WillWill
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
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African ChildhoodGood to know
It was published in 2021, before the Oscars incident in 2022. It deals with domestic violence in his childhood.
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.
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 1,573 modern books we rank
- #488 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story
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Memoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 ranked
Self-help and business booksTop 25 · 85 ranked
Modern booksTop 25 · 1,573 ranked
Books of the 2020sTop 25 · 555 ranked
Fantasy booksTop 25 · 459 ranked
Mysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 555 ranked
Literary novelsTop 25 · 309 ranked
Science fiction booksTop 25 · 313 rankedQuick 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 #488 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 78.6 (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.