Genealogy Books - The Pursuit of Happyness

Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating:

Summary: This book is a complete waste of time
Comment: If Chris Gardner had any morals I'm sure they wouldn't have come out in this book as he goes to
great lengths to tell you every sexual exploit he's made in his lost, disgusting, immoral life. I
couldn't finish it. Talk about all his sexual escapades! ...and his inability to keep his d**k in
his pants, and worse still, his inability to keep a wife because of it! He's a moral black hole
taking thousands of susceptible people with him into the depths of crude, rude, disgusting, immoral,
sex addiction-type behavior. There's nothing HAPPY about this book!

I just threw mine
away. If it would have fit in the toilet I would have flushed it. I'm sure it would have gotten
stuck in the u-bend causing me even more misery to add to the misery I felt reading this
life-sucking black hole of a book.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Big Time Deflated
Comment: Where the movie of the same name lifted me and inspired me, this book came crashing down on me. It
crushed me because it turns out nothing in the movie was true. In fact, far from being the hero that
Will Smith portrayed on film, the real Chris Gardner turns out to be a skank, a thief and a
murderous thug. The fact that Gardner retains these attributes through to the end of the book and
continues to defend them means there is no happy story of redemption and thus, no real happy ending
(except that the man is now rich).

Structurally, the book was supposed to be about a
father's love for his child but Gardner's son doesn't enter the story until 2/3rds of the way
through. Even then, the book continues on into exposition of the father's life, so it is more like a
biography. I did like the writer's style but since the book was co-written, I doubt if it was
Gardner himself that I was reading.

If you loved the movie, do not buy this book.
Continue to believe that Will Smith's character was an honest, moral man who deserved the success he
got because he pursued it ethically and persisted against his hardships without complaint.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Perseverance
Comment: Chris Gardner's journey demonstrates we can all obtain the best results in our lives when we focus
on where we want to go as opposed to our present circumstances.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Rags to Riches
Comment: This autobiographical story of Chris Gardner chronicles his impoverished upbringing in Milwaukee,
homelessness in San Francisco, and ultimate rise to riches through sheer determination and hard
work.

Gardner's childhood was wracked with the violence and abuse of a step father who
routinely verbally and physically abused their family. He found some solace in learning through
reading books at the library. He ran with various crowds as a youth and generally stayed out of
trouble.

After finishing high school, he went on to enlist in the Navy having heard
exciting stories from his uncle of traveling overseas. However, the majority of his time in the Navy
was spent as a medic stationed at a Marine military base in the States. Through his solid work as a
medic he was introduced to a leading surgeon who opened a research clinic in San Francisco and asked
Gardner to join him there.

He helped with the surgeon's research and was respected as a
very knowledgeable expert in training medical interns on surgical techniques. He eventually married
and after prodding from his wife sought higher pay through a medical sales job. After several years
of marriage he had an affair which resulted in the birth of his son and breakup of his marriage. He
continued the sales job for a short period of time until meeting a stockbroker with a nice car and
decided to change careers.

The internship offered a very low stipend and he was forced
to live out of motels, homeless shelters, and sometimes sleep on trains or public restrooms. His
tenacity at the internship as well as commitment to study resulted in passing the securities examine
required to be a stockbroker and ultimate hiring at Dean Witter.

He then went on to
build a portfolio of business first in San Francisco then working on Wall Street. Currently he owns
his own investment company based out of Chicago and has a net worth estimated upwards of $60
million.

I first read the book and then saw the movie and though the book offered a
good story of honest hard work the movie in this case had a better feel good aspect to it. The movie
covers only about a third of the book and focuses on the positive elements of Gardner's relationship
with his son and pure determination in reaching his goals. The book in contrast incorporates a
generous amount of profanity and detailed descriptions of his promiscuous behavior. While overall I
would recommend the book as a good read, a cautionary note should be kept in mind regarding the
"adult" elements of the book.

Customer Rating:

Summary: "A great example of victory!!!"
Comment: "Chris Gardner is a living proof that one man can make a difference in this world!!!"

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