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Greenlights

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Greenlights

By: Matthew McConaughey
Narrated by: Matthew McConaughey
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From the Academy Award®-winning actor, an unconventional memoir filled with raucous stories, outlaw wisdom, and lessons learned the hard way about living with greater satisfaction.

I've been in this life for 50 years, been trying to work out its riddle for 42, and been keeping diaries of clues to that riddle for the last 35. Notes about successes and failures, joys and sorrows, things that made me marvel, and things that made me laugh out loud. How to be fair. How to have less stress. How to have fun. How to hurt people less. How to get hurt less. How to be a good man. How to have meaning in life. How to be more me.

Recently, I worked up the courage to sit down with those diaries. I found stories I experienced, lessons I learned and forgot, poems, prayers, prescriptions, beliefs about what matters, some great photographs, and a whole bunch of bumper stickers. I found a reliable theme, an approach to living that gave me more satisfaction, at the time, and still: If you know how, and when, to deal with life's challenges - how to get relative with the inevitable - you can enjoy a state of success I call 'catching greenlights.'

So I took a one-way ticket to the desert and wrote this book: an album, a record, a story of my life so far. This is fifty years of my sights and seens, felts and figured-outs, cools and shamefuls. Graces, truths, and beauties of brutality. Getting away withs, getting caughts, and getting wets while trying to dance between the raindrops.

Hopefully, it's medicine that tastes good, a couple of aspirin instead of the infirmary, a spaceship to Mars without needing your pilot's license, going to church without having to be born again, and laughing through the tears.

It's a love letter. To life.

It's also a guide to catching more greenlights-and to realising that the yellows and reds eventually turn green too. 

Good luck.

The audiobook now includes an exclusive interview with Matthew McConaughey which was recorded during his book tour in 2021. 

©2020 Matthew McConaughey (P)2020 Penguin Audio
Entertainment & Celebrities Entertainment & Performing Arts Film & TV Celebrity Entertainment Inspiring Funny Thought-Provoking Feel-Good Heartfelt Witty Success
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Critic reviews

"Unflinchingly honest and remarkably candid, Matthew McConaughey's book invites us to grapple with the lessons of his life as he did - and to see that the point was never to win, but to understand." (Mark Manson, author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck)

"McConaughey is a talented actor and a fine writer, but a total genius at living. He attacks life with an exhilarating ferocity. This is a wildly unexpected and delightful book you can't just read, you have to experience." (Lawrence Wright, author of The End of October)

"It shouldn't surprise you that this book is good, but it will surprise you just how good it is. Wise and entertaining, this is an inspiring memoir and how-to from one of the great outlaw philosophers and artists of our time." (Ryan Holiday, author of The Daily Stoic)

All stars
Most relevant
Amazing and inspiring stories, some so incredible I paused to think if it's for real. The honesty of it all was surprising.
Packed with lots of wisdom and thoughts that make you think about your own life.
Performance is superb, would love to listen more books written and narrated by Matthew. He has a real gift for writing.
"Note to self" and "Bumper stickers" were always something to look forward to. :) Loved it and would recommend for sure!

What an amazing life and performance!

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So this was a weird one for me. I love autobiographical books and Matthew mcconaughey so thought this would be a nice easy listen, honestly after the first ten minutes I nearly turned it off as he seemed to have turned into his character from wolf of Wall Street and it was just insane ramblings of a madman screaming “green light” & “bumper sticker” randomly, I’m glad I did keep with it as it was such an awesome book, there were times when I had pulled up on the drive and just sat listening until the end of the current story as it was so captivating. This isn’t a juicy “tell all” autobiography so if that’s what you are after you are in the wrong place, this is more following someone and listening in on the spiritual journey they have taken during their life. If that’s for you then take a listen…green light

Keep with it

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What to say? I listened to this book while being detained in a foreign country with Covid 19. Separated from my family over Christmas I was
low and pensive. This book inspired me, invigorated me and helped me self reflect. MM’s voice became a huge comfort and calmness for me. It allowed me to disregard my anxieties and focus on what I needed to focus on.
Awesome listen, recommended to people willing to listen.

Awesome Listen….

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An interesting life story of Matthew McConaughey, read by himself. Some downers and laughs throughout.

An interesting life story

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I expected fun stories read by a charismatic actor. I got that in spades.

What I also got was a perspective I didn't know i needed. A simple man telling simple, but hard learned truths. It's made me think about myself and where I am. It also made me laugh. You don't always need a high brow philosopher to tell you what's what. Sometimes a beer, a story and a smooth southern accent will serve.

So here's to more green lights.

More than I expected.

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