Greenlights

By Matthew McConaughey

Book Overview

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - 6 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE Discover the life-changing memoir that has inspired millions of readers through the Academy Award-winning actor's unflinching honesty, unconventional wisdom, and lessons learned the hard way about living with greater satisfaction.

"The No. 1 celebrity memoir of the past 10 years."--USA Today

"McConaughey's book invites us to grapple with the lessons of his life as he did--and to see that the point was never to win, but to understand."--Mark Manson, author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

I've been in this life for fifty years, been trying to work out its riddle for forty-two, and been keeping diaries of clues to that riddle for the last thirty-five. 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 fifty 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.

The short dust jacket included with this hardcover edition is an intentional design choice.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0593139135
• ISBN13: 9780593139134
• Release Date: October 2020
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.19 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Good, Quick read

Read this book in 2 days. It made me laugh, cry and smile. Matthew is very thoughtful about life and his experiences. I very much enjoyed reading this book.

So So Good!

If I could give this book more than 5 stars if I would!! Such a good read and even better on audio!!

Top 10 book - Guide for Life

Fantastic read (although I recommend listening to the audiobook to catch the essence of the man behind the story). Masterclass in using one’s life to create a playbook on life. Easily top 10 book!

Love this book!

I loved this book. I liked reading about his past and pov. He has some great realizations in there. He also goes into detail about preparing for characters and I thought it was interesting.

Book

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Greenlights

Matthew writes with a very interesting style!! He's very honest, forthright and genuine regarding his life! I love him as a actor. Even more after reading his book! More than being a great actor and good honest author I think he is a decent man!

Not Enough Depth

I purchased this book to learn a little more about Matthew McConaughey interests. It never really went into great depth or detail about anything. Some stories that lacked any background to make them interesting. Sorry but NOT Alright, Alright, Alright

Fantastic!

This is a must read! Matthew has a knack for storytelling. Real, raw and funny!

In the top 10!

This book has earned a place on the bookshelf for years to come. I loved every second of it especially all the witty remarks. He’s a true philosopher and one the world needs right now. Impressive book from an impressive man.

Great book!

Loved this book! The stories he told about his life were crazy! Love Matthew Mcconaughey even more now!