Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey: Review

 Overview:

I first heard about this book on the Joe Rogan Podcast and after listening to the episode which featured Matthew McConaughey, I could not have been more excited. I, unfortunately, did not know how intelligent and self aware that McConaughey was before listening to that podcast, but after hearing him speak about how he chooses to live his life and how humble he is as a person, I was nothing less than ecstatic for this book. One thing you will need to know before reading or listening to this bio piece is that McConaughey has kept a journal for over thirty five years. Throughout his time with his journal, he took time to sit down and self-reflect on what made his good days good as well as how to keep that feeling going.

So let's get into why this book is so amazing. 

    1.) It's read by McConaughey. I don't know about you, but I find his voice to be very calming and relaxing. So to listen to it for six hours nonstop as I could not focus on anything but his voice, I was very happy sipping my coffee today. Not only is his voice calming, but he reads each line as he intended for the reader to do. Accents, tone, volume, and many other factors that play into audio books, are all done excellently. While listening to the novel, you can hear the excitement in his voice as each part (chapter) progresses. It made me as the listener more interested as well as more engaged. 

    2.) The overall message. This year has been rough for everyone, and I don't think that this book could have been released at a better time. The phrase "Green light" is used throughout the novel when McConaughey found an exciting or progressive opportunity. But these "Green Lights" were not major things as you might expect, some were as simple as barn wagers that he knew he could win, or having a relationship with the prettiest girl in his high school. But the overall message behind the concept is to embrace the small things and see them for what they are, great.     

    3.) McConaughey's view on life. Throughout this bio, you will find that McConaughey did not dwell on the negative things in his life, but embraced them to the fullest. He speaks of when he lost his father and how his father would never be able to see him succeed as an actor. But what he says about this is that he decided to embrace that and live every day and every opportunity to the fullest so that he knew his father would be proud if he were still present. I think that with everything going on and the millions of people who have lost loved ones to the global pandemic, this should be something that people take away from the auto-biography. He speaks about the greatest ideas, inventions, and actions coming during a time of loss, and I think the world as a whole has experienced major loss this year, so by his thought process, 2021 should be one the best years ever.

What was bad about the bio piece...

    1.) The only bad thing I can say about this book is that it wasn't long enough. I found myself so engrossed in this novel and literally stood in my kitchen for two hours listening to it before realizing that it had been such a long time. I truly enjoyed listening to all of his life experiences, I never wanted this book to end. 

Conclusion:

I think this might have been my favorite book of 2020. I have never found myself so engaged in a novel before. I have very few bad things to say about this book, and I think this is 100% a must read for everyone. Thanks for reading, leave a comment and let me know what you thought of this book!