embarrassed to claim it because it’s so old looking,” he bellowed.

Half an hour later, as I sat down for an interview, he immediately twigged I was from a snooty broadsheet, tweaked dials on the Will Console and delivered his answers in steady sentences that required no tidying up on their path to newsprint. If I had been from the New Scientist, I suspect he could have done half an hour on the then-incomplete Large Hadron Collider. Perhaps only Tom Cruise works harder at the ancillary requirements of stardom.

Few readers will be much surprised to hear that Will (the book) returns again and again to success and how it is achieved. What does set one back are the descriptions of a professional nosedive that struck in the late 1980s. DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, the sharp duo that rode hip-hop’s opening waves, were no longer selling records and Will, still in his early 20s, was casting money about with lunatic abandon.

One expensive recording session was so unproductive that his manager, with no warning, flew in Smith’s fearsome dad to shake some sense into him. The Internal Revenue Service turned up with a bill for close to $3 million and the “golden child” looked to be finished. It seems hardly possible that even a callow version of Smith could allow such anarchy to rule. Maybe he is – or was – human after all.

He was saved when Quincy Jones pointed him towards the pilot for a sitcom called The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. It was a hit and the train never again left the tracks. “The universe had given me a second chance, and I swore to God that I would not need a third,” he writes in Will. The Almighty has, indeed, not been thus inconvenienced.

He talks movingly about the subtle discrimination he experienced at a largely white school and soberly about the more explicit racism he met elsewhere

Co-written with Mark Manson, the man behind “one of the largest personal-growth websites in the world”, the book reads as much like a self-help guide as a traditional celebrity memoir. To be fair, Smith’s extraordinary story does give him some permission to pontificate on how a chap might get ahead in life. He grew up in relative financial comfort, but his dad was a strict disciplinarian who handed on a drive for perfectionism to his kids. “After too many drinks, or if he snapped, he would burn everything to the ground,” Smith explains.

He talks movingly about the subtle discrimination he experienced at a largely white school and soberly about the more explicit racism he met elsewhere. “Every encounter I have had with overt racism was with people I estimated to be weak enemies at best,” Smith writes.

There is throughout a tension between his need to trumpet success and his unstoppable addiction to self-analysis. A chapter titled Perfection begins with a list of the box office totals for the films he made between 2002 and 2008. Smith writes: “What you’re looking at is arguably the greatest individual hot streak in the history of Hollywood. (Note: My editor forced me, against my will, to add ‘arguably’.)” The parenthetical addition suggest a half-step back from the brag.

One of the strangest anecdotes walks us through years of planning for his wife’s 40th birthday party. Sometime before Mary J Blige closed the show, the guests saw a video of the host’s surprise visit to descendants of the (apparently sporting) family who had owned Jada Pinkett Smith’s ancestors during slavery. Pardon? The yarn progresses in faintly triumphant fashion before closing with a furious rebuke from Jada. “That was the most disgusting display of ego I have ever seen in my life!” she yelled.

Will does seem to get it, and much of the remaining text is taken up with blather about personal healing and spiritual growth. Others may resist the rolling of eyes as, to the sound of “tribal chants and sacred melodies,” the Amazonian psychoactive brew Ayahuasca makes its way about his system, but this reviewer was unable to contain audible snorts.

Still, who are we to argue? Smith is not quite the draw he was when Independence Day and Men in Black were eating up the box office, but, if the bookies are right, he is set to walk away with this year’s best actor Oscar for his performance as Richard Williams, father of Venus and Serena, in Reinaldo Marcus Green’s well-reviewed King Richard.

He knows things we don’t.

Donald Clarke is film correspondent for The Irish Time s

Donald Clarke

Donald Clarke, a contributor to The Irish Times, is Chief Film Correspondent and a regular columnist

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The Great Performers Issue

Will Smith Is Done Trying to Be Perfect

“Strategizing about being the biggest movie star in the world — that is all completely over. ”

Will Smith Credit... Ruven Afanador for The New York Times

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By David Marchese

• Dec. 9, 2021

Will Smith’s superpower as a performer — as a movie star — has always been his radiating charisma. Who else could have credibly portrayed Muhammad Ali, the most charismatic man ever? In “King Richard,” Smith transmutes that gift into something subtler but just as powerful in his portrayal of Richard Williams, father of Venus and Serena. (Smith, as he was eager to acknowledge, was supported in the film by Saniyya Sidney as Venus, Demi Singleton as Serena and Aunjanue Ellis as the girls’ mother and Williams’s wife at the time, Oracene Price.) Richard Williams, as embodied by Smith, is a man who has been physically bowed but not beaten. He has a limp from a racist attack as a child; his carriage is tense, a little unsure, as if always on alert for a sucker punch. He’s someone who has spent time beneath the underdog. And yet when it comes to Williams’s daughters and his dreams for them of tennis greatness, Smith invests his character with his trademark on-screen self-assurance. That Smith, who is 53 and who this autumn published a searching memoir, “Will,” was able to express those disparate traits so effectively is something he attributes to the work, precipitated by that book, that he has lately put into himself. “I wouldn’t have been able to play Richard Williams in this way,” Smith says, “before I had examined my life and understood so many aspects of my childhood and how that affected the decisions I made as a parent.”

There’s a key scene in “King Richard” in which Richard Williams talks about getting beaten up by a gang of white men as a child and seeing his father run away rather than help him. Not wanting to repeat that act of cowardice is ostensibly what drove his behavior toward his daughters. In your book, you write about seeing your dad hit your mom and how the cowardice that you felt for not intervening subsequently drove your own behaviors. When it came time to play Richard Williams, had you made any links between those situations? Absolutely. As an actor, you’re trying to find the aspects of the character that you most innately understand. So I could relate to Richard Williams similarly as I related to my father. I could relate to both their senses of disrespect. They felt unsupported and disrespected, and that was central for both of them. I started finding all those parallels, and also what happened is I got better as an actor during that time. I was organizing my memoir while I was working on “King Richard.” These two things have gone together. My ability as an actor expanded in the last 18 months. It’s one of the most exponential jumps in emotional comprehension that I’ve ever had.

Good acting can be such an intangible thing. What are you looking at as evidence of improvement? At the core, acting is what can you comprehend emotionally. And when you comprehend it emotionally, do you understand it enough to feel it and create interesting behavior around it? So something like Richard Williams’s walk: Now, you can mimic someone’s walk and look authentic. It’s a completely different thing when you know why the person is hunching over versus the stand-up-comedian version of it just mimicking it. Understanding that was the leap that happened: When you know why Richard Williams’s left leg hurts, what happened with the spike that got driven through it, that, as an actor, is the 90 percent of the iceberg that’s below the surface. When you’ve programmed it deeply, those things have corresponding vibrations for the audience that they don’t even realize.

What does your walk say about you? Ha! I guess if you were to psychoanalyze my walk from eight years ago, it’d be two things: My walk is really fast, and it’s high. I’m trying to create a joyful persona, and it’s because a long time ago I realized how you enter a space is going to determine how the space reacts to you. So my walk is joyful, but it’s also somewhat performative and pre-emptive. It’s like, I don’t want somebody to feel like they have to punch me in my face. I want to walk into a room and get as many friends as quickly as possible.

You said “eight years ago.” Does your walk say something different now? At this point in my life, I’m comfortable in my body. I’m OK with things not being perfect. I don’t have to look right. My mind isn’t drifting to what people are thinking when I walk in anymore. It’s much less performative and conscious.

Being a parent and a husband involves its own kind of performance. How did you think about those identities for Richard Williams, and how might they be different from how you, Will Smith, perform them? Richard Williams wants to gain respect, but he’s not trying to gain approval. There was a part of me, when I started, that desperately craved the approval of the world. That bleeds into everything. I wanted my children to align themselves to obtain the approval of the world. Richard Williams: very different. He was training his kids that they would most likely be getting brutalized by the world, and you don’t need their approval, but you’re going to have their respect. Which made him much more insular, and his push for the security of the family was of a higher value than the presentation of the family to the world. That was a serious difference between our parenting.

Throughout your career, you’ve been strategic about your choice of roles. For a long time you picked what you were doing based on the goal of wanting to be the biggest movie star in the world. What’s your plan now? And how did “King Richard” fit into it? Strategizing about being the biggest movie star in the world — that is all completely over. I realized that in order to enjoy my time here and in order to be helpful, it’s much more about self-examination. I want to take roles where I get to look at myself, where I get to look at my family, I get to look at ideas that are important to me. Everything in my life is more centered on spiritual growth and elevation. So, for example, one of the most important things to me during this process is, I want to make sure that Aunjanue Ellis and Saniyya and Demi are elevated and the world sees their work. I’m not looking for people to clap for me. I have two young actresses that this is their first time around on this level. I want them to feel loved and protected. I want Aunjanue to get her flowers. That is where my attention is in this process versus my attention being on box office or awards. I have as close to zero self-interest in that area as could possibly be.

What was the idea that Richard Williams represented that was important to you? Aunjanue referred to Richard and Oracene: She said that they were co-conspirators in this crazy dream. To me, everybody wants to have a crazy dream. You have to have fun with the absolute insanity of what you want to create in your life, unify your family around it and go for it. That’s the fun of life. We can’t all expect to hit it how the Williams family hit it, but I’m loving shining light on the idea of a family going for it.

You’ve also got a new Disney+ documentary series about the planet Earth. What’s an idea from that series that’s got you jazzed? I’m starting to see how science and spirituality are kind of the same thing. Religion and science, definitely at a subatomic level — that is all the definition of God, right? Everybody’s looking for the same thing. I grew up in a very religious household; my grandmother was all the way Jesus’ homegirl. My mind has always been scientific. I’m starting to see how those things fuse together. When I go and stand next to a volcano and I feel the pounding of that bass shaking my body — the fear that I feel and the awe of nature is deeply spiritual. The exploration for me is relating to nature scientifically but also, like with the volcano, spiritually.

You sound so intentional about everything. Do you ever do stuff just for fun? Almost never. It might be something I’ll have to start to let go of. I’ve been letting go of outcomes. I used to be wildly goal- and target-oriented. But my intention is still really firm. My life is pretty structured. I’m always up from 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. reading and meditating on specific things or dreams and ideas that I want to put into the world. I’m very organized in that way. I guess the illusion of control settles my mind. I hope.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

David Marchese is a staff writer for the magazine and the columnist for Talk. Recently he interviewed Brian Cox about the filthy rich, Dr. Becky about the ultimate goal of parenting and Tiffany Haddish about God’s sense of humor.

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Will Smith knows the exact moment that Fresh Prince jumped the shark

In his new memoir Will, the actor shares stories from his career, including wanting to date his sitcom costar and why he decided to end the beloved show.

I currently write about Fast & Furious, The Office, and Will Smith. One day, I will write Hitch 2.

In his new memoir, Will Smith is sharing secrets from his life and career, including pivotal decisions such as ending The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air .

Last year's Fresh Prince reunion provided plenty of fun — and drama — but Smith saved some interesting scoop about the beloved sitcom. In the book, titled Will , he reveals that costar Alfonso Ribeiro gave him "the best advice ever," telling the actor, "Hey, man, I hear the producers discussing names for your character. Take it from me: Give your character your name, Will Smith. Because people are going to call you that for the rest of your life." Smith jokingly credited the quote to "Carlton," a nod to Ribeiro being forever known as the Tom Jones-loving cousin.

Speaking of his onscreen cousins, when running through his Fresh Prince castmates, Smith mentioned that Karyn Parsons "beat out a slew of Hollywood big hitters to win her role" as the materialistic Hilary Banks. "Was smart enough to tell me 'hell no' when I tried to explain we were not really cousins so it would be fine if we dated," he wrote of Parsons. "'I swear it won't mess up our working relationship.' She knew better that — good call, K.P."

Fresh Prince turned the Grammy-winning rapper into a TV star and opened the door for future movie stardom. And with opportunities like Bad Boys and Independence Day starting to come his way, Smith was left to decide if he'd continue after season 6, the final one the cast was under contract for. "The storylines were becoming increasingly hokey and it was difficult to maintain the 'Freshness,'" he shared. "Anyone who has ever been on a sitcom can tell you the episode in which their show jumped the shark. Ours was season 5, episode 15, 'Bullets Over Bel-Air,' the one in which I got shot and Carlton started carrying a gun . I had successfully fulfilled a promise to myself that I would never get caught in a cycle of deterioration without having the next thing on tap. The show could easily sustain another season; this was my family; I loved them. But a movie career was now a viable option; I was at a crossroads."

His direction was soon clear thanks to the help of Fresh Prince guest star John Amos , who saw his iconic run as James Evans on Good Times famously end when he was killed off due to a contract dispute. With Amos knowing the dilemma facing Smith, the two went for a walk during a break from rehearsals and Smith recalls the TV veteran telling him, "None of these execs, or producers, or businesspeople, give a s--- about your family. Do not let them f--- off all of your hard work and passion. It is your responsibility to make sure these people get to leave this show with some dignity."

Smith added of the conversation's impact: "I had remembered even as a child being jarred by James Evans's death on Good Times . As a kid, I wouldn't have used the word 'dignity,' but in retrospect there was a sense of disrespect that my heart sensed. As a fan, I felt insulted and abused by the narrative. John's character was unceremoniously killed off, and almost twenty years later the man himself spoke the word that fit the hole in my heart. The whole s--- was undignified. I even sensed John's pain, that maybe he had failed his TV family. The next week, I gathered my cast together. I told everyone that season six would be our final season and that they should take the year to make whatever plans or preparations they felt necessary. I promised them that we would go out with style and grace."

Will is available now, and features stories about Bad Boys , Pursuit of Happiness , and After Earth , but somehow not Hitch .

Related content:

• Every Will Smith film performance, ranked
• Watch Will Smith be interviewed by two ace journalists: His King Richard daughters
• Why Hitch is the greatest rom-com of all time

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Steph Huddleston

Manuscript Editor, Book Reviewer & Writer

Will by Will Smith Book Review

Growing up, Will Smith was a bit of a constant in my house. Between hip hop, Fresh Prince, and Men in Black, the star seemed a little inescapable. So naturally, I was curious about his memoir. ⁠

As the eye-catching book cover kept making its way across my screen, it didn’t take me long to get a copy to enjoy over my holiday break.

What is Will by Will Smith about?

Will Smith, assisted by Mark Manson ( The Subtle Art Of Not Giving a F*ck) has endeavoured in his book to share his life with his fans, sharing anecdotes from his career. It’s a behind the scenes peek, smattered with vulnerability. Something that’s been demanded of the star by fans many for years.

What I liked about Will?

Smith’s story is well written, maintaining the author’s very well known voice. As a fan of many of his movies and familiar with his music, it was a delight.

Following an established trend, Will Smith is also the narrator of the audiobook version of his memoir, so for an even more personal experience that might be worth considering.

Throughout Smith’s story, there were elements of surprise, vulnerability and, of course, humour. Of particular interest was Smith’s reflection on his early life and how his experiences and the people he knew would have a lasting impact on his career.

Words can affect how people view themselves, how they treat each other, how they navigate the world. Words can build people up, or they can tear them down. I decided that night that I wanted to use my words to empower others, to help rather than hurt. Will Smith

Smith has been well known in his music career for having pretty ‘clean’ lyrics, free from cussing and some negative themes. It was enlightening to hear, after years of commentary, the author’s own perspective on elements of his reputation.

What I didn’t like about Will ?

Overall, Smith does not shy away from acknowledging his own shortcomings and responsibility for some of the relationship breakdowns in his life. His attitude when discussing sensitive events comes across as respectful, yet grounded in his own perspective.

While some may find the discussions of his success arrogant, personally I did not find that to be the case. Generally, facts about the star’s successful career that are shared have been corroborated in other places. What some might perceive as arrogance, I think is more of an honest description, inflated as a result of being one of the biggest stars of the last two decades. However, it is clearly important to Will that he is remembered as such.

For the first time ever, I said it out loud… ‘I want to be the biggest movie star in the world.’ ‘Now that’s a goal,’ JL said. Will Smith

It is important to remember when reading memoirs that the goal of the genre is to share a single person’s perspective on their life. The subject of the book is free to share their thoughts, recollections and emotions regarding relationships and events in their life. That is the point .

However, when reading there were occasional glimmers of other perspectives peeking through, where I would be curious to hear the other side of the tale. This was noticable when Smith described conflict, or relationship strain. Smith does tend to gloss over the nasty bits (only a sentence is given to his son’s almost emancipation from his parents). But sharing what he wishes to, and his own perspective, is his prerogative.

While curious to the other side of the story, I recognise that stars do not owe their fans a “tell all”, nor would one be overly useful. Perspective and truth are malleable, shifting depending on who is doing the telling of a tale.

Final Thoughts

Will by Will Smith offers an entertaining journey through Will Smith’s truth, in the star’s trademark style.

If you’re looking for a book to entertain and amuse, Will is worth checking out.

What’s your favourite Will Smith movie?

Let me know by commenting on this blog!

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Published by Steph Huddleston

Hi! I'm Steph, a freelance editor and writer based in Australia. On this blog you'll find all things bookish: book reviews, writing tips, and editing help. View all posts by Steph Huddleston

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Will by Will Smith (2021)

Probably one of the best books of the year..

Content Summary:

Will begins his tale with him and his brother constructing a wall at the age of eleven for his father’s store. The wall can be built with experienced contractors in a few weeks however it took will and his brother 12 months to complete the task. Once finished and time to process that experience, it was a lot mote than constructing a wall, it was a life-changer lesson that Will incorporates with him forever. Having of what you notice you have to do, go one brick at a time. This memoir of Will Smith life, will replicate lots on your own lifestyle. It will be made you open regions that you may think you have closed. In case you had a parent that changed into hard on you, gave you a complicated life, made you fear them, this read is for you. If you are married, this memoir is for you. When you feel you have ever hit rock bottom, this memoir is for you.

Get this book on Amazon:

Audiobook (free with audible trial), kindle book (free with trial), give audiobook as a gift (new).

The Book Guide® is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

After having achieved within the music world and becoming a tv and movies celebrity, Will worked hard to be one of the biggest and most recognized movie stars in the world. His films such as Bad Boys, Med in black, and Independence day are gold mines for the industry. His work style and ethic are unrivaled. He pours each little bit of himself into any challenge he starts.

“If you had a parent that was hard on you, gave you a complex, made you fear them, this read is for you.” The Book Guide® Editor

Will Smith grew up with a hard father, a knowledgeable mother, and a god-fearing grandmother. Will’s father turned into a heavy smoker and drinker and would frequently turn out to be abusive to will’s mother. This behavior shaped Will and molded him into the man he is now. Will went in opposition to his moms’ desire of pursuing college and he launched into a rap profession with Dj Jazzy Jeff. It was the start of the megastar Will would become.

This was one of the best memoirs we have ever read. Will has a passion for This turned into one of the first-class memoirs you could read this year. Will has skills for storytelling and does it so properly. He’s open, sincere, raw, funny, and emotional. He made mistakes and share them with deep vulnerability. Will is so much greater than a successful singer and movie star and this is reflected in this memoir.

We at The Book Guide® loved this memoir. It become real, raw, honest, and also we loved the audio that complete the story. A lot of raps and sound bytes from his essence were so well carried out. It covered the whole lot from his early domestic life, how he got started rapping, his upward push to fame, but also the downfalls and difficult times. It becomes full of hilarious anecdotes and teenage memories. His humor permeates throughout but by no means does it become heavy. It’s a pleasant read with plenty of real memoirs.

Will (2021) by Will Smith Book Rating

• by The Book Guide® Editors 4.9 rating 4.9 / 5 Excellent
• best seller

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Will Smith: 9 surprising things we learnt from the actor’s candid new memoir

From confessing his love for stockard channing, to admitting he wanted to kill his father at one point, article bookmarked.

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In the run-up to the release of Will Smith ’s highly anticipated, candid memoir Will, several details about the actor’s professional and personal lives have emerged online. As excerpts from the book were carried by publications like People , it became clear that the actor was gearing up to give readers near-unprecedented and unrestricted access to his fame and family life.

From Smith revealing he once fell in love with actor Stockard Channing to him talking candidly about his sex life, here are the main revelations from the 53-year-old’s no-holds barred autobiography, which he co-wrote with Mark Manson.

Smith turned to drugs after Jada mocked birthday party he held for her

After Smith’s wife Jada criticised the birthday party he planned for her in 2011, the couple decided to split up. While dealing with this personal crisis, the Men In Black actor travelled to Peru where he participated in over a dozen ayahuasca rituals. In his memoir, Smith described the experience of drinking the potent psychoactive tea – deep within the jungles of South America, and guided by a shaman – as the “unparalleled greatest feeling” he’s ever had.

The actor met a tantric sex expert and confessed he wanted a ‘harem of girlfriends’

After Peru, Smith travelled to Trinidad where he consulted with intimacy coach and tantric sex expert Michaela Boem, When Boem asked the actor what he would want if he could have anything, Smith said a “harem of girlfriends”. He named actor Halle Berry and ballet dancer Misty Copeland as two women he’d invite into it. Boem and Smith identified a total of 25 women for this “harem”. The actor doesn’t name any women, except Berry and Copeland, in the book.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air actor had suicidal thoughts when he was 13

Smith confessed that he contemplated suicide after his mother Caroline Bright – who was physically abused by the actor’s father Willard Carroll Smith Sr – walked away from her family. Explaining the circumstances under which Bright left, the actor said that “she’d had enough” of his father’s abuse. Smith said the incident left him feeling lonely and guilty, and drove him to suicidal thoughts.

He wrote: “I thought about pills; I knew where a boy had lost his legs on the train tracks; I had seen people cut their wrists in a bathtub on TV.”

Smith cleared his father’s child-support debts worth £103,000

While talking about his parents’s separation and eventual divorce, the Independence Day actor said he paid his father’s backdated child support bills , totalling $140,000 (£103,000). Already a successful actor by the time the divorce was finalised in 2000, Smith said his father simply didn’t have the money to pay his mother. Smith said he stepped up to clear the bills because his mom “was unwilling to make any concession” and “there was no version of me letting my father go to jail”.

The actor revealed a childhood memory of his father attacking his mother

Theactor recounted a terrible act of violence by his father against his mother.. In the memoir, the actor wrote that he watched Smith Sr punch Bright “so hard that she collapsed”. He continued that, despite maintaining a close relationship with his father after his parents’s divorce, “a darkness arose within me” when the same memory resurfaced one night.

While he was caring for his wheelchair-bound father, who had been diagnosed with cancer, the actor admitted that he briefly contemplated pushing him down the stairs to “avenge” his mother.

Smith’s son Jaden asked to be emancipated when he was 15

Smith’s son Jaden asked to be emancipated when he was 15, after the father-son duo starred in the 2013 film After Earth. Smith said the movie was “an abysmal box office and critical failure” that Jaden “took the hit for”, despite having “faithfully” done everything his father had nstructed him to. When Jaden made the emancipation request, Smith said his “heart shattered”.

Will Smith and son Jaden

The actor fell in love with Six Degrees of Separation co-star Stockard Channing

While working on the 1993 film Six Degrees of Separation , Smith admitted, he fell in love with his co-star Stockard Channing . At the time, the actor was married to his first wife Sheree Zampino, and the couple had just welcomed their first child. After the film was shot, Smith confessed that he found himself “desperately yearning to see and speak to Stockard”,

Jaden Smith was nearly named Luigi

After Will and Jada welcomed their first-born Jaden, the actor asked his older son Trey (who he shares with ex-wife Zampino) to name Jaden. Smith said the couple’s psychologist thought that involving Trey in the process would “create a sense of ownership and connection” between the two families. However when six-year-old Trey announced his decision to christen the newborn boy Luigi, Smith recalled the look of “abject horror” he shared with Jada.

Ultimately, the Smiths convinced Trey to name their dog Luigi instead, and suggested they each pick one name for the baby. Smith picked Jaden, Jada chose Syre, and Trey went with Christopher. The couple’s son was, therefore, named Jaden Christopher Syre Smith.

John Amos helped Smith bid adieu to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

When Smith was torn between committing to a seventh season of his hit show and pursuing a movie career, TV veteran John Amos came to his rescue. Amos, whose character was unceremoniously killed off on Good Times , told Smith it was up to him to make sure the cast and crew of Fresh Prince “get to leave this show with some dignity”. Aware that the storylines were “becoming increasingly hokey”, Smith finally realised it was time to bring the curtain down on Fresh Prince after his conversation with Amos.

‘Will’ is out now

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Will Summary

1-Sentence-Summary: Will is world-famous actor and musician Will Smith’s autobiography, outlining his life’s story all the way from his humble beginnings in West Philadelphia to achieving fame as a musician and then global stardom as an actor and, ultimately, one of the most influential people of our time.

Favorite quote from the author:

Table of Contents

Video Summary

Will review, who would i recommend the will summary to.

Will Smith’s memoir, Will , is a story about his life and career. It starts with his early hip-hop days and ends, at the time of writing, with making movies and becoming one of the most influential actors in the industry.

Smith was born in Philadelphia and grew up in a modest home. He began rapping at an early age. But it wasn’t until he started working with DJ Jazzy Jeff that he made a name for himself. He released his first album when he was 16 years old.

After graduating high school, Smith moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting full-time, a decision that would eventually lead him to star on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air . Eventually, he would become one of Hollywood’s biggest names .

The book is packed with valuable lessons derived from a life of learning. Here are three of my favorite ones:

• Your future success is not determined by a poor upbringing or imperfect parenting.
• Life rewards those who push through adversity and make it to the other side of challenging times.
• Everything beautiful in life is on the other side of fear.

Let’s explore these valuable lessons from Will Smith!

If you want to save this summary for later, download the free PDF and read it whenever you want.

Lesson 1: You can’t control where you’re born, but you can control who you become.

Will Smith is one of the most successful actors in Hollywood, but he didn’t grow up in a rich and educated family. In fact, he grew up in a poor neighborhood with an alcoholic father who threatened him and his mother. 

Will’s life has been full of ups and downs, but he always managed to bounce back from each challenge. This can be attributed to his strong work ethic and positive attitude toward life. At one point, he thought he made it, but he lost everything due to not paying taxes. 

Will had to learn to become resilient, so he started to build his career again. He is proof that you don’t need to be born into a wealthy, educated family to make it in life. 

Will’s story is one of tragedy but also of triumph. After being kicked out of school, he worked as an usher at a movie theater. He saved his money and went to college, then graduated and began working as a DJ in Philadelphia clubs. 

From there he moved on to acting, which became his passion—and eventually led him to become one of the most successful actors in Hollywood history.

Lesson 2: Adversity teaches us to become more resilient and achieve success.

Will Smith is a successful actor, producer, and rapper who has been in the business for decades. However, his path to success wasn’t easy. One of the most difficult times of his career was when he owed the IRS over $3 million dollars in taxes.

When he first made it big as a rapper, he spent way too much money and underpaid his income taxes. Eventually the IRS took many of his possessions and future income.  

At the time, his first marriage with a woman named Sheree was also crumbling, which made things even more difficult for him. Initially, Will refused to divorce Sheree because he viewed it as a failure. Eventually, however, they did manage to agree and get divorced.

Despite all this adversity, however, Will Smith did not give up on himself or his dreams of becoming successful . Instead, he took responsibility for his actions and worked hard to turn things around. He eventually got a grip on his taxes and, in 1997, he married Jada Pinkett, and they are still together today.

Lesson 3: Facing your fears is one of the best things you can do for your growth.

Will Smith, known for his roles in movies like Independence Day and Men in Black , is famous for saying that God put all the beautiful things in life on the other side of fear. That’s why he faced his fears and jumped out of a plane, trying skydiving for the first time despite being terrified of heights.

In an interview with People magazine, Smith said: “If there’s one thing that I have learned over the years, it’s that you can never go back to where you were before.” “ I’ve always been terrified of heights,” he continued. “But when I was 35 years old, my wife told me ‘you have to get over it’—so I did!”

If you want to live a life of joy and success, you have to be willing to step out of your comfort zone. You just have to take that leap of faith, which is something Will learned the hard way.

Still, he doesn’t want people to see him as an expert on this. Will believes anyone can do it, and that it’s just a matter of facing your fears and taking the leap into the unknown. Often, taking a risk and betting on yourself pays off.

Will Smith’s memoir, Will , is a quick and easy read. The book has different sections that have various meanings for Will personally. Each section has an introduction that gives you some background on what you are about to read. 

Some sections are more fun and entertaining, others deep and thoughtful. Overall, I would say that this book is worth reading if you’re interested in learning more about Will Smith, need some inspiration to accomplish big dreams, or just want a lighthearted read on your next vacation.

The 33-year-old actor who is going through a tough time and needs inspiration from someone else’s story, the 43-year-old fan who is passionate about Will Smith’s movies and his life, and anyone who wants to find motivation in their life to achieve their wildest dreams.

Last Updated on June 15, 2023

While working with my friend Ovi's company SocialBee, I had the good fortune of Maria writing over 200 summaries for us over the course of 18 months. Maria is a professional SEO copywriter, content writer, and social media marketing specialist. When she's not writing or learning more about marketing, she loves to dance and travel all over the world.

*Four Minute Books participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising commissions by linking to Amazon. We also participate in other affiliate programs, such as Blinkist, MindValley, Audible, Audiobooks, Reading.FM, and others. Our referral links allow us to earn commissions (at no extra cost to you) and keep the site running. Thank you for your support.

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Will Smith Announces Book Tour

"An Evening of Stories with Friends" comes to Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Chicago, LA, and London this November

Will Smith has announced a five-date book tour in promotion of his upcoming memoir, Will .

In November, Smith will bring “An Evening of Stories with Friends” to his hometown of Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Chicago, Los Angeles, and London. See the full list of dates below.

At each date, the rapped-turned-actor will be joined by “special guests” as he “opens up fully about his life, tracing his learning curve to a place where outer success, inner happiness, and human connection are aligned.”

Tickets are now available for purchase via Ticketmaster , and each ticket includes a copy of Will .

Co-written by Mark Manson ( The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck ), Will is described as part memoir, part self-hep book. “It’s easy to maneuver the material world once you have conquered your own mind,” Smith said in statement. “Once you’ve learned the terrain of your own mind, every experience, every emotion, every circumstance, whether positive or negative, simply propels you forward, to greater growth and greater experience. That is true will. To move forward in spite of anything. And to move forward in a way that brings others with you, rather than leave them behind.” New Orleans artist Brandan “Bmike” Odums painted the cover for Will using five layers, each meant to represent a different stage of Smith’s life.

Will will be published on November 9th. Pre-orders are ongoing .

Will Smith Tour Dates: 11/08 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met 11/09 – Brooklyn, NY @ Kings Theatre 11/10 – Chicago, IL @ The Chicago Theatre 11/11 – Los Angeles, CA @ Dolby Theatre 11/18 – London, UK @ Savoy Theatre

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Will Book Summary, Review, Notes

Will by Will Smith and Mark Manson is a memoir about Will Smith’s life, starting from the days of early hip-hop, through The Princ of Bel-Air, all the way to making movies and becoming one of the most recognizable actors in the world.

Book Title : Will Author : Will Smith, Mark Manson Date of Reading : November 2021 Rating : 9/10

Table of Contents

What is being said in detail:.

Will leads us through the life of Will Smith in 21 chapters.

The first three chapters, Fear , Fantasy , and Performance , show us how Will was raised, how he became the way that he was, where he was raised, and what shaped his mindset from the early day.

Chapters four to eight, Power , Hope , Ignorance , Adventure , and Pain show us Will as a teenager and young adult, rising through the world of hip-hop, getting his first Grammy, and “making it.” 

But chapter nine, Destruction , tears all of it down when Will gets into a problem with the IRS by not paying his taxes, owing millions, and his new album is a fluke.

Chapters ten to twelve, Alchemy , Adaptation , and Desire, lead us through Will’s life when he stopped recording his music and got an opportunity to play The Prince of Bel-Air. 

We follow Will as he quickly rises as a TV star, gets married (and divorced) , and becomes a father. Then, he shifted to the next big thing— movies.

Chapters thirteen to fifteen, Devotion , Boom , and Inferno, lays out how Will started becoming a movie star and how quickly he rose to the rank of one of the most famous movie stars in the world. 

Chapter sixteen, Purpose , shows us how Will got the role of Muhhamad Ali and got his Oscar nomination.

Chapter seventeen to nineteen, Perfection , Mutiny , and Retreat, show us how even though Will got everything in his life, he still felt kind of empty and unsatisfied inside. 

He kept pushing himself and his family to do more and be more which resulted in quite a lot of problems in his second marriage with Jada.

Chapters twenty and twenty, Surrender , and Love, show us a Will who has changed and embraced his shadow side. He is no longer the “do or die” type of guy who pushes everyone to the brink . 

He found a new way to himself and his family, accepting his shortcomings and coming to terms with his demons.

The epilogue titled Jump takes us to Will’s 50th birthday where he did a Bungee Jump from a helicopter overlooking Grand Canyon with his entire family and friends watching. 

The event was a culmination of his fear of being a coward and dealing with failures and fails in his life.

Most Important Keywords, Sentences, Quotes:

It didn’t matter if it was raining, if it was hot as hell, if I was mad, if I was sad, if I was sick, if I had a test the next day — there were no excuses.

Some of the most impactful lessons I’ve ever received, I’ve had to learn in spite of myself.

The days dragged on, and as much as I hated to admit it, I started to see what he was talking about. 

When I focused on the wall, the job felt impossible. Never-ending. But when I focused on one brick , everything got easy — I knew I could lay one damn brick well ….

I’ve always thought of myself as a coward. Most of my memories of my childhood involve me being afraid in some way — afraid of other kids, afraid of being hurt or embarrassed, afraid of being seen as weak . But mostly, I was afraid of my father.

The North Philly streets had a way of hardening you. You either crystallized into a mean motherfucker, or the hood broke you.

But as it turned out, Daddio loved it. It was in the military that he discovered the transformative power of order and discipline, two values that he came to worship as the guardrails protecting him from the worst parts of himself.

Like many sons, I worshipped my father, but he also terrified me. He was one of the greatest blessings of my life , and also one of my greatest sources of pain.

He loved the poetry of his profanity — I once heard him call a man a “dirty rat, cocksuckin ’, low – down, mangy pig fucker” Mom – Mom doesn’t use profanity.

In his world, there was no such thing as a “small thing.” Doing your homework was a mission. Cleaning the bathroom was a mission. Getting groceries from the supermarket was a mission. 

And scrubbing a floor? It was never just about scrubbing a floor — it was about your ability to follow orders, to exhibit self – discipline , and to complete a task with the utmost perfection.

The constant fear during my childhood honed my sensitivity to every detail in my environment. 

From a very young age, I developed a razor – sharp intuition, an ability to attune to every emotion around me. I learned to sense anger, predict joy, and understand sadness on far deeper levels than most other kids.

This emotional awareness has stayed with me throughout my life. Paradoxically it has served me well as an actor and performer. 

I could easily recognize, comprehend, and emulate complex emotions long before I knew that people would pay me for it.

My father tormented me. And he was also one of the greatest men I’ve ever known. My father was violent, but he was also at every game, play, and recital. 

He was an alcoholic, but he was sober at every premiere of every one of my movies. He listened to every record. He visited every studio. The same intense perfectionism that terrorized his family put food on the table every night of my life.

In a family of fighters, I was the weak one. I was the coward.

How we decide to respond to our fears, that is the person we become. I decided to be funny .

That night, in that bedroom, at only nine years old, watching the destruction of my family as my mother collapsed to the floor — in that moment, I decided. 

I made a silent promise. To my mother, to my family, to myself: One day, I would be in charge. And this would never, ever happen again.

Comedy is an extension of intelligence. It’s hard to be really funny if you’re not really smart.

Living in your own little world with your own rules can be an advantage sometimes, but you have to be careful. You can’t get too detached from reality. Because there are consequences.

Kids could be cruel. And the more eccentric you are, the less mercy you will be shown.

The bigger the fantasy you live, the more painful the inevitable collision with reality. 

If you cultivate the fantasy that your marriage will be forever joyful and effortless, then reality is going to pay you back in equal proportion to your delusion. 

If you live the fantasy that making money will earn you love, then the universe will slap you awake, in the tune of a thousand angry voices.

3. Performance

Gigi didn’t make a distinction between your burdens and her own. She truly believed the message of the Gospel. She saw loving and serving others not as a responsibility but as an honor.

These three ideas — discipline, education, and love — would fight for my attention throughout the rest of my life.

I was raised to believe that I am inherently equipped to handle any problems that may arise in my life, racism included. 

Some combination of hard work, education, and God would topple any and all obstacles and enemies. The only variable was the level of my commitment to the fight.

The equation was now complete: DJing + MCing = Hip – Hop. And the world was not ready.

I never cursed again in my rhymes. And I got criticized and smashed for years for that choice. But there was no peer pressure that even came close to overriding Gigi pressure.

This was always my biggest strength. I had been cracking jokes my entire life. Now all I had to do was make them rhyme and people were flippin’.

“Nah, Miss Brown, we both know I am barely thirty seconds late. And if you don’t mind, thenceforth and hitherto do I demand to be known as the Fresh Prince.” The classroom burst out laughing. The name stuck.

In order to feel confident and secure, you need to have something to feel confident and secure about.

Internal power and confidence are born of insight and proficiency. 

When you understand something, or you’re good at something, you feel strong, and it makes you feel like you have something to offer. 

When you have adequately cultivated your unique skills and gifts, then you’re excited about approaching and interacting with the world.

As a teenager, outside of physical injury, you cannot feel worse than having your mother catch you and your girlfriend doggy-style on her kitchen floor.

I could go on and on. But I’ll stop and just say there’s a reason why many, including myself, consider Jeff to be the GOAT of hip-hop DJing. Even today, over thirty years later, he’s revered by DJing experts as one of the best in the world.

Jeff was flawless that night. And when it was all said and done, the 1986 World Supreme DJ was a kid who spent most of his life in a basement in Southwest Philly: my DJ, DJ Jazzy Jeff.

But by the time we drove home the next morning, New York disappearing behind us, I was struck with an overwhelming conviction: I am not going to college.

We didn’t realize that Dana didn’t even have a company yet. He had no distribution, very few connections in radio or television. And DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince were his first foray into the music business.

Deep down inside, I knew that my dreams would be made or broken by the people I chose to surround myself with. 

Confucius had it right: It’s nearly impossible for the quality of your life to be higher than the quality of your friends. 

And by the grace of God, there has never been a single moment in my life when I have looked to my left or to my right and not seen an extraordinary friend, someone who believed in me and was down for whatever.

Our hopes had finally collided. And these hopes were inherently incompatible with each other. One had to give way. One of us was going to have our heart broken.

My mother’s college education saved her life, which solidified for her a fundamental premise: A college education is the only armor against the brutality of this world. 

And without a college education, I would be condemned to certain destruction. This was not her advice to me — this was” the truth.” To her, being a rapper was impossible. But I am not my mother. 

Just as her education saved and defended her from the hardships of her early life, performance and hip-hop had saved me from mine. It’s clearer when I look back now. 

While we were gridlocked and colliding and arguing, the reality was, both things were true — one was true for her, and the other was true for me.

“ So, here’s what we gonna do,” Daddio said.” You got one year. Your mother said she can get all them schools to hold your acceptance till next September. 

We’re gonna help you and support you to do anything you think you need to do to succeed. 

But in one year, if it ain’t happenin’, you’re going to go to whichever one of them school’s your mother choose. That work for you?” In my mind a year was forever. I was ecstatic.

I ran outside; I wanted to grab somebody, to tell somebody,” THAT’S ME, Y’ALL, THAT’S ME.” But it was ten o’clock; nobody was out there. I started giggling, a knee-jerk reaction that I still have to this day when I find myself in extreme emotional circumstances. 

I couldn’t stop laughing. It was a joyous, blissful laughter. The pure joy of a child waking up on Christmas morning. The joy of discovery. Of renewed hope. Of a new life. The joy of being right about me.

6. Ignorance

People often say ignorance is bliss. Maybe … right up until it’s not. We punish ourselves for not knowing.

Living is the journey from not knowing to knowing. 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.

“Can I help you?” Daddio said.” Where’s that muthafucka at?” Dana gruffly responded.” Well, if the muthafucka you’re looking for is Will, he’s in the house. 

You’re welcome to come in and kill him now. And the whole family’s home, too, coz if you touch Will, you gon’ have to kill us all …. But we ain’t acceptin’ no fuckin’ threats from you.”

7. Adventure

What I’m saying is objectively, and factually true: The late 1980s was the greatest time in hip-hop history, period, full stop, amen.

We never even adjusted from our jet lag. We woke up at 4: 00 p.m. every day, hit the studio by 6: 00 p.m., worked until about 6: 00 a.m., grabbed some free breakfast from the Swiss Cottage buffet, and went to bed around 7: 00 a.m. 

We kept that schedule up for almost six weeks. And it was bliss.

He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper was released on March 29, 1988. Anchored by” Brand New Funk” and” Parents Just Don’t Understand,” the album would eventually reach # 4 on the Billboard 200, going triple platinum ( selling more than three million copies ).

We were red – hot, and unstoppable. At twenty years old, I was a world-famous rapper, a Grammy Award winner, and a Freshly minted millionaire (pun intended ). I would drop the mic, but I need it for the next chapter.

On the outside, though, I was strangely calm, because none of these thoughts were registering as actual feelings. I wanted to be angry — I mean, you’re supposed to be pissed when somebody cheats on you, right? But I felt nothing.

When you’re a twenty-year-old rapper from the inner city of Philadelphia who’s just made his first million dollars, the only people who can afford to hang with you are other rappers, professional athletes, or drug dealers. I picked drug dealers.

“Boy, why you need three cars?” he said. “You only got one ass.”

I have since realized the critical importance of environment. Choosing the city you live in is as important as choosing your life partner.

The thing about money, sex, and success is that when you don’t have them, you can justify your misery — shit, if I had money, sex, and success, I’d feel great! 

However misguided that may be, it psychologically permeates as hope. But once you are rich, famous, successful — and you’re still insecure and unhappy — the terrifying thought begins to lurk: Maybe the problem is me. 

Of course, I dismissed that foolishness quickly. I just needed more money, more women, more Grammys.

9. Destruction

It is unbelievably painful for me as I write this chapter because these conflicts and misunderstandings had such simple solutions, yet our immaturity demanded that we had to suffer excruciating consequences in order to learn the most basic lessons of human relating. 

It’s so obvious to me today how hurtful it must have been for Clate to go from being my best friend and my creative right hand to someone who was increasingly being excluded and alienated and asked by photographers to step out of pictures. 

And what’s worse, we never even talked about it.

Imagine you were to secure a title fight against Mike Tyson in his prime. 

Fearful for your life, you hire legendary trainer Freddie Roach, you commit to the perfect diet, the perfect training regimen, you do everything within your power to prepare yourself to face Iron Mike. 

You step into the ring in impeccable physical and mental condition, and Mike destroys you within fifteen seconds. You did everything you could possibly have done, and still lost. You’re just not as good a fighter as Mike Tyson. 

That is a bearable loss; that is what I’m calling natural destruction. But if you were lollygagging during training, didn’t really eat right, and let your boy Pookie train you — and then Mike knocks you out in fifteen seconds — now you have to face an unbearable loss. 

You have to live the rest of your life not knowing what might have happened had you done your best. In the back of your mind, forever, you will know that you didn’t only lose to Mike Tyson, you lost to yourself. 

The fight wasn’t you versus Mike — it was you and Mike versus you. That’s how I feel about And in This Corner …

I didn’t pay my taxes. It’s not like I forgot, it was more like … I just didn’t pay my taxes. In January 1990, Uncle Sam decided that I’d had enough fun and he wanted his. 

I owed the IRS taxes on around $3 million of income . I think somewhere above a million dollars, Uncle Sam shifts from ornery to irritable and everything north of about $ 2.3 million makes him aggressive and cantankerous.

I was rich and famous, minus the rich, and minus the famous. I was worse than broke — I was in the hole. 

The walls were tumbling down. I had enjoyed Sodom and Gomorrah way more than I was enjoying Jericho.

As I write this chapter, I have never seen or spoken to Melanie again. I’ve reached out on multiple occasions over the years with no response. 

She was the victim of one of the lowest points in my life. Yes, we were young, yes, we hurt each other, but she did not deserve how I treated her; she did not deserve how it ended.

name. But as I sat in that jail cell, facing aggravated assault, criminal conspiracy, simple assault, and reckless endangerment charges for a punch I hadn’t even thrown, I finally understood a term I’d heard many times before: Rock. Bottom.

” When I get my feet, you should roll out to LA.” Bucky chuckled the same knowing chuckle.” Sure, man, I’ll do that.” He gave me a pound. I made my flight. Three days later, Bucky was dead.

10. Alchemy

“But right now, everybody that needs to say yes to this show is sitting out there in that living room waiting for you. And you are about to make a decision that will affect the rest of your life.”

“NO PARALYSIS THROUGH ANALYSIS!” Quincy shouted again and again. He would intone this mantra nearly fifty times over the next two hours. It was the answer to every question, it was the response to ever stutter, it was the solution to every legal problem. 

Until, two hours later, when Quincy Jones, Brandon Tartikoff, Benny Medina — and Will Smith — entered into an agreement to shoot a pilot for a television show tentatively titled The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

Six weeks earlier, I had been curled up in a ball in Marina del Rey, lost, depressed, and terrified. And just like that, the universe had given me a new family: James Avery. Janet Hubert – Whitten. Alfonso Ribeiro. Tatyana Ali. Karyn Parsons. Joseph Marcell.

I was well into my twenties before I actually read an entire book cover to cover.

11. Adaptation

(Just as a piece of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air trivia: In the opening credits of the show, when I get in” one little fight and my mom got scared,” the person I get into” one little fight” with, the guy who is spinning me around and precipitating my departure for California? That’s Charlie Mack.)

For example, the same angry, aggressive persona you cultivated as a child to protect yourself from bullies and predators will now destroy every relationship you have if you’re unwilling to let it go. 

Things can be perfectly useful and absolutely necessary during certain periods of our lives. But a time will come when we must put them aside or die.

I would later learn a term that resonated deeply with my experience at O’Hare that night: psychography, or automatic writing, is a theoretical psychic ability allowing someone to produce written words without consciously writing. (Skeptics call it self-delusion; I call it” another Grammy” and” my first # 1 record.”)

The war between desire and obstacle is the heart and soul of dramatic storytelling ( sometimes, the obstacles are internal — those are the fun ones ).

I came up with a way to describe what makes a great movie star character: I call it the three Fs of movie stardom: You have to be able to fight, you have to be funny, and you have to be good at sex. 

Beneath the three Fs are our deepest human yearnings: fighting equates to safety, security, and physical survival. 

Being funny equates to joy, happiness, and freedom from all negativity . And being good at sex equates to the promise of love.

When you know what you want, it clarifies what you don’t want. And even painful decisions, though not easy, become simple.

“J. That’s a lot of money, dude.” “Tom Cruise wouldn’t take this role,” JL said. We turned down 8 Heads in a Duffel Bag.

“Damn, J, you are hyped about this one!” “I’m tellin’ you, this is the one,” he said, punching his fist into his hand.” Word! How much?” “Well, this one’s different ….” “I get that, J, but, how much?” I said. I took Six Degrees of Separation for $300,000.

Will Smith is no more” real” than Paul — they’re both characters that were invented, practiced, and performed, reinforced, and refined by friends, loved ones, and the external world. What you think of as your” self” is a fragile construct.

Something broke in our marriage — something we would never get back. ( Sheree would later confide that was the most her feelings had been hurt in her adult life. ) 

Sheree and I deteriorated quickly after that. We argued about everything — nothing was too trivial to fight about: I recall criticizing how she washed a skillet …. Sheree and I would go days without speaking to each other. 

We even invented a” game” that we” played” when people came over called” You Know What I Hate About You …?” And the” winner” was whoever could make our guests” laugh” the most.

Am I having a fucking nervous breakdown? And slowly, my emotional truth came into vivid, three-dimensional clarity. I knew with absolute certainty that Jada Pinkett was the woman of my dreams. 

But I had committed my life before God to Sheree. And there was no version of me ever going back on my word. 

My tears were railing against the harshness of this reality. And my laughter was cursing its absurdity. 

But soon, my hysteria subsided. I wiped my tears, and I exited the stall fully prepared to spend the rest of my life with Sheree Smith.

13. Devotion

I would never have gotten married if I thought divorce was an option.

The reason you say you’re gonna do it or die is because death is what happens when you don’t do it. 

Your mind is trying to protect you from hard things, to defend you from pain. The problem is, all of your dreams are on the other side of pain and difficulty. 

So, a mind that tries to seek pleasure and comfort and the easy way inadvertently poisons its dreams — your mind becomes a barrier to your dreams, an internal enemy. If it was easy, everybody would do it.

My sister Ellen stays in the mix; she always has. Every party, every piece of gossip, every rumor — she’s the girl on the block that when something happens, she has the scoop. 

If she worked for the police department, she would drop crime by 40 percent in her first week. She knows everything about everybody at all times.

The next ten years of my professional life were an absolute, unadulterated, unblemished rout of the entertainment industry. 

Bad Boys; Independence Day; Men in Black; Enemy of the State; Wild Wild West; Ali; Men in Black II; Bad Boys II; I, Robot; Shark Tale; Hitch; The Pursuit of Happyness; I Am Legend; and Hancock. Resulting in more than $8,000,000,000 in global box office.

It was the first time I had ever experienced a woman having a sexual reaction to my manness. Up until this point in my life, I had used comedy to attract women. 

And now I was being objectified. It was wonderful. All I could think was, OK, Michael Bay, you were right, I was wrong. Thank you. From that point forward, directors had to argue with me to keep my shirt on.

Imagine the following in the Arnold voice:” You are not a movie star if your movies are only successful in America. 

You are not a movie star until every person in every country on earth knows who you are. You have to travel the globe, shake every hand, kiss every baby. Think of yourself as a politician running for Biggest Movie Star in the World.”

So I would shoot The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air during the week, leave the set, go straight to the airport, fly to Europe overnight, land Saturday morning, do interviews all day, do a premiere, sign autographs all night, head straight back to the airport, hop back on the jet, memorize my lines for the next Fresh Prince episode on the flight, and land in LA just in time to go to sleep Sunday night. 

Then I’d wake up Monday morning and do it all over again.

Movie stardom also had effects on my relationships. When I was music famous, my family and friends saw it as cool and fun. 

When I was TV famous, there was a subtle distance growing between us, but Friday nights at The Fresh Prince felt so family-oriented that we would reconnect and feel as bonded as we always had. 

But when I became movie famous, something fundamental changed. Some friends and family I had known my whole life shifted into one of two camps: Either so respectful and deferential that it felt like we were strangers — I couldn’t find my loved one within their new behavior.

Or, in the second camp, they became disrespectful to try to show me that I’m not no damn movie star round here.

They gave me a list of movies to watch and things to read and turned me on to what would become the central conceptual framework for how I chose and made movies for the rest of my career: Joseph Campbell’s theory of the monomyth, the hero’s journey as laid out in The Hero with a Thousand Faces.

15. Inferno

Will Smith was named Hollywood’s most bankable star in a survey of movie industry professionals …. The stars were ranked on ability to attract financing for a project, box office success, appeal to different audience demographics and other factors …. Smith was the only person to receive a perfect score of 10. — REUTERS

I always enjoy recounting the stories of my children’s births — partly to depict the harrowing journeys to parenthood, but mainly to embarrass my kids in front of their friends.

I have spoken over the years to many artists, musicians, innovators, athletes, thinkers, poets, entrepreneurs, big dreamers from all walks of life, and there is a secret conversation that always seems to arise: How can we fully pursue and realize our visions while at the same time cultivating love, a thriving family, and fulfilling relationships? 

And here’s the harsh reality for everyone who loves a dreamer: Everything comes second to the dream .

16. Purpose

“Do not get comfortable with your back on that canvas,” he said. “You fight how you train.”

His position was: dreams are built on discipline; discipline is built on habits; habits are built on training. 

And training takes place in every single second and every situation of your life: how you wash the dishes; how you drive a car; how you present a report at school or at work. 

You either do your best all the time or you don’t; if the behavior has not been trained and practiced, then the switch will not be there when you need it.

The one year of training and the five months of filming of Ali was the most grueling mental, physical, and emotional test of my entire career, but also the most transformative.

I had experienced the magnetism of fame, I knew well the allure of celebrity, the attraction of money, but this was my first dose of the power of purpose and the radiance of service.

Purpose and desire can seem similar, but they are very different, sometimes even opposing forces. 

Desire is personal, narrow, and pointed, and tends toward self – preservation, self – gratification, and short-term gains and pleasures. Purpose is wider, broader, a longer – term vision encompassing the benefit of others — something outside of yourself you’re willing to fight for. 

There have been many times in my life where I was acting from a place of desire but I’d fully convinced myself that it was purpose.

17. Perfection

I am a dreamer, and a builder. I picture grand visions, and then I build the systems to make them real in the world. 

That is my love language. I want to help the people I love build extraordinary lives for themselves. 

But it demands that they be willing to grind and sacrifice and most importantly, they have to trust me. And if they don’t, it registers as a complete rejection of my love.

Witnessing my parents’ struggles branded me with the impression that financial stability was an imperative for love and family to have any chance whatsoever to thrive.

The problem was, I’d conflated being successful with being loved and being happy. These are three separate things. And since I’d conflated them, I ended up suffering from an even more insidious version of the “subtle sickness,” which I can best describe as” more, more, more, more.”

So let me get this straight: You want us to believe that my character grew up bagging ice in West Philly, wins the first Grammy ever given to a rapper; becomes a TV star, then the biggest movie star in the world, breaking box office records every time he releases a damn movie; marries a beautiful actress, artist, performer, and poet; has three spectacular children; and the greatest hockey player in the history of the sport, Wayne Gretzky, just patted him on the back because his son just caught a touchdown pass from the son of the greatest quarterback in the history of that sport, Joe Montana?

So no, I did not push my kids into show business because I was an insane, overbearing father. It was only after they decided to be in show business that I became an insane, overbearing father.

When people are too worried about how they feel, they’ll never feel how they want to feel.

Back then, I made the troubling conclusion that questing with empathy was an oxymoron, and you could either worry about how people feel, or you could win. But you had to pick one.

19. Retreat

It all slowly drifted into focus: Am I an addict? I don’t do drugs, I don’t really drink, I’m not hooked on sex like some ghetto hyena. But I did not know how to stop, or be still, or be quiet, or alone. I’m addicted to the approval of others, and to secure their approval, I became addicted to winning.

I must have read at least one hundred books over the next few years.

20. Surrender

But you — if you could be master of the universe, and you could snap your fingers and have any life you wanted, what would it look like?” That was a really heavy question.

But neither of these identities is you. The question is, can you find safety in yourself and not from some external source of approval? Can you become a Freestanding Man?”

“Well, you know, mathematically speaking, ninety-nine percent is about as far from zero as you can get.”

Surrender transformed from a weakness word to an infinite power concept. 

I had had a bias toward action — thrusting, pushing, striving, struggling, doing — and I began to realize that their opposites were equally as powerful — inaction, receptiveness, acceptance, non – resistance, being. 

Stopping was equally as powerful as going; resting was equally as powerful as training; silence was equally as powerful as talking. Letting go was equally as powerful as grasping.

Minimizing my talking became my practice for maximizing my awareness. I had always seen the world as my battlefield; I now understood that the true combat zone was my mind.

“Hey, Dad,” I said nervously.” You did good.” “What you mean?” he asked. “With your life.” I don’t think he was expecting to hear that. He took a pull of his Tareyton 100, turned his eyes back to the TV. 

He didn’t seem like he was ready to go there just yet. But I was. “I’m sayin’ you did great with your life. And when you’re ready to go, I want you to know that it’s OK. You raised me well. And I got it from here. I’m gonna take care of everybody you love.”

“Daddio, what’s goin’ on? “He puts his cigarette down, pensively gazed out at the Ben Franklin Bridge arcing over the Schuylkill River.” Man,” Daddio said, “you tell motherfuckas you gon’ be dead in six weeks, and nine weeks later you still hangin’ around. 

This shit is embarrassing. “This was probably the second biggest laugh Daddio and I ever shared.

We simply look at each other. Twenty minutes of silence. Finally, I hear my sister Ellen in the background whisper to Daddio,” Dad — you’re just looking. You don’t have anything you want to say to Will?” 

Daddio searches for one last piece of wisdom. One final brick. But he’s empty. He slowly shakes his head, a final surrender.” 

Shit, anything I ain’t told this muthafucka already, he sure ain’t gonna get it from me tonight. “We shared a final laugh, we said goodbye, and forty-five minutes later, Daddio was gone.

There are no relationships, careers, or houses with a name that can fill the hole. There is nothing that you can receive from the material world that will create inner peace or fulfilment. 

The truth is,” the Smile” is generated through output. It’s not something you get, it’s something you cultivate through giving. In the end, it will not matter one single bit how well they loved you — you will only gain” the Smile” based on how well you loved them.

I’ve realized that for some reason, God placed the most beautiful things in life on the other side of our worst terrors. 

If we are not willing to stand in the face of the things that most deeply unnerve us, and then step across the invisible line into the land of dread, then we won’t get to experience the best that life has to offer.

So I’ve been making a conscious effort to attack all the things that I’m scared of. And this is scary. When Yes Theory challenged me to heli bungee, my heart jumped. 

And I’ve learned to recognize that feeling as a signal that the great gift has presented itself. As soon as my heart jumps, I’m in — I gotta do it. But I also can’t be outdone, so when Yes Theory said” Heli bungee,” I added, “Over the Grand Canyon … and on my 50th birthday.”

As I took in the dueling landscapes of friends, family, and Grand Canyon, and saw the faces of the next generation — Harry’s kids, Ellen’s kids, Pam’s, JL’s, Charlie’s, Omarr’s, Caleeb’s, Scoty and Ty’s — I realized: I’m standing in the middle of my dream. 

This is what I’ve always wanted: Everyone I love is here, together, as a family, and I had brought them to the Grand Canyon to witness the senseless and horrific death of their uncle Will. 

Book Review (Personal Opinion):

Will is as good as a memoir can get. It’s riveting in its description of Will’s life and it doesn’t hold any punches. 

Will talks about the brutality of growing up in Philly, domestic violence, drugs, and drug dealers. 

The memoir is sincere, not letting us see the image of Will Smith as this all-mighty Hollywood actor, but as a scared little boy who took humor as his defense against the brutal reality of everyday life.

Rating : 9/10

This Book Is For (Recommend):

• An aspiring artist who wants to know what it takes to “make it”
• A young entrepreneur who wants to learn how to woo the crowd and draw in business opportunities
• Anyone who thinks success comes easy

If You Want To Learn More

Here’s Will Smith talking about his book at Jimmy Fallon’s Show. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

How I’ve Implemented The Ideas From The Book

There’s quite a lot that spoke to me from this book and I found myself thinking and behaving at certain moments just like Will Smith. 

I had my crucibles from which I learned what my mistakes were (especially when it comes to dealing with people) and I’m glad Will showed us his.

One Small Actionable Step You Can Do

I’ll give you the same advice “Daddio” gave Will:

When you’re building a wall, you’re not really building a wall. You’re setting a single brick perfectly at its place and once you do that, you set the next brick perfectly. Once you set enough bricks perfectly, you will have the best damn wall out there.

Bruno Boksic

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Discover the 6 Best Will Smith Books to Read Right Now

If you’re looking for some inspiration and motivation, there’s no one better to turn to than Will Smith. The Hollywood actor has overcome numerous challenges to achieve success in both his personal and professional life, and he’s shared some of his insights in the form of books. Whether you’re a fan of Will Smith or an aspiring actor, there’s something for everyone in this list of the best Will Smith books to read right now.

The Inspirational Journey of Will Smith

Will Smith’s journey from a humble beginning to Hollywood stardom is truly inspiring. In his book, “ The Pursuit of Happyness ,” which later became a Hollywood movie, Will shares his struggles and triumphs as a struggling salesman and single father trying to make ends meet. He talks about how he was able to overcome obstacles and adversity with perseverance and determination, and how he ultimately achieved his dreams of becoming an actor.

If you’re looking for a book that will motivate and give you hope, “The Pursuit of Happyness” is a must-read. It will inspire you to never give up on your dreams, no matter how many obstacles come your way.

From Humble Beginnings to Hollywood Stardom

Will Smith’s autobiography, “ Will ,” is an intimate look into the life of one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. In the book, Will talks about his childhood, growing up in Philadelphia, and how he got his start in the entertainment industry. He shares his experiences as a rapper, his struggles with his family and relationships, and his eventual rise to fame as an actor.

“Will” is a raw and honest account of Will Smith’s journey to success. It’s a book that will make you feel like you know the man behind the movies, and it’s inspiring to see just how far he’s come from his humble beginnings.

One of the most fascinating aspects of Will’s journey is his early career as a rapper. He was part of the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, which won the first-ever Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance in 1989. Will’s music career helped him develop his charisma and stage presence, which would later serve him well in his acting career.

Despite his success as a rapper, Will’s true passion was always acting. He landed his first acting role in the TV series “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” in 1990, which catapulted him to fame and made him a household name.

Overcoming Challenges and Embracing Personal Growth

In his book, “I Am Will Smith,” the actor provides an insightful exploration of his mindset and how he overcomes everyday challenges in his life. Smith thoroughly examines reasons that lead to our failures and inhibiting beliefs. He teaches us how to overcome our personal challenges and embrace positive growth.

Through his stories, Will shares valuable advice about taking risks, striving for greatness, and leading a fulfilling life. This book is perfect for anyone who wants to grow and improve themselves, both personally and professionally.

One of the most inspiring stories in “I Am Will Smith” is about how he overcame his fear of skydiving. Will had always been terrified of heights, but he decided to face his fear head-on by jumping out of a plane. He describes the experience as life-changing and says that it taught him the importance of taking risks and stepping out of your comfort zone.

Overall, Will Smith’s journey is a testament to the power of hard work, perseverance, and self-belief. His story is a reminder that no matter where you come from or what obstacles you face, you can achieve your dreams if you’re willing to put in the effort and never give up.

Top Will Smith Books for Fans and Aspiring Actors

Will Smith is one of the most beloved actors in Hollywood, and he has a lot to offer to fans and aspiring actors alike. In addition to his successful career in the entertainment industry, he has also written and recommended several books that are both inspiring and informative. Here are some of the top Will Smith books that you should add to your reading list.

Autobiographies and Memoirs

Aside from “ Will ,” there are other books that delve into the personal life of Will Smith. “ Just the Two of Us ,” is a heartwarming book that offers a unique insight into Will’s relationship with his son Jaden. In the book, Will shares personal stories and experiences that demonstrate the importance of family and the joys of parenting. Whether you’re a parent or not, this book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the bond between a father and a son.

“ Will Power ,” is another touching autobiography that focuses on Will’s rise to stardom. In the book, he shares his personal struggles and triumphs, and how he ultimately became one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. The book is an intimate look at his life and career, and it’s full of inspiring stories and lessons that will motivate readers to pursue their dreams.

Books on Acting and the Entertainment Industry

If you’re an aspiring actor or just interested in the entertainment industry, Will Smith has plenty of advice to offer. In his book, “Act Like a Success, Think Like a Success,” he provides a practical guide to success that is applicable to anyone, regardless of their career goals. The book is full of valuable insights and tips on how to achieve your personal and professional goals, and it’s a must-read for anyone who wants to succeed in life.

Another book that Will Smith recommends is “ The Alchemist ” by Paulo Coelho. Although it’s not specifically about the entertainment industry, the book is a powerful read that encourages readers to pursue their dreams relentlessly. The story follows a young shepherd boy who embarks on a journey to fulfill his destiny, and it’s a timeless tale that will inspire readers to follow their hearts and never give up on their dreams.

Inspirational and Motivational Reads

Will Smith is well-known for his inspiring words and his positive outlook on life. In “The Will to Win,” he offers advice on how to overcome obstacles and achieve success. The book is a collection of inspiring stories and quotes that will motivate and inspire readers to reach for their dreams. Whether you’re facing challenges in your personal or professional life, this book will give you the tools and inspiration you need to overcome them.

Another great read is “ The Secret ,” a self-help book that focuses on the law of attraction and how to manifest your desires into reality. Will Smith has praised the book in many interviews, and it’s clear that he’s been influenced by its teachings. The book offers practical tips and exercises that will help readers to attract positive experiences and achieve their goals.

Overall, these Will Smith books are a must-read for anyone who wants to be inspired, motivated, and informed. Whether you’re a fan of Will’s movies or an aspiring actor, these books offer valuable insights and advice that will help you to succeed in life.

Delving into Will Smith’s Personal Life

Will Smith is a household name in the entertainment industry, known for his charismatic personality and impressive acting skills. But beyond his on-screen persona, there’s a lot more to the man than meets the eye. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at Will Smith’s personal life, including his family and relationships, philanthropy and activism, and hobbies and interests.

Family and Relationships

Will Smith has always been a family man, and his book, “ Will ,” is a reflection of that. In the book, he shares intimate details about his relationship with his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and their children. He talks about how he balances his personal and professional life, and the importance of family and relationships in his life.

Will and Jada have been married since 1997, and their relationship has been the subject of much speculation over the years. However, they have always been open about their commitment to each other and their family. They have two children together, Jaden and Willow, both of whom have followed in their parents’ footsteps and pursued careers in the entertainment industry.

Will also has a son, Trey, from a previous marriage. Despite the challenges that come with blended families, Will has always been dedicated to ensuring that all of his children feel loved and supported.

If you’re looking for a heartwarming and inspiring read about family, “Will” is an excellent choice.

Philanthropy and Activism

In addition to his acting career, Will Smith is also a philanthropist and activist. He has been involved in various charitable causes over the years, including education, poverty, and health. In 2007, he and Jada founded the Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation, which focuses on empowering youth and families in underserved communities.

Will is also an advocate for social justice and has spoken out about issues like police brutality and systemic racism. He has used his platform to raise awareness and encourage others to get involved in the fight for equality.

In “The Will Smith Project,” he shares his thoughts on how to make the world a better place. He discusses environmental issues, social justice, and the importance of education. The book is a great resource for anyone who wants to learn more about how to make a positive impact on the world.

Hobbies and Interests

Will Smith has many hobbies and interests outside of acting, and he often talks about them in interviews. One of his biggest passions is music, and he has released several albums over the years. He’s also known for his love of sports, particularly basketball, and has even played in celebrity games.

In his book, “ Mastery ,” author Robert Green provides a detailed exploration into the lives of historical figures like Leonardo da Vinci and Charles Darwin. However, the book also takes a deep dive into the lives of modern pop culture figures like Jay Z and Will Smith himself. The book is a fascinating read and offers unique insights into the minds of successful people. It’s perfect for anyone who wants to learn more about how to cultivate their interests and passions.

Overall, Will Smith is a multifaceted individual with a lot to offer the world. Whether he’s entertaining audiences on the big screen or using his platform to make a positive impact, he’s a true inspiration to us all.

The Impact of Will Smith’s Books on Readers

Inspiring success stories.

Many readers have been inspired by Will Smith’s books and have gone on to achieve their own success. In “The Will to Win,” Smith shares some of these inspiring stories, and how his life story has influenced them in their personal and professional lives.

If you need some inspiration and motivation to pursue your goals, “The Will to Win” is an excellent choice.

Lessons Learned from Will Smith’s Experiences

Through his books, Will Smith has shared many valuable lessons he’s learned throughout his life. In “The Will to Succeed,” he talks about the importance of taking risks and being willing to fail in order to succeed. He also discusses the importance of hard work and dedication, and how pushing yourself outside your comfort zone can help you achieve great things.

These are valuable lessons that anyone can apply to their own lives, regardless of their personal circumstances or goals.

The Power of Perseverance and Positivity

Will Smith’s books are an excellent reminder of the power of perseverance and positivity. No matter what challenges come your way, you can overcome them with the right mindset and attitude. If you want to achieve success in your own life, take a page out of Will Smith’s book and never give up on your dreams.

In conclusion, these books are a great way to learn about Will Smith’s personal and professional experiences, take inspiration from his experiences, and apply his perspectives to one’s own life. Whether you want to improve your acting chops, live a more fulfilling life, or make a positive impact in the world, there is something in this article for everyone.

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Jada Pinkett Smith Teases Future Book with Will Smith about Their Journey Together

Following the release of her memoir, ‘Worthy,’ Jada Pinkett Smith revealed that she and Will Smith have discussed writing a book together.

Jada Pinkett Smith revealed that there’s “a whole lot” she didn’t include in her new book, Worthy — enough that she’s considering co-authoring a future book with Will Smith .

Stream Jada Pinkett Smith’s full interview on the SiriusXM App & web player

“I know it seems like it’s a lot of life, because it is a lot of life in the book, but it’s very streamlined … There’s no way I could’ve put it all in one book,” Jada said during an exclusive interview with Sway Calloway on Shade 45’s Sway in the Morning show.

Worthy (out today, October 17) is described as a gripping, at times painfully honest, and ultimately inspirational memoir from global superstar and creator of the Red Table Talk series Jada Pinkett Smith.

“There’s definitely other books to come,” Jada continued. “I mean, even Will [Smith] and I are thinking about writing a book. We were talking about this last night, writing a book called Don’t Try This at Home where he and I kind of talk about our specific journey together.”

Jada and Will married on December 31, 1997. They share two children, Jaden and Willow Smith, and Jada is the stepmother of Trey Smith, Will’s son from a previous marriage. According to Jada, she and Will separated in 2016 but are not legally divorced.

Jada’s ascent to stardom began in 1991 when she starred Lena James in the NBC sitcom A Different World . Over the years, she lit up the silver screen in more than 20 films, spanning various genres, from the gritty drama of Menace II Society to the action-packed The Matrix series and the hilarious Girls Trip .

In 2002, Jada decided to explore her musical talents by co-founding the metal band Wicked Wisdom. Jada also expanded into the world of literature in 2004 when she published the children’s book Girls Hold Up This World , which reached No. 2 on The New York Times Best Seller list. One of Jada’s most significant and recent accomplishments is her role as the co-host of the Daytime Emmy Award-winning Facebook Watch talk show Red Table Talk .

Alongside Will Smith, Jada co-founded the Will and Jada Smith Family Foundation, a charity organization dedicated to supporting inner-city youth and families in need. They also co-own Westbrook Inc., a media company designed to empower artists to share their narratives and connect with audiences around the world.

The Black Crowes Are Back on ‘The Howard Stern Show’: Stream

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3 new memoirs tell stories of struggle and resilience

‘this american ex-wife,’ ‘everywhere the undrowned’ and ‘the manicurist’s daughter’ delve into the challenges of knowing oneself and one’s family, ‘this american ex-wife: how i ended my marriage and started my life,’ by lyz lenz.

What’s clear from the very first page of Lenz’s new book is that her ex-husband is a real jerk: leaving garbage to fester on the floor, taking Lenz’s feminist mugs and hiding them in the basement, telling her she should get pregnant with baby No. 3 and write fiction to be “less stressed out.” Oh, and he voted for Donald Trump . Lenz acknowledges that getting married young and being raised in an evangelical community didn’t help her self-actualization skills. “Do you want to know how I finally got my husband to do his fair share?” Lenz asks. “Court-ordered fifty-fifty custody, that’s how.”

But “This American Ex-Wife” is bigger than Lenz’s horrific marriage. Lenz is a journalist; her previous books, “God Land” and “Belabored,” explored the religious right in middle America and the rights of pregnant people. In her latest, she sets out to prove, using anecdotal evidence and hard statistics, that marriage (as a structure, in this country) is an oppressive tool determined to squeeze the life out of any woman it entraps. While it might be tempting to shrug off Lenz’s argument because of her unlucky (and that’s a nice word for it) coupling, the data here is persuasive. In heterosexual marriages, women bear more of the domestic and emotional labor, even when they are the primary breadwinners. This isn’t inherently because of the institution of marriage, but it stems from the ways we’re socialized to believe that women should function in a family. Lenz quotes a sociologist: “Other countries have social safety nets. The U.S. has women.”

“This American Ex-Wife” can be exhilarating or worrying, depending on the status of the person reading it. What ultimately makes it compelling, whatever one’s feelings about straight marriage, is the sheer joy that Lenz so obviously experiences as a single woman. Even when she meets a man she likes, “the best man I’ve known,” she says, “I was still scheduling and reminding and doing the emotional and cognitive labor. And I was no longer interested in doing all of that. I wanted to be the one who was free.” Lenz is done with marriage, but her book carries a more powerful message than “marriage sucks.” Women’s lives, their happiness and their desires, matter. If a husband stands in the way of a woman being “equally and fully human,” as Lenz puts it, well — it’s time to take out the trash. (Crown, $28)

‘Everywhere the Undrowned: A Memoir of Survival and Imagination,’ by Stephanie Clare Smith

“Cats don’t get sad,” Smith’s mother once told her when the family cat went to hide under the house, presumably to die. “Still,” Smith writes, “I could see it.” There’s not much Smith doesn’t see as a survivor of rape and neglect. When she was 14, her mother left her alone at home in New Orleans to fend for herself over a summer. Looking in her mom’s closet, still filled with all her clothes, “I knew somewhere in between all the shoulders hung my worry — Will she come back? ”

The memoir “Everywhere the Undrowned” is, somewhat unbelievably, Smith’s first book. A poet and essayist, she works as a clinical social worker and mediator in Raleigh, N.C. Her book conveys a story that many survivors of neglect and sexual violence will recognize. Her own experience led her to help other victims. One, named Tiffany, was 14 when her mother decided to relinquish her custodial rights. They discussed tattoos: Tiffany wanted “my mother’s name on my right arm and my sister’s name on my other arm,” she told Smith, despite the fact that her sister wouldn’t claim her, “because I am full black and she’s half.” “This is what it is,” Smith reflects. “We tattoo ourselves with the people who won’t claim us.”

After she was raped by a man in a green truck the summer of her mother’s absence, she put the clothes she had been wearing during the attack in a paper bag and placed them near a trash can. “But when I got back upstairs, I could still hear them crying. After an hour, I brought the clothes inside,” she writes. “They quieted down or else they just died.” This book, told in short vignettes like one of the books Smith recalls reading — “Bluets,” by Maggie Nelson — is a kind of prose poetry that recalls the work of writers like Denis Johnson and Raymond Carver. When Smith finally told her mother about her assault, the response was deeply upsetting. “ Why are you telling me this? She was hot; she was mad. She walked like a gun as she walked out of the room.”

That Smith survived that summer in New Orleans is remarkable. That she found the drive, space and courage to turn that experience into this book is what makes “Everywhere the Undrowned” not only a compelling memoir but a work of literature, the kind she was reading that horrible summer. She recalls staying up late to read Charlotte Brontë’s “Jane Eyre”: “One morning, I found a dent on my cheek from where her bound corner slept into me all night.” Describing how Jane survived, because of “her resilient heart cave,” Smith is also describing herself. (University of North Carolina Press, $20)

‘The Manicurist’s Daughter: A Memoir,’ by Susan Lieu

“In Vietnamese, there are six tones that can change the definition of a word,” Lieu writes. Depending on tone, the word “ma” can mean mother, but, tomb, horse, ghost or rice seedling. The loaded connotations of a lost mother are what haunt and propel this memoir, which is based on Lieu’s one-woman theater show, “140 LBS: How Beauty Killed My Mother.” Lieu was 11 when her mother died after a botched tummy tuck procedure performed by a doctor who was on probation at a plastic surgery clinic in San Francisco. The youngest of four, Lieu later made revenge her mission — but when she discovered that the doctor who had performed the surgery was dead, her mission morphed into another: to know her mother. It was a mission made impossible by her family’s unwillingness to speak about her mother or the circumstances of her death.

“It wasn’t until I went to college that I learned words like ‘capitalism,’ ‘exploitation,’ and ‘intergenerational trauma,’” Lieu recalls. Her parents were from Chinese families that had fled persecution into Vietnam, and from there to America. Lieu was the first child born in the United States, so her mother decided to give her an American name. It was also the name of the first nail salon her parents opened, Susan’s Nails, over which her mother presided like a general. When Lieu went to Harvard, students shared their parents’ careers: surgeon, professor, lawyer. “My dad does nails,” Lieu told them. “He’s a man-i-curist.”

Unsurprisingly, Lieu had a hard time finding her way in life. Her father remarried, her aunts moved out, she fell prey to a yoga cult run by a White woman who demanded money in exchange for spiritual detoxing. Her family’s running commentary on her weight was relentless: “You look fat,” one aunt flatly said. Lieu was driven by some force to keep pushing to learn about her mother in the face of her family’s stonewalling.

“What was she like?” Lieu said in the second iteration of her one-woman show. “No,” her director instructed, “say it like you’re in Viet Nam and you’re shouting across the ocean to America.” Lieu’s foray into theater proved to be a healing balm, not only for her but for her siblings and father as well. “As I inhabited their words, their gestures, their voices, my perception of them began to change,” Lieu writes. “My energy toward them shifted, and so did their communication with me.” Two of her siblings joined her for a Q&A after a performance. “We were children who had tragically lost our mother. Two decades later, I could finally stop because we had found her, through one another.” Maybe. In reality, “The Manicurist’s Daughter” shows that Lieu did the heavy lifting herself. (Celadon, $30)

Jessica Ferri is a writer based in Berkeley, Calif., and the author, most recently, of “Silent Cities San Francisco.”

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Asus Zenbook Duo (2024) Review

What if your laptop had two screens? It’s a tantalizing idea (just imagine all the browser tabs you could open!) but, until recently, it felt more like a dream than a useful idea. The 2024 Asus Zenbook Duo ( available at Amazon ) turns that dream into a real computer you can buy at a reasonable price. It’s not perfect and doesn't offer the best performance per dollar, but the Duo successfully delivers on the dual-screen promise.

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About the asus zenbook duo (2024).

The Zenbook Duo we tested is the entry-level Intel Core Ultra 7 155H model, which retails for $1,500. Asus offers an upgraded configuration with an Intel Core Ultra 9 185H processor, 32GB of RAM, and 3K OLED touchscreens (up from 1200p) for $1,700, although it isn’t available to purchase just yet at the time of writing. The upgraded model is arguably a better value, but the base specifications are fine for the price.

Asus also provides a detachable magnetic keyboard, an active stylus (the Asus Pen 2.0), a backpack, and a folding cardboard stand with every Zenbook Duo. The stand is a bit pointless, but the other accessories are essential, and I appreciate that Asus includes them with every Duo instead of charging extra.

The 2024 Zenbook Duo isn’t the first laptop to carry the line’s name, or one similar to it, but prior models differed significantly in design. The 2023 Duo and Zenbook Pro models had a smaller 16:10 touchscreen placed above the keyboard, which moved downwards to the chassis’s edge, and the touchpad was shunted to the right-hand side to make space. That design required more compromises than the new Zenbook Duo, which retains a full-sized keyboard and touchpad.

Asus Zenbook Duo (2024) specs

• Price as configured: $1,500
• Processor: Intel Core Ultra 7 155H, 16 cores, 22 threads, boost clock up to 4.8GHz
• Graphics: Intel Arc integrated graphics
• RAM: 16GB LPDDR5X 7467 MHz
• Storage: 1TB M.2 NVMe PCIe 4.0 solid state drive
• Display: Dual displays, 2x 14-inch 1,920 x 1,200 OLED 60Hz, both support touch
• Wireless connectivity: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
• Ports: 2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB-C) with DisplayPort out and Power Delivery, 1x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x 3.5mm combo audio jack
• Battery: 75WHrs
• Camera: 1080p webcam with IR camera for Windows Hello facial recognition login
• Weight: 3.64 pounds (1.65 kilograms)
• Dimensions: 12.34 x 8.58 x .78 inches
• Special features: Integrated kickstand, detachable keyboard, active stylus, included carrying case
• Warranty: 1-year limited laptop warranty

What we like

The dual displays deliver maximum screen space.

The Asus Zenbook Duo provides what it says on the tin: a dual-display design that proves two screens are indeed better than one. The innovative dual-display design features two 14-inch OLED screens which, when fully utilized, provide an experience akin to using a single 20-inch, 4:3 display. These can be stacked, with one above the other, or side-by-side with each screen rotated vertically, depending on your preferences and the apps you’re working with.

The stacked mode is great if you want to use one display for most productivity work while keeping tabs on extra information. It was perfect for keeping tabs on Slack and Threads while writing and worked equally well while dungeon-mastering a tabletop role-playing game.

The side-by-side mode is better for researching documents or editing videos. I used it while writing this review: Google Docs was open on the left display, while Asus’ specifications and the Reviewed laptop testing guide were kept to the right.

The built-in kickstand complements the design. The sturdy construction ensures stability in both display modes and, because it’s integrated into the bottom of the 2-in-1 instead of detachable, there’s no risk of it detaching or collapsing. The kickstand supports both the stacked and side-by-side configuration, though it works better when stacked as the side-by-side orientation doesn’t provide adjustment for the tilt of the display and feels a bit wobbly.

Whether these extra modes are useful for you will have everything to do with the apps you use. If you just want a device to browse the web, watch YouTube, and read emails, the dual-display design offers little advantage. But if you often use multiple windows at once and feel a typical laptop display is just too dang small even on a 16-inch machine, you’ll like the Zenbook Duo.

It’s also a normal laptop

Though the Zenbook Duo’s dual displays are eye-catching, the device also works well as a normal laptop. That’s important because there’s a good chance you’ll use it like a normal laptop at least as often as you take advantage of the dual displays.

The detachable keyboard attaches magnetically to the lower display, covering it and converting the space to a physical keyboard. The keyboard sits snugly on the lower screen and the layout is spacious. Key travel is substantial, and while I noticed more keyboard flex than ideal, each key stopped with a definitive bottoming out. The keyboard is backlit, too.

The touchpad is also good. It’s fairly spacious, measuring about five-and-a-half inches wide by three inches deep, and has a smooth, responsive feel. There is plenty of space to rest my palms, which isn’t true of folding-screen 2-in-1s like the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold 16 and (to a lesser degree) the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold .

The displays are beautiful

If you’re going to have two displays, they have to be good. And the Zenbook Duo’s displays are very good, even in the more affordable configuration I reviewed.

The base Zenbook Duo has two identical 1920 x 1200, 16:10 OLED displays with a refresh rate of 60Hz. Those specifications won’t set anyone’s hair on fire, but they’re more than adequate for a 14-inch display. Would 1440p or 4K resolution look sharper? A bit. But at this size, the differences between 1080p and 4K are much less noticeable. The dual 1920 x 1200 OLED displays pack 161 pixels per inch (ppi), just two ppi less than a 27-inch 4K monitor. The brightness of both displays can be adjusted together or independently.

If you want a higher display resolution, you can step up to Zenbook Duo’s top configuration for $1,700, which has a pair of 2880 x 1800 OLED displays and ups pixel density to 242 ppi. I wouldn’t recommend the upgrade to everyone, but it could make sense for photographers and video editors.

Both displays have the signature vibrant color and realistic contrast OLED is known for, thanks to the ability of each pixel to turn all the way off when not in use, creating perfect black levels. Photos, movies, and games look punchy and saturated. The displays are very glossy, though, and I recorded a modest maximum brightness of 356 nits. Because of this, the Duo can be a tad uncomfortable to view outdoors or near a bright, sunlit window.

It’s weird, but the price makes sense

The Zenbook Duo is a weird, experimental 2-in-1, but you might not know it from the price.

That’s not to say it’s cheap at $1,500. Still, you’re getting a lot for your money. The Duo has two displays and a detachable, wireless keyboard with its own built-in battery.

And the Zenbook Duo’s price is right in line with similar contemporary alternatives including the Apple MacBook Air M3 , Acer Swift Go 14 OLED , or Lenovo ThinkPad ThinkPad T14s .

That’s important. The Zenbook Duo isn’t just for PC nerds and gadget gurus who want the latest, strangest tech. It’s a mainstream alternative to a conventional laptop or 2-in-1 with a single display.

What we don’t like

It’s definitely not a tablet.

PCs with touchscreens and versatile designs are often called 2-in-1s, which usually means the device can be used as both a PC or a tablet. I think the 2024 Zenbook Duo also qualifies as a 2-in-1, since it offers multiple ways to use the device, but it doesn’t work as a tablet.

The hinge allows 180 degrees of rotation, so it’s possible to lay the displays flat, but the device is too heavy and large to hold like that for more than a few minutes. Asus also provides a pressure-sensitive pen for stylus input, and it can be useful. I think most people hoping to use it as a larger digital canvas will be disappointed, as the size of the device can make it awkward to place on a desk and the hinge between the displays gets in the way and prevents it from being used as one giant canvas.

Asus compensates for these shortcomings with what it calls “Dual Screen Mode with Virtual Keyboard.” In this mode, the 2-in-1 is held like a laptop, but the physical keyboard isn’t attached. Instead, you’re free to use the lower touchscreen to summon a virtual keyboard with a multi-touch gesture. Think of it like a tablet with a kickstand and bonus secondary touchscreen.

That mode in some ways functions like a tablet, as it offers immediate access to a large, responsive touchscreen. Yet it didn’t replicate the same instant gratification because it’s too heavy to just pick up and use for more than a moment. It’s also not a great fit for tight spaces (like an airplane’s tray table) where a tablet excels. The Duo might have two touchscreens, but it’s no easier to use on-the-go than an average 14-inch laptop.

Performance is just ok for the price

The Zenbook Duo I reviewed had Intel’s Core Ultra 7 155H, a 16-core, 22-thread processor with a maximum turbo boost of up to 4.8 GHz. It also had 16GB of RAM and a 1TB PCIe gen 4.0 solid-state drive. It’s a capable system, but not the fastest available for $1,500.

Geekbench 6 proved that with a single-core score of 2,355 and a multi-core score of 9,038. That’s not bad, but many similarly priced laptops are quicker. Apple’s MacBook Air M2 scored 2,628 and 10,013, respectively, while the $1,300 Gigabyte Aero 14 OLED scored 2,333 and 11,880.

Results in other CPU-heavy benchmarks follow this trend. The Zenbook Duo isn’t slow, but it’s not especially fast. It can handle a wide variety of tasks including digital art, large spreadsheets, PDFs, coding, and so on. But demanding users will find the Zenbook Duo’s limits.

The Duo’s graphics performance holds up better, though it depends on your perspective. Asus uses Intel Arc integrated graphics, which might not sound impressive but Intel Arc represents a big upgrade over last generation’s Intel Xe graphics.

3DMark Night Raid proves the point. The Zenbook Duo achieved a score of 18,972. That handily beats the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 15 with Intel Iris Xe graphics, which achieved 13,726. That’s a nearly 40 percent uptick, which is more than enough to see a meaningful difference in the real world. A game that averaged 25 frames per second (fps) on Iris Xe can now hit 30fps or above; a game that hit 45 or 50fps can now reach 60 or higher.

Asus offers a more powerful Zenbook Duo configuration with Intel Core Ultra 9 processor, but I don’t expect it to radically change the performance equation. It will improve processor performance but increases the price to $1,700, and the Duo will still be a step behind its quickest competitors.

To be fair, the Zenbook Duo has a second display, and most competitors don’t. That’s obviously the reason for its modest bang per buck. Still, it’s a limitation to keep in mind. The Duo is great for multi-tasking, but less so if you want to multitask 4K video editing alongside 30 browser tabs.

The keyboard is finicky

As mentioned earlier, the Zenbook Duo’s keyboard is detachable and, when attached, grips the lower display magnetically. A set of pogo pens on the Duo’s lower lip provides a latency-free wired connection when the keyboard is set on top of the lower display, but it otherwise connects over Bluetooth.

Bluetooth works rather well these days, but it’s not perfect. I noticed a delay when opening the Duo to quickly check an email. The keyboard often wasn’t ready when the screen turned on, and though usually detected in just a few seconds, it occasionally took 15 to 30 seconds to connect.

I also noticed quirks when adding and removing the keyboard atop the second display, or when opening the Duo without it. The laptop sometimes failed to detect the keyboard’s physical presence, which meant it wouldn’t activate the keyboard or, in other cases, turn off the display it now covered. That forced me to manually activate or deactivate the second screen. Both problems were uncommon, but annoying.

Should you buy the Asus Zenbook Duo (2024)?

Maybe, if you think two screens are better than one.

Make no mistake: the Zenbook is, and will always be, an experiment. It’s unlikely that dual-screen laptops like the Duo will dominate in the near future. That implies some risk for shoppers looking to buy the Duo. Maybe next year’s version will be far better, as the leap from the 2023 to the 2024 model demonstrates. Or maybe Asus will drop the whole idea.

If you’re ok with that risk, the Zenbook Duo is compelling. It delivers the promise of a dual-screen laptop by stuffing tons of display real estate into a footprint hardly larger than a typical 14-inch laptop. And Asus delivers on that promise at a reasonable price.

Lenovo’s Yoga Book 9i is the Zenbook Duo’s only direct competitor. It’s even more versatile thanks to a detachable keyboard stand and 360-degree hinge, but also has a keyboard that occupies just half the lower display and doesn’t provide a physical touchpad. The Lenovo is more expensive too, with a retail price of over $2,000.

That puts Asus in a comfortable spot. The Lenovo is better if you want the dual touchscreens to work more like a tablet or giant canvas, but Asus’s design is more practical and comfortable. It feels like a wild concept from the future when you want it to, but can pass as a normal 14-inch laptop when you don’t.

The 2024 Asus Zenbook Duo is an innovative dual-display laptop that fulfills its core promises without breaking the bank.

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Will Smith Says His View on Money Changed When He Turned 50: 'You Realize None of It Can Make You Happy'

The 'Emancipation' actor also laughed off a question that his net worth is estimated to be $350 million

Charlotte Phillipp is a Weekend Writer-Reporter at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2024, and was previously an entertainment reporter at The Messenger.

Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

Will Smith is getting candid about his perspectives on money.

In a new interview with Complex , the Emancipation star, 55, opened up about how he deals with finances at this stage of his career — or, in some cases, how he doesn't deal with them at all.

During his conversation with Speedy Morman, Smith laughed off a question about his net worth reportedly being $350 million. "I don’t even know, man. I don’t discuss such things," he said.

Smith continued, adding that he was in the "downsize phase of my life,” financially speaking, while also acknowledging that he is someone who "who's had money, lost money, then had it again, bigger than you ever imagined."

"The first half of my life was gather, gather, gather, the second half of my life is gonna be give, give, give," he said.

"I never understood, like, when, you know, you see people who will be rich and famous and, you know, they they always have that moment somewhere around 50 where something changes," he said, citing Jim Carrey 's "public transformation" as an example of his point.

"But what happens is you just realize none of it can make you happy," he continued. "Once you’ve bought everything you want and there’s literally nothing on earth else that you want to buy, I just wish that was a gift that everybody could have because there’s nothing that material can do to satisfy you."

The actor added that his recent financial successes have given him an opportunity to reflect on his life in a spiritual way, too.

"I'm in that phase of my life that can actually be scary. When you realize that no relationship, that no money, that no kids — there’s literally nothing that can make you happy," Smith said.

"That happy is internal, full frontal contact with your dark knight of the soul and you reconcile that you gotta make happy in here,” he continued, pointing to his heart. "You gotta make happy in here with none of that stuff. You gotta take happy to the people you love. You can’t try to get it from them."

Smith's discussion of finances comes amid new reports that the Will And Jada Smith Family Foundation — the charity organization he shares with his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith — is shutting down due to a lack of donations following his controversial Oscars slap .

The new report from Variety found that the Smith Family Foundation — which has previously donated funds to organizations including the American Film Institute and Big Brothers Big Sisters — had an 83% year-over-year drop in donations after he slapped Chris Rock  at the 2022 Academy Awards .

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

The I Am Legend actor has previously spoken about how he got his financial start in the entertainment industry. In a 2021 interview with  Idris Elba  to celebrate the release of his autobiography,  Will , he jokingly shared a story about having to borrow money from a drug dealer to pay his taxes just before starting his role in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

"I borrowed $10,000 from a friend of mine who was a purveyor of neighborhood pharmaceuticals," he said to laughs from the crowd. "I borrowed $10,000 and I moved to Los Angeles."

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Cult of the Dead A Brief History of Christianity

• by Kyle Smith (Author)
• October 2024
• First Edition
• Hardcover $29.95,  £25.00 Paperback $24.95,  £21.00 eBook $34.95,  £30.00

Title Details

Rights: Available worldwide Pages: 384 ISBN: 9780520409835 Trim Size: 6 x 9 Illustrations: 29 b/w images, 16 color plates, 1 map

About the Book

A cultural history of how Christianity was born from its martyrs. Though it promises eternal life, Christianity was forged in death. Christianity is built upon the legacies of the apostles and martyrs who chose to die rather than renounce the name of their lord. In this innovative cultural history, Kyle Smith shows how a devotion to death has shaped Christianity for two thousand years. For centuries, Christians have cared for their saints, curating their deaths as examples of holiness. Martyrs’ stories, lurid legends of torture, have been told and retold, translated and rewritten. Martyrs’ bones are alive in the world, relics pulsing with wonder. Martyrs’ shrines are still visited by pilgrims, many in search of a miracle. Martyrs have even shaped the Christian conception of time, with each day of the year celebrating the death of a saint. From Roman antiquity to the present, by way of medieval England and the Protestant Reformation, Cult of the Dead tells the fascinating story of how the world’s most widespread religion is steeped in the memory of its martyrs.

From Our Blog

Q&A with Kyle Smith, Author of Cult of the Dead

A cultural history of how Christianity was born from its martyrs. Though it promises eternal life, Christianity was forged in death. Christianity is built upon the legacies of the apostles and martyrs …

The Deep History Lurking Behind Halloween

By Kyle Smith, author of Cult of the Dead: A Brief History of Christianity Every October 31, when the pumpkins and black cats emerge, we hear that Halloween owes its origins to Samhain, …

About the Author

Kyle Smith is Associate Professor and Director of the History of Religions Program at the University of Toronto. An award-winning teacher, he is the author or coauthor of four other books about Christian saints and martyrs.

"Reading this book conveys the feeling of bouncing over bumps at high speed on a sunny day in an all-terrain sports utility vehicle. How can such lugubrious topics provide so much fun? The tale is animated by the telling. With sly wit, subtle humour, agile prose and empathetic imagination, Kyle Smith narrates the growth of one of Christianity’s defining traditions." — Times Literary Supplement

" Cult of the Dead is the rare academic book that shows empathy; for the martyrs themselves and for those with devotion to them. . . . Smith does our dearly departed the ultimate favor: He allows the dead to speak once more." — National Catholic Reporter

“For a topic that encompasses millennia of fascinating history, Smith’s digestible book offers a compelling and comprehensive introduction to the role of the lives and afterlives of Christianity’s martyrs in Western society from late antiquity to the present day.” — New Criterion

 "In this beautifully produced book. . . Kyle Smith brings alive devotion to the martyrs over the centuries and demonstrates how it helped to shape Christian devotional life, art, architecture, literature, and spirituality." — Journal of Religious History

"Carefully researched and accessible." — CHOICE

"The great accomplishment of Smith’s book is that it manages to both revel in the macabre appeal of the martyrs, and, at the same time, take the Christian cult of the dead sympathetically and seriously." — Reading Religion

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations Preface Introduction 1. The First of the Dead 2. The Names of the Dead 3. The Remains of the Dead 4. The Feasts of the Dead 5. The Living Dead 6. The Miracles of the Dead 7. The War for the Dead 8. The Legends of the Dead Postscript Acknowledgments Notes for Further Reading Bibliography Index

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married Nancy a peerless beauty found in the city: Fantastic photo book (TAIKI BUNKO) (Japanese Edition) Kindle Edition

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• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CZ35JKC5
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