Shantesh Patil
There are many start your own thing playbooks out there. Somehow this one felt almost relaxed and calming.
Instead of making the idea of starting something on your own feel like a sometimes-insurmountable challenge, for the first time I began to feel like it is something achievable
I always felt I lacked the right mindset to start something of my own. This book won't make me start anything but reassured me in its simple messages that is a viable reality.
This was a tough one to read. Not because of the way it was written or the contents of the book. There was a constant sense of foreboding with every new chapter that I got through. A book like this is an insight into someone's soul.
The fact that a life like this eventually led to what now everyone knows about Anthony Bourdain was heartbreaking. There is one specific chapter in the book that is too eerie in its foreshadowing of the things that happened later. But in the spirit that it is written it doesn't feel that way at all.
While he often says that this book would appeal more to chefs and others from that world, it's an equally fascinating read for regular folks as well. He never shies away from laying the dark secrets of the industry bare and does it in the most entertaining way possible.
If you decide you want this one, please get the audiobook. It is simply the definitive way to experience this incredible memoir of Will Smith. His journey from the beginning to now is a fascinating one. All the emotional highs lows are laid bare. It's equal parts insightful and funny. I have always believed African American voices to be one of the most powerful and impactful and this one is narrated by WIll himself.
Besides this key point the other advantage the audiobook brings is that it sprinkled throughout with music and songs that were such a big part of his life. As an added bonus, Will Smith does the most awesome impressions of other people that are part of the book
You might see some divided opinions on this book here on Goodreads. I personally loved it. Don't be put off by it's title. It is much more profound that the title suggests. While the first chapter might be difficult to get through because of the swearing. Do stick with it. Before I started reading it the impression I got from it was that this was probably something about the author trying to project his attitude onto the pages of a book and I would probably not be able to identify with it too much. By the end if it I realised that no matter where you live or what you do, what we sometimes percieve as our personal problems are actually experienced in some form or the other by millions all over the world. And we can always learn from their experiences. Books can't change your life just by reading them. But I got enough from this to actually make me question enough about the choices I make about what we truly need to give a f**k about
I usually don't have the best experience with Audiobook versions of books, but this one being read in Obama's magnetic voice made all the difference. It truly felt like he was relating his life before and during his first term as president to me. Though the American political system differs from ours in vastly diverse ways this was a riveting insight into what goes into the decision making as president of one of the most influential nations on earth.