Will

I’ve read a lot of memoirs in 2023. "Will," hands down, is my favorite memoir of 2023. I was born in the 90s, and my first introduction to Will Smith was on the show "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." It took me until the late 90s to really understand who he was as I entered early adolescence. I was born and raised in Philadelphia, specifically West Philadelphia, although I didn't spend most of my days on the playground. Therefore, it was really cool to hear some of the references in the book that I am so familiar with - Wynnefield, Overbrook, and some of the Philly slang he was referring to wasn't foreign to me at all!

What stood out to me about this memoir was Will's transparency throughout. He gave insight into his childhood, growing up being different, and his love-hate relationship with his father, who was abusive and stern but there every day to provide food and shelter for Will and his sisters. His mother was highly educated and worked for the School District of Philadelphia, and his Gigi, his grandmother, kept him in tune with God. Will, some could say, grew up a little dysfunctional, but he always had his family by his side, which most people in those days did not have. It was interesting to learn that Will first started rapping when rap actually started. That's so cool - imagine being one of the first rappers when rap was just beginning. He even won the first-ever Grammy in the rap category in history. His love for rap and his skill set got him the name "The Fresh Prince." He then goes on to meet the legendary Jazzy Jeff at a party when his DJ didn't show up, and Jeff's MC didn't show up. From that point, it was history.

Will's story has so many ups and downs. He went from being a successful rapper to going broke and then pivoting to acting, where Quincy Jones gave him his first big shot with the creation of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." Will then went on to star in movies and become one of the biggest movie stars in the world. This book touched on so much - love for his Gigi, his sisters, music, acting, and being funny. It also touched on a lot of pain - from his first girlfriend cheating on him at age 15, to him losing all his money, dealing with his abusive dad whom he referred to as "Daddio," to the rough mean streets of Philadelphia. And, of course, it delved into him not being your traditional "rapper" and his struggling marriage with Jada. Despite it all, Will overcame everything to build an empire of a family. There were ups and downs, but the Fresh Prince prevailed. This is a really good memoir to read, especially if you are a fan of Will! I don't want to spoil too much of the memoir, but I will say the most revealing part to me was that the "funny" and "comedian" character that we know Will to be was created as a shield to hide the coward that he was as a kid and that he feels he is today still.

-Samuel