A First: When the Movie and the Book Complement Each Other

The movie indeed has its own significance. However, to be honest, on an emotional level, the book and the movie are incomplete without each other. Generally speaking, the book is almost always superior to the movie. Will Smith's outstanding performance in portraying Gardner on a more empathetic visual level has a stronger impact on me than the real Chris Gardner's description of his trials in written form. Nevertheless, the book, which details more than a decade of verbal and emotional abuse, including being raped, etc., makes these struggles and eventual achievements more prominent.

Despite growing up without his biological father (he was raised by his stepfather, a man who was the cause of many domestic violence incidents), he has had a large number of people who have provided him with support and help. From his various uncles, aunts, and cousins as a child, to the military, then the mentors in his early twenties, to the pastor, and even the prostitutes who gave his son money as he rushed back and forth to work to complete his quota of 200+ calls at Bear Stearns.

Is he an angel? No, but he is an example that even when everything seems to be against you, if you are willing to fight against the odds, sometimes help can come from unexpected sources. What's even better is that this guy has given back to the people who have helped him over the years, which should be the definition of wealth for anyone.

This book is a kind of memoir of Mr. Gardner, who is now in his seventies and is a successful black millionaire.

A movie has also been made based on this book with great acclaim.

The life story of Mr. Gardner, which he describes from childhood, has been extremely difficult and painful. Besides all the difficulties he has endured, having a stepfather who was immoral, violent, and drunk, living in poverty, and being repeatedly beaten and insulted by his stepfather. Moreover, he was unable to continue his studies. In the era when he grew up, black people in America were regarded as second-class citizens, and their youth coincided with the death of their great leader Martin Luther King. Black people were suffering in many ways, and it was difficult for them to enter any profession because of their black skin. In addition to all these problems, he also had an unsuccessful marriage in his youth and had a son. At first, his wife took their son with her, but after a while, she returned the son to Gardner. At that time, Gardner had no home, no job, and no money to provide for his son's comfort. Therefore, he was in a very difficult and tight situation. Many nights, he had to spend with his young son in the park, on the subway, in the subway bathroom, and other places. He often couldn't fill his own stomach. But with all these difficulties and the lack of financial and educational resources, which are necessary for entering business, he finally managed to gradually get out of that situation through hard work and perseverance.

Reading this book and learning about the life of this successful person proves to us that if a person really has a goal in life, with all the difficulties, shortcomings, and lack of necessary means, he can still reach his goal. This requires perseverance and not giving up. As I said, besides these difficulties, one of their biggest problems was being black, but in the end, he overcame that problem and achieved his goal of becoming a millionaire.

This book has been sitting on my shelf for a considerable period of time.

I initially put it down as the first part was充斥着 abuse, foul language, and human hurt, making it extremely hard to read.

Being a nurse and a volunteer nurse, I witness people living in unimaginable circumstances on a regular basis, and thus, I wasn't eager to read about similar hardships in a book.

However, lately, I have been picking up several unfinished books, and I decided to give this story another chance.

The author, Chris Gardner, comes across as a difficult and hardened individual. He isn't always likable. But that's okay. What I respect about him is that he constantly keeps trying to learn and move forward.

The book is filled with numerous good quotes, and the author, Gardner, is full of gratitude, which I firmly believe is of utmost importance for achieving success in terms of emotions, social aspects, and finances.

Here's a remarkable 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."

This quote truly emphasizes the power of collective effort and individual responsibility in bringing about significant change.

As I continue to read this book, I am hopeful that I will gain more insights and inspiration from Gardner's story.

The United States is often seen as a land of freedom and opportunity. However, there are also certain things that people can get away with in America that might not be possible in other countries.

For example, in some states, it is legal to carry a concealed weapon. This means that individuals can carry a gun on their person without others being aware of it. While this may seem dangerous to some, it is a right protected by the Second Amendment of the US Constitution.

Another thing that people can get away with in America is jaywalking. In many cities, it is common for people to cross the street outside of crosswalks or against the traffic light. While this is technically illegal, it is often overlooked by the police.

Finally, there is the issue of political correctness. In America, there is a growing movement to be more inclusive and respectful of different cultures and identities. However, some people have taken this too far and are now policing others' language and behavior. While it is important to be sensitive to others, it is also important to allow for free speech and expression.

In conclusion, while America is a great country with many freedoms and opportunities, there are also certain things that people can get away with that might not be acceptable in other countries. It is important to be aware of these differences and to respect the laws and customs of the country in which you are living.

Even though I added this to my TBR in 2015, I still haven't seen the movie. So, I figured I should finally check this one off the list.

This is an insane story. While I don't exactly like some of the comments made about women/sexuality, this book wasn't about that. The journey Chris went through was basically unbelievable. At every challenge and breakthrough, I just kept asking myself, "really"? The lows were so low and the highs were so high. It sounded like it was impossible to be true.

It was a quick listen and lended itself well to audio because the prose is not the reason you pick up this book. Its style is mostly good ol' story telling, which keeps things pretty simple.

If you've got the COVID blahs, this might be a good read for you. It can take you on a wild ride and distract you from the monotony of being stuck at home. You'll be so engrossed in Chris's story that you'll forget all about your own troubles for a while.

I just watched the movie and haven't read the book yet.

I really like this dialogue:

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.

(source: imdb.com)

What a great father, giving such wonderful advice to his son!

By the way, why didn't the song "Can't Take that Away" by Mariah Carey become the OST of this film? Its lyrics are in line with the spirit of the film. Ah, I hope the answer isn't just that the owner simply didn't want to. There are also many other great songs in this film.

Well, I'll just happily lip-sync and imitate Ms. Mariah:

"They can say,

Anything they want to say,

Try to bring me down,

But I will not allow anyone to succeed hanging clouds over me,

And they can try

Hard to make me feel that I,

Don't matter at all,

But I refuse to falter in what I believe or lose faith in my dreams"

I've had a strong desire to read this story for a long time. The main reason is to explore how it differs from the film that it inspired.

Chris Gardner is indeed similar to most people in one significant aspect. He has an enormous number of challenges to overcome.

Reading about a man like Chris Gardner, who comes from a completely different background than mine, is truly beneficial. He faced numerous obstacles along his path, yet he continued to persevere.

His story serves as an inspiration not only to me but also to all of us. It shows that with determination and unwavering perseverance, one can eventually achieve success.

Despite the difficulties and setbacks he encountered, Chris Gardner never gave up. His journey is a testament to the power of the human spirit and the ability to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds.

By reading his story, we can gain valuable insights and motivation to face our own challenges and strive for success in our respective lives.

After having the pleasure of watching the truly incredible movie that was based on this book, my expectations were sky-high. However, to my great disappointment, it wasn't the story that let me down, but rather the absurd and excessive use of the f-word. It was simply over the top and really detracted from the overall essence of the story. On the other hand, the story itself was truly inspiring. It was quite fascinating to read the book after seeing the movie and take notice of the numerous differences. In the book, Chris' son was only around nineteen (or so) months old when they found themselves homeless. As for me, my own baby was twenty-one months old while I was engrossed in reading this book. I simply cannot fathom what life would be like on the streets with children, especially with such a young child who is still essentially a baby. It truly amazes me that they were able to overcome all the obstacles that came their way.

I really liked the story. However, when it comes to the writing, I feel that there is still room for improvement.

To be honest, and please don't hate me for this, there were certain aspects of Gardner's personality that were revealed in his book, which made him seem a little less likable to me.

It's not that I don't respect what he accomplished or how he managed to help himself and his son. It's just that his personality traits, as presented in the book, rubbed me the wrong way on a few occasions.

Does anyone else out there feel the same way and can back me up on this?

I still haven't watched the movie. Maybe I should give it a try. Maybe it will offer a different perspective on Gardner and his story.

Who knows, perhaps after seeing the movie, my opinion of him might change for the better.

I was truly surprised by the book. This is mainly because I had watched the movie first. Although the movie showcases Chris Gardner's remarkable feat of overcoming life's difficulties, it fails to fully highlight the real and significant obstacles that he actually faced. Moreover, it is not entirely faithful to the facts of Chris's life as vividly described in the book.

The book, on the other hand, provides a comprehensive portrayal. It details everything, starting from the author's troubled childhood and leading up to his eventual rise. It fearlessly reveals sensitive topics that others might choose to hide. This unwavering honesty ultimately enriches the book, making it a truly captivating read.

It serves as a real and accurate portrait of the entrepreneur's life, offering readers a deep and intimate look into the challenges, struggles, and triumphs that Chris Gardner experienced on his journey to success.

Generally speaking, most movies that are inspired by books tend to be rather disappointing when compared to the original book from which they are derived.

However, "The Pursuit of Happyness" stands out as an exception to this unwritten rule. I made the decision to read the book because I was truly inspired by the movie.

Regrettably, the book turned out to be thoroughly disappointing. In fact, the movie only takes about one quarter of the content from the book. After reading the book, I finally understood why this is the case.

The remaining part of the book is filled with depressing and trashy elements. Even the potentially uplifting portions are marred by bad language and poor writing.

The content that was not included in the movie mainly focuses on various negative aspects such as abuse (both physical and verbal), infidelity, racism, theft, and dishonesty.

Although the author managed to overcome some extremely difficult circumstances and achieve success in the end, I did not find him to be the person of high morality and character that I had expected after watching the movie.

His language was coarse and degrading, and he even seemed to be almost proud of some of the awful things he had done in his life.

Therefore, I would not recommend anyone to read this book. Instead, it is much better to watch the movie.

There are only extremely rare cases in which the movie is on par with the book. In my view, this is one such instance. Milwaukee native Chris Gardner had to overcome some of the most insurmountable obstacles in life to achieve success. The author描绘 this vividly in this book. Chris Gardner's autobiography is regarded as one of the most inspiring autobiographies ever penned. This is one of the few occasions where I recommend both the book and the movie to you. Here, I am sharing several of the poignant moments from the film.

\\n  \\n
It is truly remarkable how Gardner's story unfolds, filled with hardships and yet, his unwavering determination shines through. The book delves deep into his struggles, making it a captivating read. The movie, on the other hand, brings these moments to life on the big screen, allowing viewers to experience the emotions firsthand.

\\n  \\n

\\n  \\n

\\n  \\n

\\n  \\n