Greenlights

Greenlights Matthew McConaughy 5 Diamond Review 💎💎💎💎💎 Greenlights, written by Matthew McConaughy is one of the best autobiographies I have ever read and listened to. I ordered it first on Audible. I enjoyed the book so much, I ordered a hard copy as well. The actor narrated Greenlights himself and hands down he has spoiled me for every other book I will ever listen to. His flow while he narrates his book is flawless. It’s as if he just called me on the phone and decided to tell me his stories. He narrates his book with such ease of voice you feel like you are just listening to a friend talk. This book, his manner of reading it to us and his over all story is amazing. This did not feel like a memoir but like a motivational book. It does not sound like he’s reading anything. He does a great job keeping the book fluid and you can easily follow the timeline he has laid out. I listened to it twice before I moved on to the next audiobook. It will be a book I will listen to again. He really just seems like a very down to earth and ‘normal’ person. I feel fame has not gone to his head. He is honest and brutal and captivating all at the same time. I have listened to it twice. Let’s talk about the actual content of this book. Matthew McConaughy has lived an adventurous life. He has had the means to do things that he wants to do financially as an adult and fortitude as a child and I am fascinated with his choices. He doesn’t sugar coat his words. From describing his parent’s tumultuous relationship and in the end accepting it as the only way they knew how to love to recounting memories of going to Australia or Africa. His stories are funny, sad, nail biters and anything in-between. I am enthralled with his great story telling ability. I am also impressed with his life. I believe that he is a ‘down to earth’ type man who accepts all people for who they are and what they can personally offer of themselves under whatever circumstance. He seems to always be open to learning something new. He does not seem to have the attitude that he knows ‘it’ all already. He seems to be the type of person who makes a commitment and he keeps it at all costs. He lives his life on his own terms and I absolutely appreciate that. He includes pictures and side notes with his tales and it really is fun to look at the pictures of him throughout his life. He takes the red lights and turns them green in his life. He is a progressive thinker and I admire that. Even if something seems to not be going right, he waits for the situation to produce something positive. Matthew McConaughy is true to himself and who he is as a person. He does not come across as arrogant or cocky. He tells his stories with gusto and with every lesson in life that he grew up with. He has chosen adventures that teach him something. He has followed his life journey with a passion. He isn’t stuck in a inflexible mind frame. As we read we can understand his thought process and some of what really makes him tick as a human being. He allows himself to adapt as he grows as a person. He is not rigid or regimented. He throws himself into his work when he works 200% and he allows himself to relax when he needs to. He draws on his past, present and future while he weaves his narrative. I am equally impressed with the people he surrounds himself with. Including his wife. He picked right. He describes her in a way that makes me believe that she is just as down to earth as he is. She was not impressed with his name and fame. She made him work for their relationship. I love the fact that even though he is a successful actor, he acts like a ‘normal’ person in situations he is faced with. He traveled around the country in an airstream, taking up residence in rv parks and campgrounds, and making friends with people all along the way. He doesn’t seem to think he is special just because he is an actor. However he knows he is special for just being human and he values other people in the same way. Of course, this is all my opinion from reading and listening to this book – he could be full of it. But I don’t think so. Although if he is, it’s okay – he really sells it and makes it believable and entertaining. Again, I give the book, both hard bound and audio, five diamonds. I recommend it for everyone.

Well, this memoir has just made its way to the top of my favorites list! It’s a well-written memoir (sort of) that, when paired with Matthews’ voice and ability to infuse his well-crafted words with life and more, makes it an absolute must-read (er, listen). I’m seriously considering starting it over right now! Yes, it’s that good! Reading it would be just as enjoyable, but again, add Matthews’ voice and talent, and you’ll be blown away. Just go straight to the Audible store first!

Listening to Matthew McConaughey is like sitting in a small-town bar enjoying a beer with an old high school buddy while John Mellencamp strums his guitar through the speakers—familiar, real, and raw. I chose to listen to Greenlights because I wanted to hear Matthew McConaughey’s words in his Texan twang. Then I bought the hardcover for the pictures. Not knowing much about him, I didn’t have expectations other than thinking the book would be glamourous and glitzy like all of Hollywood. Boy, was I wrong. I had seen a few of his movies and enjoyed all of them—even the romantic comedies, which he chose to step away from to rebrand himself. I honestly didn’t realize how interesting Matthew was until listening to his book. Matthew (don’t call him Matt) writes his book based on his diaries he kept over the years and views life as catching a series of greenlights—signs that say keep going and carry on. “This book is about catching greenlights and realizing that the yellows and reds eventually turn green.” Growing up, he subscribed to outlaw logic—bar fights, rites of passages, cussing, concussions, and scars—making him appear a little cocky with a tough exterior. Yet he comes across as likable and down to earth with his Ram truck and charm that seduced all the ladies. He recounts many adventures through Australia, South America, and Africa, leaving the reader wondering how many of his stories are exaggerated. That aside, he is an incredible storyteller, interweaving nuggets of wisdom throughout like, “Sometimes we need to leave what we know to find out what we know.” I am a travel lover too, so I enjoyed how he packed up and left whenever he wanted. Ah, the sweet freedom. Not on a private jet or a yacht—he drove a van he named “Cosmo,” hooked up an Airstream to the back of it, and traversed the U.S., stopping at trailer parks. In my mind, celebrities travel in style with an entourage or a bodyguard, but Matthew set out on his own with his dog and took the dirt roads (cue up John Mellencamp’s “Small Town” song here). Many of the lessons he learned in life came from his travels, and he shares them in this book. After he became famous from the movie A Time to Kill, he traveled somewhere to find answers, and that somewhere made me gasp—The Monastery of Christ in the Desert in Abiquiu, New Mexico. Up until last year, my dad lived down the road from this monastery, and I had visited it in 1996. It’s secluded and in the middle of the desert. Matthew’s mention of Abiquiu, a town of 231 people, took me completely by surprise. This part of his journey brought tears to my eyes because I had experienced similar feelings that he divulged at the exact place he was feeling them, and around the same time! “Sometimes we don’t need advice. Sometimes we just need to hear we’re not the only one.” Although he talks about acting, it’s secondary to getting to know Matthew as a person. However, now I want to go back and watch his other movies. I think I’ll see him through a new lens of appreciation and understanding. Overall, this was an uplifting read with a lot of great takeaways from a man who has lived and traveled through many green lights.

Greenlights is a remarkable first book from an already renowned artist. Kind of a mashup of Anthony Bourdain with Ernest Hemingway, McConaughey tells stories with the aplomb of accomplished raconteur. Part memoir, part life guide and part ethic Greenlights is worth reading for many beyond McConaughey’s fan base; basically anyone who likes a good man’s man adventure story. Born into the lower middle class in East Texas, McConaughey looks back nostalgically at a childhood few would envy. His parents divorced and remarried each other twice, he was subject to corporal punishment and money was always an issue. Yet he doesn’t complain about disadvantage. In fact he honors his parents despite their shortcomings. He adheres to a philosophy of choosing to recalibrate what seems like the inevitable until it turns into a green light or way forward in life. After a rite of passage involving brawling with a barroom bouncer, McConaughey pursued acting with the drive and hard work ethic that was instilled into him. Finding early success, he choose to live in a way directly opposite to the Hollywood scene. Traveling the country with his dog, going off on expeditions to the middle of Africa and South America, McConaughey sees livin (drop the g to indicate it’s always a verb) as more than just the material success and creature comforts many of us settle on. Finally, after years of womanizing, McConaughey settled into a successful monogamous relationship and fulfilled his life long ambition of being a father. Nearly simultaneously he chose to walk away from lucrative rom-coms to focus on something more artistic. Initially successful in winning an Oscar for the Dallas Buyers Club, McConaughey admits that he hasn’t achieved the popular success he envisioned. But that is all grist for the mill, experiments in livin that are ongoing. If this is the kind of man you would like to read about, Greenlights will be an enjoyable and inspirational read. It’s rare that a successful actor has such a distinctive off air personality. But if you’re turned off by physical conflict, wild adventures and a man who brags about rarely showering alone than Greenlights is not for you. Personally, while not finding all parts of McConaughey’s biography admirable, I found enough of him to be so different than what Hollywood typically churns out that the book was worth reading. Recommended to all who feel they’re similarly traveling in unmapped regions and want to gather around the campfire to hear a fellow wanderer’s tales.

Matthew is so much deeper than I expected! This book is so full of truth, rawness, humor, humility. I absolutely will read it again & again!

I am not a person who reads and I could not put this book down. When I tell you, I don’t read I mean, I may be read a book every five years. Sometimes longer and I had this done in two days. Not only did I read the book, but I took notes on it, and I studied it, and I highlighted portions of it because it spoke to me. This book is absolutely amazing.

In "Greenlights," Matthew McConaughey shares an introspective and candid look at his life, filled with the wisdom he's gleaned over fifty years. Drawing from over three decades of personal diaries, McConaughey combines anecdotes, insights, and reflections that paint a picture of his experiences, triumphs, and struggles. The result is not just a memoir but a guide to navigating life's complex riddle. The book’s central theme revolves around the idea of "catching greenlights," which symbolizes moments of success and flow that come when one understands how to manage life's inevitable challenges. McConaughey's style is refreshingly relatable, as he shares stories that range from the humorous to the profound, illustrating lessons about love, loss, and the pursuit of authenticity. With a mix of anecdotes, poetry, and even some personal affirmations and beliefs, he crafts a narrative that encourages readers to embrace life’s ebbs and flows with grace and humor. "Greenlights" is more than a Hollywood memoir; it's an exploration of what it means to live fully and intentionally. McConaughey's genuine reflections, paired with his unique perspective, offer readers a welcome dose of inspiration and a reminder that, much like traffic signals, life’s challenges can eventually lead to green lights. This heartfelt love letter to life serves as a delightful mix of wisdom, humor, and motivation, making it a rewarding read for anyone seeking to catch more greenlights in their own journey.

Excellent life lessons. Well written, entertaining just like the author

Greenlights is a brilliant, unconventional memoir. Matthew McConaughey’s "unapologetically me" philosophy is inspiring, filled with grit and wisdom. It’s an essential, soul-searching read that challenges you to catch more greens.

read Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey, and it was an unforgettable experience: 🔹 Entertaining and candid storytelling: McConaughey delivers his life story with his signature humor and charm. The book is filled with colorful, sometimes outrageous anecdotes that keep you hooked from start to finish. 🔹 Wisdom in unconventional places: The "greenlights" concept, as McConaughey explains, represents those moments in life when things align, and you’re on the right track. The book offers practical advice and "outlaw wisdom" for anyone looking for motivation or guidance in life, all wrapped in his unique, free-spirited style. 🔹 Relatable and inspiring: Whether you're a fan of McConaughey’s acting or not, the book resonates because it's about more than fame – it's about life, growth, and making the most of your time. He shares lessons learned through his ups and downs, which can be applied to personal and professional challenges. 🔹 A raw and honest read: McConaughey is unapologetically honest, making this an introspective journey not only into his life but also into the deeper aspects of human nature, success, and happiness. 💡In summary, Greenlights is more than just a celebrity memoir – it’s a guide to living life with authenticity, humor, and resilience. It's an inspiring read for anyone looking to embrace the "greenlights" in their own journey. 🌟📖

Love the book!

Die beste Autobiografie, die ich kenne! Super inspirierend und tolle Take-Aways. Die persönlichen Notes, welche gescannt und im Buch eingefügt wurden finde ich auch einen tollen Touch!