I bought The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner with Quincy Troupe at a discount with a pile of other media items I was buying on eBay. I had enjoyed the movie back when it came out and I thought that my wife and I would enjoy the book as a media tie in. Was I surprised that only about one quarter of this autobiography was actually in the movie. In fact I would not go so far to say they were the same productions. There is an amazing biography of Chris Gardner that you can read and there is a movie version that producers were willing to produce for Will Smith to star in. There are only about 300 pages in this memoir but you don’t want to miss anything. This is not a casual read, in my opinion. This is a growth journey you take with Chris starting from his childhood.
‘“The most dangerous place in the world is a public library.” That was, of course, only if you could read, because, Momma explained, if you could read, that meant you could go in there and figure anything out.’
Even though Chris’ mother spent a lot of time in prison during his life, she also made a huge impact on his belief in himself. She made sure he could read and that he always had access to books.
Gardner was in his young teens when he and his friends were being bussed to a previously all white school on the other side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he was raised. Chris was aware of the civil rights march led by Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, AL and Malcolm X being killed in Harlem. His response was to join the NAACP Youth Council.
“No matter what I had in my pocket, no matter what my suit cost, nobody could prevent me from acting as if I was a winner. Nobody could prevent me from acting as if my problems were all in the process of being solved. Pretty soon, my acting as if was so convincing that I started to believe it myself.”
Chris carried his belief in himself through his military service and through every business opportunity that led to his ultimate success. He didn’t let anyone but himself define who was. Even at his lowest moments, he learned what he needed and moved on. Eventually he became the owner of his own business with the success he had dreamed of.
I did watch the movie after I was done with the book. It is a good production and I appreciate the artistry of Smith and his son, but knowing that Chris actually accomplished everything he did with a baby in diapers makes this nonfiction success story so much more profound. If you haven’t read this book, I highly recommend it.
I got this book from my personal collection. You can get your own copy of The Pursuit of Happyness byChris Gardner with Quincy Troupe on Amazon.
Read My Review on GoodReads:
The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Chris Gardner is an amazing man with a life story that is inspiring for all ages. If you think you enjoyed the cinema production, staring Will Smith, you have only heard a very small part of the story. For the full story, make sure to pick up a copy of The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner with Quincy Troupe. It is a powerful read.
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My name is Summer. That is how you can call me. I hope that I am a blessing to you. I am not perfect. I will fall again. But I am forgiven. For anyone reading this that isn’t a Christian, unapologetically, I am a Jesus Follower, but I believe there is room for lots of beliefs and religions in the world. It is not my intent to offend people with different beliefs than I have and I would be open to open-minded conversations with no goals of changing anyone’s mind, but sharing information. If you are interested in becoming a Jesus Follower…Do you know Jesus? Do want the Holy Spirit to fill you and give you understanding and salvation? Ask Him. Want someone to pray with you? Contact me.
If you would like to know Jesus as your friend, but want to make this amazing commitment by yourself please pray something like this: Thank you Jesus that You are the Son of God, the God that created heaven and earth. Thank you Jesus that You came to earth in the form of a man so that You would be able to empathize with my humanity. Thank You that You did this in order to fulfill the promises You made at the foundation of the world. I realize that I am a sinner and do things that hurt myself and keep myself away from you. Thank You that You died for my sins so that You could defeat death and bring me into Your life. Please forgive me. I ask You to be Lord of my life. I ask you to heal my hurts and show me what my new life, empowered by You looks like. Thank You for Your mercy.
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