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thebakerbookworm's review
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Highly recommend this audio! Matthew McConaughey narrates it and it was so good!
Part memoir, part self help, part philosophy, I don’t really know how to categorize it lol. He takes you through his life and explains the lessons he’s learned and truths he’s discovered. It’s not a tell-all of his life, but he definitely has some crazy stories! And there are some good nuggets of wisdom here, though I don’t agree with everything he says.
I was surprised by his writing skills, though maybe I shouldn’t have been. He shares some poetry he wrote when he was young and some letters he wrote. He calls this book his love letter to life, and I think that’s an accurate description of it!
He may not appreciate this, but my favorite McConaughey movie is definitely Sahara lol.
Part memoir, part self help, part philosophy, I don’t really know how to categorize it lol. He takes you through his life and explains the lessons he’s learned and truths he’s discovered. It’s not a tell-all of his life, but he definitely has some crazy stories! And there are some good nuggets of wisdom here, though I don’t agree with everything he says.
I was surprised by his writing skills, though maybe I shouldn’t have been. He shares some poetry he wrote when he was young and some letters he wrote. He calls this book his love letter to life, and I think that’s an accurate description of it!
He may not appreciate this, but my favorite McConaughey movie is definitely Sahara lol.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Drug use, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Child abuse
madisonfrank's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent and Sexual content
plkingsleylibrary's review against another edition
slow-paced
1.0
This memoir is a perfect blend of pretentious ego and toxic masculinity. Not only does McConaughey promote and justify abuse throughout the entire book, he also adheres to the idea that wrongdoing is only wrong if you get caught. In the beginning of the memoir, Matthew mentions his hope this novel will be more than a memoir in the realm of a self-help manifesto. However, McConaughey never actually makes his point until the last three pages of the book. Not only did I expect more; this novel has also changed my entire opinion of Matthew McConaughey as an actor. Yuck.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Misogyny
Moderate: Violence
sonygaystation's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
2.5
2.5 🤡🙈 LMAO I love this man so much but this book did not do him any favours!!! Some highlights (greenlights?? This is a very loose interpretation of both words): his dad makes his 8 year old brother win a LITERAL pissing contest by forcing him to drink 2 beers for a dirt bike; Matthew masturbates to LORD BYRON POETRY *every* *single* night for months; his dad gives his drowned-in-the-toilet cockatiel CPR by shoving the entire wet bird in his mouth to bring it back to life and y’all it WORKS; he refers to a man’s wife, who has hairy armpits, as “Hair Pit”.
I cannot possibly describe the first 15% of this book with enough justice. He basically details what an absolute rollercoaster of life trauma he’s experienced but somehow has turned into “greenlights.” Unclear what those are to him though - seems like his way of turning any situation around to its positive side, which on its own I love, but in its execution was so messy and at times straight up “what the f” worthy because it pretty much devolves into any even semi-positive situation he happens into by chance also getting declared a “greenlight”. This man loves his metaphors and I love him so much for it, but in this book he’s peddling mostly nonsense that sounds like Something™️ and it made me kinda hysterical LMAO. “What he did not know how to make ugly, he made beautiful” bro WHAT. This book made ME dazed and confused. *Wooderson voice* The thing I love about celebrity authors is I keep trying to enjoy them but they all stay the same.
Matty McC is straight up unhinged and this book felt like a fever dream. I well and truly love him. Also I hope to god he’s been in therapy for the last 30 years and just happens to leave that part out of the book. It’s an extremely good thing he’s a very gifted story teller cuz man was this book a ride!!!!
I cannot possibly describe the first 15% of this book with enough justice. He basically details what an absolute rollercoaster of life trauma he’s experienced but somehow has turned into “greenlights.” Unclear what those are to him though - seems like his way of turning any situation around to its positive side, which on its own I love, but in its execution was so messy and at times straight up “what the f” worthy because it pretty much devolves into any even semi-positive situation he happens into by chance also getting declared a “greenlight”. This man loves his metaphors and I love him so much for it, but in this book he’s peddling mostly nonsense that sounds like Something™️ and it made me kinda hysterical LMAO. “What he did not know how to make ugly, he made beautiful” bro WHAT. This book made ME dazed and confused. *Wooderson voice* The thing I love about celebrity authors is I keep trying to enjoy them but they all stay the same.
Matty McC is straight up unhinged and this book felt like a fever dream. I well and truly love him. Also I hope to god he’s been in therapy for the last 30 years and just happens to leave that part out of the book. It’s an extremely good thing he’s a very gifted story teller cuz man was this book a ride!!!!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Ableism
Minor: Animal death, Blood, Violence, Vomit, and Death
annabunce's review against another edition
funny
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Violence
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