The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Pursuit of Happyness
Book Review: Disappointing
Summary: 3 Stars
Story of a man who doesn't have much, but loses it due to his own decisions. Then makes it all back (and much, much more)whilst putting his son through far worse conditions than he has to so as to maximise the payoff at the end.
Yes, it is amazing how he turned his life around, but how much of the misery was due to Gardner is not normally commented on.
Book Review: Not as great as I hoped for
Summary: 3 Stars
Reviewing an autobiography is a tough thing to do as you are not reviewing a story as much as someone's life.
So let me get the point about why this is not 5 stars for me. What makes Chris Gardner's story so inspirational was his ability to look after a son and get a job in a top financial firm whilst homeless. He went from homeless to millionaire in the face of a few years- the ultimate rags to riches story. This is what the film is about and this is why he tours doing speeches etc. So to have this part of his life as the last third of the book (only about 100 pages) means that you have to feel a bit cheated.
Yes his upbringing was tough and interesting but in most autobiographies the "me growing up" bit is the first chapter as the writer gets to the stuff that makes their story interesting enough to warrant a book. Indeed once you get to this bit the drama and writing get considerably better leaving you feeling exhausted and thrilled by the end of the book.
It is very honest and the book is a very easy read plus Chris comes across as a likeable guy who is as flawed as the rest of us. It is therefore a shame that he leaves so little of the book to really get us to appreciate the struggles he faced with a toddler on the streets of a city.