Title: Greenlights
Author: Matthew McConaughey
Publisher: Random House Audio
Synopsis: I’ve been in this life for 50 years, been trying to work out its riddle for 42, and been keeping diaries of clues to that riddle for the last 35. Notes about successes and failures, joys and sorrows, things that made me marvel, and things that made me laugh out loud. How to be fair. How to have less stress. How to have fun. How to hurt people less. How to get hurt less. How to be a good man. How to have meaning in life. How to be more me.
Recently, I worked up the courage to sit down with those diaries. I found stories I experienced, lessons I learned and forgot, poems, prayers, prescriptions, beliefs about what matters, some great photographs, and a whole bunch of bumper stickers. I found a reliable theme, an approach to living that gave me more satisfaction, at the time, and still: If you know how, and when, to deal with life’s challenges - how to get relative with the inevitable - you can enjoy a state of success I call “catching greenlights”. So I took a one-way ticket to the desert and wrote this book: an album, a record, a story of my life so far. This is 50 years of my sights and seens, felts and figured-outs, cools and shamefuls. Graces, truths, and beauties of brutality. Getting away withs, getting caughts, and getting wets while trying to dance between the raindrops. Hopefully, it’s medicine that tastes good, a couple of aspirin instead of the infirmary, a spaceship to Mars without needing your pilot’s license, going to church without having to be born again, and laughing through the tears. It’s a love letter. To life. It’s also a guide to catching more greenlights - and to realizing that the yellows and reds eventually turn green, too. Good luck.
Review: Alright. Alright. Alright. What’s better than reading Matthew McConaughey’s biography? I’ll tell you. It’s listening to the Oscar-winning actor share his life story without a filter.
I wanted a break from fantasy fiction, and I needed some positive vibes, so I downloaded Greenlights on Audible. Curious, I pressed play. Within minutes, the intro had me hooked. McConaughey’s soothing voice warmed my soul like a crackling fire on a winter’s night. His “bumper stickers” moments gave me the pick me up I needed, and his kernels of advice burned bright.
Yes, there’s adult language, yes, there’s flowery prose, and yes, there were parts that rubbed me the wrong way…but I appreciated every second of McConaughey’s fascinating memoir. His raw and honest retelling took me on a wild ride. Live under the hand of a stern but loving father. Check. Build a giant tree house in record time. Check. Stay sane while living in Australia with overbearing strangers. Check. Discover one's destiny in wet dreams. Check. Yep. He talks about those too. Getting arrested—naked. Check. Bongos anyone? The list goes on and on. McConaughey’s colorful journey will keep Hollywood enthusiast entertained for hours, especially those who enjoy a hot cup of celebrity tea.
Matthew McConaughey is one of my favorite actors. I might not agree with all of his political and social views, but I respect his craft as an actor and an author. If you enjoy peering into the mind of celebrities, I highly recommend listening to this audiobook.
Triggers/Warnings: adult language
Plot: 5/5
Pacing: 4/5
Escapism Factor: 4/5
Emotional Connection: 4/5
Character Development: 5/5
Star Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Completed Read: July 2021
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