summary ofWillBook by Will Smith, Mark Manson

first KEY POINT

Role models can simultaneously inspire and frighten

Will Smith was born... No, let's start with something else.The actor remembers his childhood through two strong emotions — delight and fear. They were the most common responses to his father's actions. The children called him Daddio.Born in Philadelphia and considered a troubled child, Daddio was brilliant and brave. Having escaped from the boarding school where his parents sent him to study, he voluntarily joined the United States Air Force.Daddio also had an entrepreneurial flair, which allowed him to start his business several times from scratch. But all his life, he was haunted by two enemies — alcoholism and anger. Therefore, his family always admired his knowledge and willingness to act but were afraid to do something against his will.The only one who dared to point out his father's faults and mistakes was his wife and Will's mother, Carolyn Elaine Bright. An educated and independent woman, she fell in love with the intelligence and charisma of this man. But over time, she noticed that his ideas were replaced by a desire to control his workers and family members. Daddio couldn't stand it when she made remarks to him, and quarrels could lead to physical violence.

Therefore, Smith’s childhood, which from the outside might seem ideal, hid many tragic memories. Considering his parents as role models, he didn't know what to do when they couldn't get along.Did you know? Will's father named his son after himself — Willard Carroll Smith II — and didn't like it when people called him Will Jr., believing it humiliated them both.