Worthy

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. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.