The Pursuit of Happyness

by Chris Gardner

The astounding yet true rags-to-riches saga of a homeless father who raised and cared for his son on the mean streets of San Francisco and went on to become a crown prince of Wall Street

At the age of twenty, Milwaukee native Chris Gardner, just out of the Navy, arrived in San Francisco to pursue a promising career in medicine. Considered a prodigy in scientific research, he surprised everyone and himself by setting his sights on the competitive world of high finance. Yet no sooner had he landed an entry-level position at a prestigious firm than Gardner found himself caught in a web of incredibly challenging circumstances that left him as part of the city's working homeless and with a toddler son. Motivated by the promise he made to himself as a fatherless child to never abandon his own children, the two spent almost a year moving among shelters, "HO-tels," soup lines, and even sleeping in the public restroom of a subway station.

Never giving in to despair, Gardner made an astonishing transformation from being part of the city's invisible poor to being a powerful player in its financial district.

More than a memoir of Gardner's financial success, this is the story of a man who breaks his own family's cycle of men abandoning their children. Mythic, triumphant, and unstintingly honest, The Pursuit of Happyness conjures heroes like Horatio Alger and Antwone Fisher, and appeals to the very essence of the American Dream.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, Media Tie In, Autobiography, Biography Memoir, Inspirational

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 23, 2006

About the author

Christopher Gardner is the owner and CEO of Gardner Rich LLC with offices in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. Conquering grave challenges to become a successful entrepreneur, Gardner is an avid motivational and aspirational speaker, addressing the keys to overcoming obstacles and breaking cycles. Gardner is also a passionate philanthropist whose work has been recognized by many esteemed organizations.

The amazing story of Gardner’s life was published as an autobiography, The Pursuit of Happyness, (Amistad/Harper Collins) in May 2006, and became a New York Times and Washington Post #1 bestseller. In paperback, the book spent over twenty weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and has been translated into fourteen languages. Gardner was also the inspiration for the movie “The Pursuit of Happyness,” released by Columbia Pictures in December 2006. The movie is the #2 all-time domestic grossing drama. Will Smith starred as Gardner and received Academy Award, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nominations for his performance. Gardner was an associate producer on the film.

Gardner’s second book, Start Where You Are: Life Lessons in Getting From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be will be published on May 12, 2009.

Born February 9, 1954 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Christopher Paul Gardner’s childhood was marked by poverty, domestic violence, alcoholism, sexual abuse and family illiteracy. Gardner published his autobiography out of a desire to shed light on these universal issues and show they do not have to define you. Gardner never knew his father, and lived with his beloved mother, Bettye Jean Triplett (nee Gardner), when not in foster homes. Gardner is indebted to Bettye Jean for his success as she provided him with strong “spiritual genetics” and taught him that in spite of where he came from, he could chart another path and attain whatever goals he set for himself.

Gardner joined the Navy out of high school and then moved to San Francisco where he worked as a medical research associate and for a scientific medical supply distributor. In 1981, as a new father to son Christopher Gardner Jr., he was determined to find a career that would be both lucrative and fulfilling. Fascinated by finance, but without connections, an MBA or even a college degree, Gardner applied for training programs at brokerages, willing to live on next to nothing while he learned a new trade. Chris Jr.‘s mother left and Gardner, despite his circumstances, fought to keep his son because, as he says, “I made up my mind as a young kid that when I had children they were going to know who their father is, and that he isn’t going anywhere.”

Gardner earned a spot in the Dean Witter Reynolds training program but became homeless when he could not make ends meet on his meager trainee salary. Today, Gardner is involved with homelessness initiatives assisting families to stay intact, and assisting homeless men and women who are employed but still cannot get by. It is estimated that 12% of the homeless population in the United States is employed; in some communities that estimate is as high as 30%.

Gardner worked at Bear Stearns & Co from 1983-1987 where he became a top earner. In 1987 he founded the brokerage firm Gardner Rich in Chicago from his home with just $10,000. Gardner Rich LLC is an institutional brokerage firm specializing in the execution of debt, equity and derivative products transactions for some of the nations largest institutions, public pension plans and unions.

Dedicated to improving the well-being of children through positive paternal involvement, Gardner is a board member of the National Fatherhood Initiative, and received the group’s Father of the Year Award in 2002. He serves on the board of the National Education Foundation and sponsors two annual awards: the National Education Association’s National Educational Support Personnel Award and the American Federation of Teachers’ Paraprofessio

Reviews

[Dr. Appu Sasidharan (Dasfill) · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are only very few instances where the movie is as good as the book. In my opinion, this is one among them. Milwaukee native Chris Gardner had to face some of the most formidable hurdles in life to become a successful person. The author vividly delineates it in this book. Chris Gardner’s autobiography is considered one of the most inspiring autobiographies ever written. This is one of the few instances where I recommend you both the book and the movie. I am sharing a few of the poignant moments from the film here.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Loy Machedo · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 storyline in the movie had been formatted to suit a pop-corn eating, coke-drinking, entertainment-seeking, low-attention span, typical Hollywood movie-ending type audience.

This book brought forth not just the hardcore, hideous and horribly unforgivable past that Chris went through, in fact he shocked me at many instances by being upfront about the abuse his step-father gave him, the incident of being raped by a neighbor, his lust for women, sexual moments which were, if not detailed at least graphically blurted out and the grave mistakes he made in his life.

When I put the book down, I asked myself, why would such a public figure do that? Isn’t it risky to do so? He could have portrayed himself as a saint. A perfect guy. A great role-model. He could have kept hidden the deep, dark and diabolical aspects of his life. And no one would have even doubted him. Then why did he open up so much?

I feel in his quest of confessing everything including his weakness, he achieved our love and respect for his greatness.

What made him stand out in my eyes was that he was not afraid to show the side that made him human; even to the point of his honesty making him a target for being hated. And his courage to be sincere and honest, earned him the crown of respect.

Personally, I felt the raw power of truth leap out of this book.

Though the book contains strong language of sex and violence, I felt this was a very welcoming change compared to all the white-wash we get nowadays. And the underlining message was very clear – Life isn’t all that perfect. We are not perfect. And our lives will never be perfect. But yes, in the end we need to find what makes us and keeps us happy.

Overall a beautiful, honest, brutal and captivating book that shows you the incredible power and resilience one man possessed against unbelievable odds.

I rate this book a definite 8+ out of 10.

A must read.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was not what I expected.

The two expectations I had when starting this book were:

1. That it would mostly be the same story as told in the movie with a few changes that were made for cinematic effect - (like no Rubik's cube, no night spent in the subway bathroom, and no showing up for the interview shirtless and covered in paint, etc...

2. That I would not like Chris Gardner. I had been told by someone else that the book showed that he was not a good man, that the reason he went to jail was not for unpaid parking tickets, but for domestic abuse against his wife. I should expect to appreciate his motivation, but dislike the man.

Both expectations were mostly wrong.

I was surprised by the book because the movie only covers about 1/3 of the book's contents. The entire first half is all about Chris Gardner's upbringing. It shows the horrors he endured, the constant abuse he received as well as the gut-wrenching details of him being forced to watch his mother get beat regularly. It shows Chris wanting to kill his step-dad because of the abuse, Chris getting raped by an older man, Chris stealing and going to jail and being taught right from wrong from the stable women in his life. It shows what life was like for a young black boy with a broken home living in a bad neighborhood.

I was very surprised to read about his first marriage. He wed a very successful woman from a wealthy family. Chris may have been raised in the poor part of town, but he was a genius. He started working in a medical research lab and with no college whatsoever - HE was the one teaching the medical students what to do. He planned to go to medical school, and he had the brains and ability - but he wasn't sure he wanted to go back to THAT much school. Was it worth it?

Eventually it gets to the part we know. After he left his wife for another woman (and describing quite openly his sexual interests, and how much they got him in trouble) his new girlfriend gets pregnant and they get married.
A while later he meets a stock broker, decides that is his destiny, and his wife laughs in his face.

This is where I was surprised. The timeline is quite different from the movie.

Chris has many interviews with many brokerage firms, but due to his lack of formal education he can almost never get a 2nd interview. He finally gets offered a 2nd interview with Dean-Witter, and 2 weeks before the interview he argues with his wife in front of their house. As he describes it: they are screaming at each other and he grabs her wrists, she struggles and tells him to let go, when he does she falls backward into a rosebush and gets scratched up. She cleans herself up and leaves. 30 minutes later police are at his door asking about domestic battery. He's astonished. The cops run his ID and see the $1200 in unpaid parking tickets and take him to jail. He is never charged with battery and the cops tell him they'd let him go, but he has to pay the parking tickets, or serve 10 days in jail. He takes the 10 days. When he gets out it is the day before his second Dean-Witter interview. He goes home - everything is gone. His wife, his belongings... and his son.

He has no business clothes, in fact no clothes at all except what he was wearing when arrested. He goes to his interview the next morning in bell bottom blue jeans, a t-shirt, a wind-breaker, and paint speckled Adidas sneakers.

How does he pass the interview?

He tells the interviewer everything except the jail part. He tells about his wife running off with their son, and taking all his material possessions with her. The interviewer says he's been married and divorced three times and can TOTALLY relate. The interviewer talks for 45 minutes about his own marital problems and with no real questions or interview he welcomes Chris Gardner to the internship. The first $1000 stipend will arrive after 30 days of work.

At this point I thought - WHAT!? So he gets paid AND his son isn't with him for all of internship? That's not how the movie showed it? What about being homeless? What about sleeping in the bathroom of the Subway with his son?

That happened 3 months later. Though he had been hired, he still made next to nothing as he built his clientele. Then suddenly his wife showed up, dropped off their son, and left. Chris was still dirt poor, couldn't afford much of anything, and that's when it all happened. He really did push his baby boy's stroller up and down the hills of San Francisco. He really was homeless, they spent MANY nights in that Subway bathroom. He rushed to make it to the family shelter on time and when they didn't make it, they slept somewhere else. It's devastating.

The story is sad, but encouraging - and it goes on. It shows not only his first success as a stockbroker, but how far that went - up to the time Chris Gardner met Nelson Mandela, bankrolled a $50 million inner city development for kids, and made well over $1 million per year.

It is a success story, and I enjoyed it. I wish Chris Gardner well. I hope I can learn the lessons he did by reading them, rather than experiencing them myself. I honestly don't know how I'd do it.

In the end - I judge books by the effect they have on me. When I finished this book, I reevaluated my life with the thought - I CAN DO ANYTHING!

Any book that leaves me feeling that way is worth recommending.

[Alison · Rating 1 out of 5]

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 the last 50 pages, but then it would be better to just watch the movie. I applaud Chris Gardner for overcoming much, especially for being determined to be a father, despite growing up knowing he was abandoned by his biological father and abused and not wanted by his step father. He recognized he could acheive anything, no matter what others thought about him, his color, or his background. That is a valuable lesson to all. However, I did not find this to be quite the success story the world would see it as. Although he becomes quite wealthy, his life seems to lack many of the values and characteristics that I find that lead to true happiness.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

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 voice is making, and his insertions got in my way. I wanted him to let me connect the dots for myself. Narrative writing 101: show, don't tell. That said, though I was often frustrated by this early on, as he aged it bothered me less, and I was compelled to read through because the story IS quite remarkable. DO note that the movie ends up being a VERY small part in the life of this man. If the movie intrigues you at all, I wouldn't tell you not to read the book. But stick with it in the beginning, and don't be waiting for long descriptions of carrying heavy portable x-ray machines all around San Francisco. It's not there.

[Mohamed · Rating 5 out of 5]

من قصص الكفاح الملهمة جدا...السعي وراء السعادة أهم و أمتع من الحصول على السعادة نفسها

[Melany · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting story of the highs and lows of life. It definitely opened my eye that no matter what you go through in life, you can achieve great things. Very inspirational true story!

[Marcia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was very very disappointed by this book. I loved the movie, and I have seen Chris Gardner on a number of TV appearances, and have been very impressed with his story.
Unfortunately this book was trash both in language and subject matter.
The language was incredibly course and made it very difficult to wade through. In the beginning, it was tolerable because he was telling the story of his childhood, and those were real words that someone spoke to him. So although it was difficult to stomach, I could accept it because he's painting a picture of his mistreatment. But as the story progresses, the language only gets worse. And now it's not him repeating what someone said to him -or even him repeating his own words from a previous conversation. It's just his narrative. As he is speaking in the present, he is still using such vulgar language. It is very incongruent with a person of his stature.
As far as content goes, his story of struggle and triumph would have been great if it hadn't been drenched in the details of his sexual exploits. The stories he tells are nothing short of pornographic, and they had no place in this book at all. Gardner recounts every erection he's had since he was ten. It is ridiculous, and again not in line with the kind of person we are let to believe he his. I don't know how someone can be this successful in business when he obviously has no self control in his sex life. And not only does he have no self control, but he seems to revel in it. He flaunts it (along with his history of drug use) with little to no apology at all. As with the language, I was prepared to forgive it at first. He tells of being raped as a thirteen year old boy, and while I think his telling of that tragedy is more graphic than is necessary, I can excuse it because it is his story of what was done to him. But as the book goes on, he continues to give a play by play of his sex life that is crude and totally unnecessary for the content of the story.
For this reason, I cannot recommend this book to anyone. The movie was good. His story is great. But the book is filth.

[Errol Fern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for every dreamer out there.

[Sarezh kamla · Rating 5 out of 5]

* Don't ever let somebody tell you YOU can't do something - You Got a Dream Protect it - If you Got something Go And Get it *


. I saw The Movie and Makes me hopeful . so surprised . and so Enthusiast
it is all About how much you desire something - and How much you can resist the Hard Time - How much You Won't Give Up !
Then I read it And have same and More Eager Impression To ward every single Goal .
Nice mind - nice courage

-- set A goal
-- Make sure You want IT
-- you will Get what ever the Obstacles are forceful - large enough - hard .
Just Believe You Can Do it .

[HR Habibur Rahman · Rating 5 out of 5]

There will be light at the end of the misery. ❤️

[Sara Kamjou · Rating 2 out of 5]

در جستجوی خوشبختی اتوبیوگرافی‌ای از زندگی کریس گاردنر، اونچه از بچگی و سختی‌ها و مصائبش تجربه کرده تا بزرگسالی و موفقیتاش گسترده ست.
من گرچه کتاب‌های این مدلی رو دوست دارم و در دسته‌ی کتاب‌های خودیاری و الهام‌بخش قرار می‌گیرن، اما با این کتاب چندان ارتباط برقرار نکردم. حوصله‌م سر می‌رفت و برام خسته‌کننده بود.

[Puja Bharti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't hold back the tears.
His story is that of the continuous pursuit of hustle. It made me think a lot, about how much it takes to have something in this world and how things can be taken away.

I just...
I just loved the book.

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

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.

[Nihad ALhamed · Rating 5 out of 5]

ملهم جدا

[Anil Swarup · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspiring autobiography of a common man with usual frailties but unusual ambition. However, this is one of the rare incidents when the movie scores over the book. It is also a trifle difficult for an Indian to relate to the earlier part of the book as family ties are not as tenuous as they appear in the west. The book still sweeps you off the ground. Some of the events are touching. The ultimate compliment to the father comes from the son "You are a good Poppa" and the one from Nelson Mandela as Chris attempts to "walk the walk". It is not a simple story of rags to riches. It is a true story of someone who could dream with his feet firmly on the ground. Truly inspiring.

[Afton Heckman · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Hamidreza · Rating 4 out of 5]

intersting

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars,but I will up it to 5 only because I would actually read this again.

I really enjoyed this book. I did the audio and highly recommend that version. It felt personal and intimate like having lunch with an old friend from way back. It was definitely raw, but it was tempered with honesty and he offered no excuses. I can completely respect that.

I hate foul language, especially when used in books. I think it is usually a weak crutch and is used to shock the reader. I always think, ‘you’re a writer, say it better.’ But, for some reason, it didn’t bother me so much in this book. It felt real. It wasn’t my story, but I felt like a captivated listener to this particular story as it unfolded before me.

I think those brave enough to write auto-biographies/memoirs open themselves up to harsh judgment when their story falls upon delicate/sheltered ears. I’ve read some of the negative reviews this book has received and I guess I struggle with how they can condemn a man (and his book) given his circumstances. When I consider where he started and his journey toward something different and something better than anything he had ever known, I am in complete awe. He had come so far and had accomplished so much. And he even managed to make some giant strides to reach back and help others.

The movie version of this book, was a warm and fuzzy movie. It was the glossy picture perfect Hollywood version. Seriously, it didn’t even begin to cover the dark and gritty parts of this man’s life. The movie was the ‘feel-good’ version. I did see the movie, and I liked it, but it wasn’t close to the book version. So if you read this, don't expect the warm fuzzies.

[Fatemeh Am · Rating 3 out of 5]

کتاب راجع به پسربچه سیاهپوسته که کودکی نابسامانی داشته. از این جهت که پدری ناشناس داشته و مادرش در کشاکش‌های زندگیش به زندان افتاده بوده و اون و خواهرش در یتیم خانه یا در منزل اقوام سپری میکردن.
یک سوم ابتدایی کتاب سراسر به شرح زندگی و رشد و سختی‌هایی سپری میشه که کریس گاردن از سر گذرونده و بعد با ورود به سن جوانی و دنبال شغل رفتنش ابعاد حرفه‌ای زندگیش آغاز میشه و خب کریس به نظر میاد محکوم به یه زندگی لنگ و بی تغییر هست. اما چیزی که در کریس قابل توجه است پرداختن به هرکاری با تمام توجه و انرژی و تسلیم ناپذیریش هست. همین رمز موفقیت اون پس از امتحان کردن مسیرهای متعدد و در نهایت یافتن مسیر درست زندگیش میشه.
ابتدای کتاب فکر میکردم فقط با یه کتاب برش زندگی سراسر از سختی چیزی شاید شبیه زندگی در پیش رو مواجه م اما هر چه که پیش رفت فهمیدم این کتاب یه اتوبیوگرافی نسبتا انگیزشی هست.

[Gemma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant and inspirational.
I have seen the movie based on Chris's story but in glad I read the book as there is a big difference.
Chris's story is heartbreaking in places, and truly amazing in others.
A great example of the strength of character and determination.

[Denisse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este audiolibro decidí escucharlo, porque duro bastante tiempo en el carro cuando busco a mi hija a la escuela. Cuando lo empecé me lo encontré muy aburrido, pues el narrador no incentiva con su voz. A mí entender una persona que no sabe casi español por la entonación en las palabras y porque su manera de narrar es muy lineal. De todas formas, decidí darle una oportunidad por ser mi primer audiolibro y porque había visto la película y me gustó bastante.

ATENCIÓN SPOILERS MÁS ADELANTE!!

Cris Gardner cuenta su historia desde la niñez,
su adolescencia y parte de su adultez. Como vi la película pensé que me encontraría con un personaje fascinante , sin embargo, Cris deja mucho que desear. El personaje en sí no me cayó nada bien. Entendí su pobreza, su estado anímico por no estar con su madre todo el tiempo, por no ayudarla, el no conocer a su padre. Pero mientras más te introduces en la historia, menos lo soportas. Muchos se preguntarán el por qué. A continuación algunas de las razones:

1. Cuando era niño, su madre le dió un escarmiento por robar. A pesar de ser pobres, su madre le dió principios. Para mi sorpresa, después que su madre le pegara con un cable de teléfono, Cris robó 2 veces más. Sé que he dicho que era un niño, pero ya tenía 10 años, con un castigo como ese, ni el pan de la cocina tomo sin permiso.

2. Cris siempre anhelaba una familia y vivir diferente a cómo fue su niñez. Cuando se llega a casar con una chica de buena familia, que lo ayuda económicamente y que lo empuja a que logre sus sueños; parece que se le olvida todo eso y le pone cuernos a su esposa.

3. La chica por la que deja a su esposa llamada Jackie, le hace renunciar a su trabajo para buscar uno de mayor ingreso en una época en que conseguir empleo era difícil. Cris, tonto al fin, le toma la palabra y consigue uno peor.

4. Un día Cris y Jackie tuvieron una discusión, por lo que la chica llama a la policía y meten preso a Cris. Cuando sale de prision, se entera que Jackie desapareció de la casa que compartían juntos con su hijo y Cris dura meses para dar con el paradero de ella. Cuento esta parte porque, mi gran desilusión fue que Cris se queda con su hijo como padre soltero y no tiene donde dormir(si vió la película, sabe a qué me refiero). Y luego cuando su situación financiera empieza a cambiar, viene Jackie a visitarlos y boom sale embarazada.

5. Por último, veía en ciertas situaciones a Cris con algo de envidia hacia las personas que lo rodeaban. Por ejemplo, decía que cierta persona tenía cierto trabajo por las influencias que tenía o que aquella persona vestía bien; como que si la vestimenta de una persona la define en sí!

El libro en general es entretenido y ayuda conocer todo lo qué pasó Cris Gardner, pero si usted vio la película, quiero que sepa que de 12 capítulos que tiene el libro, la película solo se basa en 3. Dejando de lado muchísimas cosas importantes que debieron salir a relucir en la pantalla.

[Jordan Curry]

The book I read was The Pursuit of Happyness, I have seen the movie and I know that the book is usually always better than the movie so I am excited to read further into the book. It has sadness, happiness, faith and even funny parts. This novel is an easier book, but has a mature meaning behind it. The book was published in 2006 by Chris Gardner. He is also known for his other books such as: Influence, Until Victory Always and many more. His style of writing is very unique, his vivid descriptions makes the reader feel they are apart of the actual book since this is his actual life and he is writing in a way where he wants to reader to feel like they are living his life during this time; the words he uses aren't exactly challenging, but the way he uses them makes the book so much more interesting because they engage the reader, bring them in and makes it hard to put the book down.
The book is a biography about a man named Chris and his son, who are going through a rough patch in their life where they are having money troubles and aren’t able to take very much care of themselves. They stay in homeless shelters, they have trouble paying for food and rent and Chris mainly walks everywhere he goes. He eventually gets a new job and things are looking up at the very end. There aren't very many characters at all thrown at the reader, in the beginning characters are the main characters the book focuses on. The characters are also very relatable, especially to people who may struggle with money and this book gives them hope that miracles can happen and hard work gets you places in life. I really liked how Chris describes himself, his son and the hardships they go through.
I don’t read very many biographies but this is by far my favorite. I feel that this book has the best story about the characters and it makes it better that it’s a true story. There isn’t really any controversial parts of the book that I found. The theme of the book is hard work will pay off in the end even to the most unlikely people. I feel like this book is definitely an easier read. It’s not challenging, so if someone is looking to read an easy book, but has a great story line and a deeper meaning then I would definitely recommend this book.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has been on my shelf for a long time. I put it down because the first part is full of abuse, foul language and human hurt. It is hard to read. I am a nurse and a volunteer nurse and I see people who live in unimaginable circumstances, so I didn't want to read about it too. . . but I have been picking up several unfinished books lately and decided to read this story again.
The author, Chris Gardner, is a difficult, hardened man. He is not always likable. But it is okay. He keeps trying to learn, trying to move forward. I respect that.
The book is full of good quotes and the author Gardner is full of gratitude which I think is so important to emotional, social and financial success. Here's a good quote from the author, "You know how mountains get moved? Everyone who can move a couple, move a couple. Those who can move rocks, move rocks. Those who can move boulders, move boulders. That’s how mountains get moved. If every one of us did everything we could, I believe we would be in a different world."

[Cailean · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cannot express how deeply disappointed I was in this book! I'd seen the movie soon after it came out, and found it inspirational and even heart-warming. I knew immediately after starting this book that the author's writing style would be difficult to follow. He has a poetic way of writing but tended to jump around a lot in timeline and in perspective. I found I had to skim a lot because of writing style but mostly awful language and graphic details of his childhood and adulthood. All in all, I probably read only 20 full pages of the book, flipping through the rest. I was vastly disappointed in his tales of infidelity and seeming remorselessness about it. This is not someone I would look up to or want to emulate, whereas the Will Smith depiction made me feel the opposite. I imagine I'm not the only one who read this expecting to feel all touchy feely and instead was all, "!!?! What the what!?!??!" I do not recommend this to anyone!

[Cortney · Rating 2 out of 5]

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 book and I cannot imagine life on the streets with children, but it seems it would be even more difficult with such a young child- still a baby, really. It’s amazing to me that they overcame the obstacles that they did.

[Crazy Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caution Notice: Ain't a seasoned reader or Critic.
The start especially about the childhood and his mother's struggle seemed to be kind of slow and wasn't entrancing. For which I had to literally drag me through to complete.

Fast forward to second half, the part when he meets the Ferrari guy and after, was amazing and intriguing. And that's when, actually first half of the book makes sense. Chris ensures that you realize the importance of his childhood which was the source of his strength over getting through hard times.

I guess Gabriele felt the same as I did.

All in all a great book for aspirers especially if you are in early 30's (it would be easy to connect I guess :P).

[Chelsea · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a memoir and somehow the movie was better? Like the last 1/3 of the book is the entirety of the movie. Chris Gardner focuses more on his childhood growing up in a broken home, his awakening sexuality, and his affair more than his actual bout of homelessness with his toddler son. Although the subject matter is heavy, this memoir lacks the emotion to give it the weight and punch it needs. I didn't like Chris, he wrote himself as a complete D-Bag and I had zero sympathy for him. Will Smith gave this flavorless narrative the life and heart it should have. And that's weird to even think of.

[Ramy · Rating 4 out of 5]

لم أر الفيلم حتى الان ...رأيت لقطات و مشاهد متفرقة منه على النت و لكن لم اراه كاملا و لا مرة ...
و اعتقد كدا احسن لاني لو رأيت الفيلم ما قرأت الكتاب

كتاب جميل ...
كنت كل بضع صفحات او كلما يحدث "تقدم" فى القراءة 10 % اسأل نفسي هل تحسن حاله ؟ هل اغتنى ؟ هل تخطي ظروفه الصعبة ؟
50% -60% -70% من الكتاب و لم يكن ظهر على بطل الحكاية
اى تطور يُذكر
و هكذا هي الحياة حقيقة
الكثير من الانفعالات و المجهود و الاحداث تحت السطح ثم متأخرا تظهر النتائج و لكنها تظهر بوضوح

فلا تندم على اى مجهودات قمت او تقوم بها او ستقوم بها ....حتما لن تضيع
" لا يضيع الله اجر من أحسن عملا"

حياة اسرية مفككة ... ام تنجب من عدة رجال "بزواج او بدون" عدة اطفال غير اشقاء
و اخيرا زوج ام "او صديق ام" يسيء معاملتهم جميعا
ام تدخل السجن و تخرج عدة مرات
يتربي البطل عند الخالات و الاخوال

هو ابن بيئته
تعليم محدود
محاولات للاجرام مبكرة
صياعة و تشرد

و لكنه كان مؤمن دائما ب فائدة السعي و الخطوات الصغيرة
و التى قد تؤدي او لا تؤدي الى شيء و لكن القيام بها دوما قد يفرق معاك فى مستقبلك على المدى البعيد

زيجات صعبة و ملخبطة
تفرد هذه القصة لكونها اول مرة single father
كان المعتاد دوما ان يرمي الاب الاطفال او الطفل للام و يختفى من حياتهم تاركا اياها بمفردها تقى الويلات فى تربية الطفل
المرة دي العكس

امتنان للمنح و المساعدات البسيطة مقدمة كانت من عاهرة او من رجل دين ....
و النية مستقبلا فى مساعدة من هم مروا بمثل حالتك او موقفك حينما تكون اقوى و اغنى و ايسر حالا

ان تفرح ب وجبتك مهما كانت بسيطة
و ان تفرح بمكان نومك مهما كان ضيق و بسيط
الامتنان بما تملك لا يتناقض البتة و السعي نحو المزيد

يعيب الكتاب فقط - و لذلك نقص النجمة -
كثرة الجنس و السجن و العنف المنزلي و المخدرات فى تفاصيله

فرحت للبطل حقا ...اعتقد ان الفيلم لم و لن يشرح كل تلك التفاصيل التى قرأتها هنا ....
ل كريس جاردنر كتاب اخر أنتوي قرأته ان شاء الله..هو دروس حياتية مباشرة
Start Where You Are: Life Lessons in Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be

الكتاب القادم : الساحرة والكلب
نوفيلا فنتازيا