OCTOBER 2023 - AudioFile
Actor and talk-show host Jada Pinkett Smith foreshadows the range of emotions she projects in her memoir by beginning with quiet despair and transitioning to a fierce tone. Smith shares intimate details of growing up in Baltimore; with a mother who was addicted to heroin and an absent father, she was raised mainly by her grandmother. Smith shouts as she recounts being held at gunpoint while dealing drugs in her youth. She speaks fondly of the late legendary rapper Tupac Shakur, with whom formed an everlasting bond as a teen. A sound bowl rings at each turning point in Smith's life before she shares an inspiring revelation and softly asks listeners introspective questions. The details of Smith's life--including the infamous slap--are captivating. A.L.C. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
"In Worthy, Jada shares her deeply moving journey to self-worth. With bravery and compassion, she reflects on her childhood, honors her heartbreaks, celebrates her triumphs, and makes peace with her shadows. By demonstrating the power in owning every piece of her story, Jada encourages every woman to do the same." — Sheryl Sandberg, Founder, LeanIn.org an OptionB.org
"Jada Pinkett Smith’s Worthy is an invitation to a soul-nourishing journey. It’s as if she’s sitting right there with you, sharing her experiences, and inspiring you to step into your power. Worthy beautifully underscores self-discovery, introspection, and the pursuit of purpose." — Jay Shetty, New York Times bestselling author of 8 Rules of Love and Think Like a Monk
“Anyone who has seen an episode of Red Table Talk knows that she isn’t afraid to speak her mind, which means readers should expect her to clear the air about a lot of things.” — TIME, Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2023
"Really beautiful... Incredible." — Dax Shepherd, host of Armchair Expert
"Remarkable." — Kelly Ripa, co-host of Live with Kelly & Mark
"Worthy documents an eventful life... Threads of loyalty, protection, and safety wind their way throughout the memoir, and Pinkett Smith implores readers to learn from her hard-fought lessons." — New York Times
"From the drug-riddled streets of Baltimore to becoming an A-list superstar and one of Hollywood's top power couples with Will Smith, the actress and activist candidly unveils her life. From the depths of suicidal depression to the heights of self-acceptance and spiritual healing, this is a woman's journey to finding herself again." — Ebony
"In Worthy Jada Pinkett Smith contends with the way she's coped with life... and the choices she made to survive." — Tonya Mosely, Fresh Air, NPR
"Worthy reads like it was written with an eye toward the cinematic adaptation. [It] emphasizes that every part of a life is worth examining, worth living, worth honoring." — Washington Post
[Smith] has some things she wants to set straight." — Los Angeles Times
Kirkus Reviews
2023-10-18
The actor delivers candid truths about her life.
Smith (b. 1971) begins by describing her long-term struggle with “complex trauma with PTSD and dissociation,” as well as suicidal ideation. As the spirited daughter of a single mother in a working-class Baltimore neighborhood, she grew up adoring her beloved grandmother, Marion. Acting and dancing soon captured her attention. Fearless and motivated, she sold drugs for a period before leaving that life behind to chase her dreams of stardom after befriending Tupac Shakur. The author chronicles her days as a young Hollywood hopeful, recounting a series of breakthrough roles beginning in the 1990s, including Menace II Society and The Nutty Professor. Shakur’s tragic murder in 1996, coupled with other personal losses, shook the author’s psyche. At the same time, Will Smith began courting her. “I was a chronic mess with no fix, no possibility to heal,” she writes, but she eventually embraced intensive therapy sessions and the “holy lessons” of proactive spirituality. The joys of childbirth commingled with marital discord, bittersweet episodes the author describes in conversational yet often passionate prose. The author details the 2022 Oscar slap heard around the world, which bonded her and Smith, even though they’d been formally separated for years. She reveals the years of strain between her family and comedian Chris Rock and admits to a post-separation “entanglement” with rapper August Alsina, her son Jaden’s friend. A confident narrator, the author openly admits to not having established a label for her ever-evolving union to Smith, except to say it’s a strong family bond. Ultimately, the memoir is a lively, sincere, unapologetic confessional written to inspire and inform readers casually interested in Smith—and to set the record straight for devotees who think they already know her.
In a book chockablock with revelations, Smith courageously lays herself bare and divulges all.
