The Pursuit of Happyness

I just finished reading a book called "The Pursuit of Happyness." It is an inspirational autobiography by Chris Gardner (with Quincy Troupe). Since the book was written, they have shot a movie starring Will Smith and Thandie Newton. The movie is set to open in December. The story is too incredible to be fiction. If it weren't true, the movie would never have been made, people would have said that it was too unbelievable.

Gardner grew up in a very poor section of Milwaukee. His father abandoned him and his mother was rarely available. When his mother was out of prison, he and his two stepsisters lived with his mom and an abusive stepfather. At other times he bounced between relatives and foster homes. An incredibly brutal upbringing. Yet, he had a firm determination to succeed.

After high school, he joined the Navy and started a promising career in medicine. He moved to San Francisco for a great opportunity in medical research. Shortly after, he became caught in an incredible web of events that left him homeless with an toddler son. Since his father had abandoned him, he was fiercely resolved to not abandon his son, no matter what the circumstances were. Note that in the upcoming movie, Jaden Smith (Will's real life son) will be playing Gardner's son.

He fought his way back and is the founder and CEO of Gardner, Rich and Co., a multimillion-dollar brokerage firm with offices in New York, Chicago and San Francisco. He is an active philanthropist, who gives his time and money to educational and homeless charities. He was also named the Father of the Year by the National Fatherhood Initiative.

Clearly, Gardner is a very intelligent and determined individual. He has accumulated a great deal of money and had made many rich and influential friends. However that is not important to him, he is far more proud of his children and his philanthropic work. Yet Gardner is no saint. He readily admits his errors. Some of the events that led to him being homeless were his own fault. But in the end, these errors led me to admire him more, not less.

I greatly enjoyed reading this book; it is well written and easy to read. It starts a little slowly, but quickly heats up. After starting the book, I was not able to put it down. I spent most of one day devouring the book. I would whole-heartedly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a touching and heart-felt story that is full of hope.