Will
Score Modern
What it's about
Will Smith tells his life story with writer Mark Manson: growing up in West Philadelphia with a violent father, becoming a rap star as a teenager, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Hollywood superstardom, and his marriage and family. Throughout, he examines his insecurities and the trauma that drove him.
Why it's worth reading
It reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and won the NAACP Image Award for literature. It's a revealing and surprisingly self-critical celebrity memoir.
You'll love it if you liked
Greenlights, The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music or Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood
Good to know
It was published in 2021, before the Oscars incident in 2022. It deals with domestic violence in his childhood.
Quick answers
Is Will worth reading?
Yes. It reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and won the NAACP Image Award for literature. It ranks #489 of the 2,819 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 78.5 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Will about?
Will Smith tells his life story with writer Mark Manson: growing up in West Philadelphia with a violent father, becoming a rap star as a teenager, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Hollywood superstardom, and his marriage and family. Throughout, he examines his insecurities and the trauma that drove him.
How long does it take to read Will?
About 11 hours (432 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Will?
If you liked it, try Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey, The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music by Dave Grohl or Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah.
By the numbers
- Readers89 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller56 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
#1 New York Times bestseller (1 week at #1).
Where it ranks
- #23 of the 85 self-help and business books we rank
- #92 of the 290 memoirs and biographies we rank
- #243 of the 1,575 modern books we rank
- #489 of the 2,819 books we rank
Bestseller
- #1 New York Times bestseller (1 week at #1)
- 28 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists since 2021
Reads as
True story
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Becoming
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Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly
Steve Jobs
Have a Little Faith: A True Story
The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America