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thebakerbookworm's review against another edition
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
miachalupa's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Domestic abuse
alyssaunabridged's review
reflective
medium-paced
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Death of parent
kelly_e's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
Title: Greenlights
Author: Matthew McConaughey
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 4.25
Pub Date: October 20, 2020
T H R E E • W O R D S
Candid • Entertaining • Honest
📖 S Y N O P S I S
In his memoir, Matthew McConaughey showcases different pieces of the first 50 years of his life. From childhood adventures and college escapades, to soul-searching treks into the jungle and the world of Hollywood, and eventually finding love and becoming a father, Matthew takes a no non-sense and unconventional approach, all while offering his outlaw wisdom, and the lessons he has learned. Greenlights is a wild and soulful ride, written by the author himself, about family, love, taking chances, and ultimately what it means to live.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Greenlights came highly recommended to me, particularly on audio given McConaughey narrates the book himself. While I typically don't do audiobooks (a matter of personal preference), I am so glad I gave this one a go! His narration is so engaging, and his personality shines through; it's as if he was right in the room with me, telling the story of his life. It's equal parts raw and funny, offering introspection, and life lessons in an inspiring and humorous manner. Let me just say that publishers should be all over him to narrate more audiobooks, his voice is made for story-telling. I could feel his passion, and his way with words is certainly a gift. While I cannot call myself a huge fan, I have enjoyed several of his movies, and always found him authentic. Learning more about his life, particularly his early life, was of particular interest to me. His complicated family dynamics were something I never knew. For me, what made this a real treat is the mix of personal stories and reflection. The only thing I do wish is that I could have had a physical copy to tandem read while listening if only just to see the poems, prescriptions, and bumper stickers. As a fan of memoirs, I must say Greenlights is everything a good memoir should be! And I don't say this often, but the audio version is a MUST, so do yourself a favour and Greenlight this book!
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• his fans!
• Memoir readers
• Bookclubs
• Non-readers
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"We all step in shit from time to time. We hit roadblocks, we fuck up, we get fucked, we get sick, we don’t get what we want, we cross thousands of 'could have done betters and 'wish that wouldn’t have happeneds' in life. Stepping in shit is inevitable, so let’s either see it as good luck, or figure out how to do it less often."
"I never wrote things down to remember; I always wrote things down so I could forget."
"Sometimes we don’t need advice. Sometimes we just need to hear we’re not the only one."
Author: Matthew McConaughey
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 4.25
Pub Date: October 20, 2020
T H R E E • W O R D S
Candid • Entertaining • Honest
📖 S Y N O P S I S
In his memoir, Matthew McConaughey showcases different pieces of the first 50 years of his life. From childhood adventures and college escapades, to soul-searching treks into the jungle and the world of Hollywood, and eventually finding love and becoming a father, Matthew takes a no non-sense and unconventional approach, all while offering his outlaw wisdom, and the lessons he has learned. Greenlights is a wild and soulful ride, written by the author himself, about family, love, taking chances, and ultimately what it means to live.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Greenlights came highly recommended to me, particularly on audio given McConaughey narrates the book himself. While I typically don't do audiobooks (a matter of personal preference), I am so glad I gave this one a go! His narration is so engaging, and his personality shines through; it's as if he was right in the room with me, telling the story of his life. It's equal parts raw and funny, offering introspection, and life lessons in an inspiring and humorous manner. Let me just say that publishers should be all over him to narrate more audiobooks, his voice is made for story-telling. I could feel his passion, and his way with words is certainly a gift. While I cannot call myself a huge fan, I have enjoyed several of his movies, and always found him authentic. Learning more about his life, particularly his early life, was of particular interest to me. His complicated family dynamics were something I never knew. For me, what made this a real treat is the mix of personal stories and reflection. The only thing I do wish is that I could have had a physical copy to tandem read while listening if only just to see the poems, prescriptions, and bumper stickers. As a fan of memoirs, I must say Greenlights is everything a good memoir should be! And I don't say this often, but the audio version is a MUST, so do yourself a favour and Greenlight this book!
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• his fans!
• Memoir readers
• Bookclubs
• Non-readers
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"We all step in shit from time to time. We hit roadblocks, we fuck up, we get fucked, we get sick, we don’t get what we want, we cross thousands of 'could have done betters and 'wish that wouldn’t have happeneds' in life. Stepping in shit is inevitable, so let’s either see it as good luck, or figure out how to do it less often."
"I never wrote things down to remember; I always wrote things down so I could forget."
"Sometimes we don’t need advice. Sometimes we just need to hear we’re not the only one."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Child abuse and Cursing
Minor: Death of parent, Drug use, and Sexual content
madisonfrank's review
adventurous
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent and Sexual content
gretchers's review
funny
medium-paced
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Child abuse
Moderate: Death of parent
veeronald's review
Thought this was a reflective memoir (a genre I'm trying to get into), but turns out this is just fictional dialogue about violence the author witnessed as a kid (so far), that he frames as learning experiences
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Misogyny, and Physical abuse
coreilly's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Physical abuse
plkingsleylibrary's review
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