A review by abbynlewis
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey

informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.0

Greenlights is unlike any celebrity memoir I’ve ever read. The comedian memoirs, such as Tina Fey’s Bossypants and Amy Poehler’s Yes Please are full of self-deprecating jokes and anecdotes about growing up a woman. Those are all good things. Anna Kendrick’s Scrappy Little Nobody basically tells how she went from rags to riches and how she’s still star-struck by it all and most likely suffering from an ongoing imposter syndrome, while Lauren Graham’s Talking as Fast as I Can details her career on Gilmore Girls and her experience writing the book in her trailer on a set. Essentially, all the books I’ve read cater to consumer curiosity about what it is to be a celebrity and how it all feels. McConaughey, on the other hand, doesn’t just write a memoir–he writes an autobiography, from childhood up to the present.

McConaughey’s Texas upbringing is full of shenanigans that make for entertaining stories, but aside from that, McConaughey connects the narratives with the consistent theme of his drive for purpose and meaning in life. The setup of the book is almost like a scrapbook that someone has kept for years. McConaughey is an avid collector of bumper stickers and quotes, so those are peppered throughout the narrative, as well as all the green-text “greenlights” in the book that signify important, career defining opportunities.

Continue reading: https://freeairforfish.com/2021/09/06/book-review-greenlights-matthew-mcconaughey/