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Dec 16, 2009

Melissa rated it:

I liked the story, but the writing left something to be desired, I think... and (don't hate me) there were aspects of Gardner's personality that came out in his book that made him a little bit less of a likeable character for me. Not that I didn't respect what he did or how he helped himself and his son... he just came across such that his personality rubbed me the wrong way a few times... Anyone else who can back me up on that?

I still haven't seen the movie. Maybe I should.

2 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jun 08, 2007

Amy rated it:

I rushed to read this before seeing the movie. Surprisingly, I preferred the movie. While I was deeply moved by Gardner's life and accomplishments, a great writer he is not. I had recently read the Glass Castle (MASTERFULLY TOLD) and this did not measure up. Unfortunately, the childhood accounts are all told not from a child's perspective, but with the adult Chris's notions inserted regularly. We all know a five year old wouldn't be making the observations and conclusions that the narrative voic More...

0 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jun 27, 2007

Afton rated it:

This was one of the best books I've read in awhile! I was sad when I finished reading it. It leaves you with that feel good feeling and the notion that you can achieve anything you put your mind to with a little hard work and determination!

** I saw the movie after I read the book. I love Will Smith's performance; however, I felt like the movie only highlighted 1/10 of the novel! It holds true: The book is always better than the movie.

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Jun 12, 2008

nanto added it

Baru nonton filmnya, belum pernah baca bukunya.
suka banget sama dialog ini:

Christopher Gardner: Hey. Don't ever let somebody tell you... You can't do something. Not even me. All right?
Christopher: All right.
Christopher Gardner: You got a dream... You gotta protect it. People can't do somethin' themselves, they wanna tell you you can't do it. If you want somethin', go get it.
(sumber: imdb.com)

Tabik bapak, nasehat untuk anaknya keyen!

Btw, More...

6 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 09, 2008

Alison rated it:

I enjoyed this movie and so I checked out the book. The first half tells of his life growing up. It was not a happy life. Some of the scenes are quite graphic and there is lots of foul language. I hoped part two would be less so, but it was even worse. Really, it should be the pursuit of a carnal, sensual and develish happiness...not what I truly define as happiness. (Lots of women, drugs, and behavior that I believe should not be emulated.) If I could recommend any of it, it would only be More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jan 26, 2008

Cortney rated it:

After enjoying the incredible movie based on this book, I was expecting great things. Alas, I was disappointed. Not by the story itself, but by the ridiculous usage of the f-word. It was over the top and took away from the story. The story itself was inspiring. It was interesting to read the book after seeing the movie and take note of the many differences. Chris’ son was only about nineteen (or so) months old when they became homeless. My baby was twenty-one months old while I was reading this More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 13, 2012

Loy rated it:

Chris Gardners ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ is surprisingly not your usual feel-good, decent, role-model kind of a book. It is a book that is brutally honest, bad and bloodied in its language and breathtakingly realistic in its approach.

For those of you who have seen the movie with the same name starring Wills Smith, well let me be clear - what you saw was in the cinema or DVD is hardly a fraction of what you will read in this book. What I realized after reading the book was, the story More...

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Mar 09, 2011

Bryan rated it:

Successful entrepreneur Chris Gardner writes a compelling autobiography that is far more scintillating and dramatic that the film version with Will Smith. That’s not to say the movie didn’t follow the book or that it lacked heart, but the substance of the book lays a much deeper foundation for the struggles that Garner would eventually overcome.

One such element is the description of Gardner’s childhood in Milwaukee during the sixties. He details a life of desolation among the city’s More...

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Nov 12, 2010

Lydia rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Mar 22, 2011

Nolan rated it:

If you want something, go and get it.

This was the most inspirational book i have ever read. Now i havent read very many books in my life, but i know a good one when i see it. This book is a memoir about Cris Gardner. He was in the navy for several years and ended up living on the streets of San Francisco. He wanted to pursuit a life he would enjoy and can make enough money to rais his son, Christopher. Which was finance in medicine.

Chris was someone you could call a Gen More...

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Feb 16, 2010

Farheen rated it:

I haven't seen the movie, but had a general idea what the story was about through the movie trailers. So I was surprised that the part the movie was based on (him being homeless and taking care of his child) began in the very last part of the book. Most of the book was about his childhood. So many details were given in his growing up, that I definitely felt I grew up with him, however, when his biggest challenges in life started, he seemed to fly through them in a couple of chapters. I wanted More...

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Feb 14, 2009

Tara rated it:

I loved the movie, so I thought I'd try the book when I came across it. The book pretty much covers Chris Gardner's whole life (to the point when he wrote it), whereas the movie is only a segment of it. Gardner had a pretty harsh childhood, and some scenes are described in more graphic and crude detail than the reader really needs to hear, and there is "colorful" (i.e. foul) language throughout. That aside, the story itself is amazing. While Gardner was by no means perfect; he made s More...

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Apr 06, 2008

Becky rated it:

I saw the movie which glorified the author. The book goes into a lot more details of the author's childhood, marriage and life and I was a lot less enamoured. A lot of the author's poor choices are led by his libido. I felt a lot less empathy for him. Yes, it is horrible to be homeless, but he made some devastating choices himself which hurt people.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 10, 2012

Ben rated it:

Gardner's book was one of pure honesty. Some people got frustrated with how depressing it is and the amount of profanities he used. Those people are sheltered and don't like the harsh reality. Gardner told his story the way it actually happened, the way the world treated him. It was beautifully real and I loved it. He focused on the idea that you can do whatever you want to do (no matter the circumstances) and to never be afraid to ask for help.
People also got frustrated with how th More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Apr 04, 2010

Bonni rated it:

Generally, most movies inspired by books are disappointing compared to the book from which they are derived. However, the "The Pursuit of Happyness," qualifies as an exception to this unwritten rule. I decided to read the book because I found the movie inspirational. The book, however, was thoroughly disappointing. The movie is taken from about one quarter of the content of the book. After reading the book, I know why that is the case. The rest of the book is depressing and trashy More...

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Jun 27, 2011

Richard N. rated it:

Wow what a journey - a very explicit, detailed, and rough journey. Hardship and Mr. Gardner were no strangers. It takes a bit of effort, but there are some very good lessons to learn from this book.

I give it 3 stars as I thoroughly enjoyed the last 1/3 of the book, but had much difficulty with the first 2/3rds. I appreciate the hardship and utter raw-ness of his life-stories... but some of it just seemed a bit too much for the overall premise of the book (e.g. the gimp returns scene More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 05, 2008

Stacey added it

I liked this movie and was at the library one day looking for something to read so I checked the book out. It was terrible! I had to finally put it down because the language and content was horrible. The movie was pretty clean, so I was appalled. I do NOT recommend anyone to read this book.

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Dec 01, 2011

Megan rated it:

Update Post
Page 200 out of 302

The book The Pursuit of Happyness is an autobiography by Chris Gardner. The author's purpose of writing this story is to tell his life story of rags to riches. The theme of the book is how Chris had to work hard and go through a lot of obstacles with his son to make it in the world if high finance with unbelievable set backs. The book was written in narration style which was not only effective but made it easy to follow along in. This book was bea More...

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Feb 23, 2011

Clifford added it

I realle enjoy that book because it gave me a sense of life. Even life was so hard for Chris Gardner but he didn't give up in anything he ketp fight for what he wanted, he also gave his son a good direction of living life because he didn't want his son felt sorry about how the miserable life was but as he said in his novel "People would always told you that you couldn't do anything but he mentions that don't let anyone told you that you couldn't anything but if you really want to achieve j More...

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Oct 02, 2011

Neil rated it:

I enjoyed reading The Pursuit of Happyness. Chris Gardner's life growing up without a true father figure was interesting. His abusive step father, Freddie, was a drunk. He had Gardner's mom sent to prison twice and made Gardner's life scary and full of doubt. Gardner's mom was able to teach him important life lessons and skills that would later help him become successful in life. I think I enjoyed the next part of the book more. Gardner joined the Navy and became a kind of medic assistant. Howev More...

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Feb 10, 2009

Janelle rated it:

This was one of the most inspirational books that I have ever read. When I started to read the prologue I knew that I would have to press on and keep reading. Boy was I glad that I kept reading because the more I read the more I wanted to know about this amazing man's life. This is definitely a great read for the month of Black History. I know that some people reading the book can not relate to this man's struggles it may be a cultural thing. I didn't grow up disadvantaged like Chris Gardner, h More...

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May 12, 2010

Sunil rated it:

Pure Magic. Having said that, I realize, that Magic might have been by reaction post reading the novel... however, it was not my response. What transpired in the novel was Not Magic. It was all effort. Incessant effort.

Single-minded devotion to a cause (without even defining the cause, in many instances) makes Gardner and his life, the stuff that movies and great men are made off.

The movie, whilst gaining critical acclaim, is only half the book. The novel, dictates, what More...

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Jun 18, 2010

Angie rated it:

i agree with other readers' comments that the book was not a stellarly written one. ive seen the awkward repeat of info in other autobiographies written with someone else's help. the scene where he only held his baby momma's hand and then let go and she fell into the bushes doesn't ring true to me. I think there was more there than he wanted toshare--or could share, wihtout getting into legal issues. too bad. i have more respect for authors who tell the complete truth, and he did that in other p More...

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Sep 08, 2009

Kohei rated it:

I first watched the Movie before reading this. I remember they were showing the movie on TV and then I wanted to read the book since my mother already read it and said she liked it a lot. It was nice to read the book because it set the stage for me on Chris Gardner's background and what he did before getting interested in the field of finance. Like the movie, there are many sad parts that Chris talks about when he was going through his financial crisis. This was a story of survival and strivin More...

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Sep 28, 2009

Nancy rated it:

I saw the movie version of this book so it piqued my curiosity. Long before I had finished the book I was pretty done with the author. Obviously he's a very remarkable man. Having grown up in an abusive home, with little hope of a better life. With each opportunity that became available to him, he grabbed and took full advantage of his circumstances. During the lowest period of his climb out of poverty, he was homeless, sleeping in shelters and sometimes in public restrooms with his son. However More...

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Oct 09, 2010

Ruby rated it:

The guy can write all right. I thoroughly enjoyed parts of his story. However, I truthfully did not finish this. The graphic sex put me off. Now I don't mind graphic sex in fiction, where it is sort of a fantasy the author is sharing with you and smiling. But this is graphic depictions of supposedly actual sexual encounters this guy had with women he married and/or had children with. Gross! SOOOO not right. If I were one of his kids I'd be ill. "Dad!!! You wrote that about MOM?!" And t More...

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Jul 24, 2009

Debbie (Readerbuzz) rated it:

I was uneasy going into this book. The movie made Gardner to be an American hero, moving up from homelessness into riches. The full story as Gardner tells it is much more grim. I won’t itemize Gardner’s list of crimes, but it’s enough to say, I think, that the movie omits or glosses over most of the shadier events of his life. And, no, as you might expect, even with a writer helping him, Gardner is not good at setting down the story of his life. I was left with the feeling that Gardner is just a More...

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Jun 13, 2010

Melissa rated it:

I was really disappointed in this book because the author seemed to focus so much more on money and how he got it rather than his son and daughter (bet you didn't know he even had a daughter). From the previews of the movie (which I haven't seen, and won't now) and the cover of the book, I just assumed that much of this man's story would be about how he and his young son survived homelessness on the streets of San Francisco, but really only a very small portion of the book was about their strug More...

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Nov 29, 2007

Emily rated it:

Watch the movie, it is a lot more inspirational than the book. The language is crass and offensive in the book and the author is conceited.

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Apr 11, 2010

Jason rated it:

In "The Pursuit of Happyness," Chris Gardner the author and main character, struggles to live when his money making machine is not a hit. His machine is a bone-density scanner that he believes will be the future. As Chris tries to make his machine the best, his wife leaves him with all the confusion. This leaves Mr. Gardner on the streets with no money, house, credit card, or job. He is forced to find a way out of confusion and his life troubles. This book is great for anyone who loves More...

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