The story
The Matthew McConaughey autobiography is remarkable! It took me to places I never thought I’d go. With this intriguing insight into his life, he leaves out all the fluff of the Rom-Com world and gets down to business with the deep and meaningful stuff.
Expectations vs reality
I have not yet watched McConaughey’s more serious movies or series like Dallas Buyers Club or True Detective. I will now be on the couch catching up on them (if anyone is looking for me).
Of course, I had heard about the naked bongo drum ‘incident’ and chalked it up to a fleeting drug-induced mishap. I never expected McConaughey to be such a complex, likeable person with eccentricities that seem to have kept his head screwed on despite his Hollywood fame and Oscar win.
Nomad
It seems that Hollywood has a unique way of changing our perceptions of actors and 90% of the time all the attention gets to their heads. Previously normal people have turned into ego maniacs who can’t tell what is real and what’s not. McConaughey realized it early on in his career and took several unconventional steps along the way to mitigate the risk of losing sight of who he really is.
The way the book portrays his career, it seems as though instead of staying in the limelight and basking in the glory of being the ‘hot leading man’, he remained uprooted, constantly seeking a more authentic existence.
Real people
I was struck by the number of times in the book he engaged with normal people as if to rebel against the perception that fame raises you onto a pedestal. He sought places where his privacy could remain intact. He found ways to engage with places that would not reward him for his career but rather give him the space to reflect and recharge at his core.
Reading vs listening
I listen to books on Audible because I have never found reading to be a relaxing pastime. With every book I listen to I feel I’m cheating, that listening is ‘the easy way out’. With this book, I think McConaughey’s narration is an integral part of the story, shouting phrases like “BUMPERSTICKER” and chuckling at the end of each funny story. I truly believe that listening is the preferred option. His narration adds so much nuance to the stories and reflections – it is joyful.
Alright – the crux
The title Greenlights is the thread that ties his story together illustrating how each part of our journey gives us a signal showing whether we’re on the right path or not.
Listen to the book. Get sucked into his world, marvel at his peculiar upbringing, the risks he takes, his references to journal entries and bible stories.
Please add your comments below once you’ve read or listened to the book.
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I haven’t read the book but your review is “joyful”. Wonderfully written x