SLICE OF LIFE

Fact is sometimes stranger than fiction – as these memoirs show

WORTHY

By JADA PINKETT SMITH

FOURTH ESTATE

It’s easy to roll your eyes at Jada Pinkett Smith’s memoir. Firstly there’s the title, Worthy – which gives an indication of just how seriously she takes herself.

Jada has admitted she initially wanted it to be called something else but her editor pushed for the title, apparently because the actress uses the word “worthy” a lot.

She kicks off her book about her “journey to selfworth” by recounting how as her marriage to Will Smith unravelled, leaving her at her lowest ebb, the universe “opened doors” for her, giving her the chance to partake in psychedelics and embark on a path of enlightenment and healing.

Good for her that she was able to find comfort, though many readers might feel irritated that after years of Jada and Will fending off rumours that their marriage is in trouble, she finally comes clean in her book, revealing they’ve been separated for seven years.

It leaves you wondering whether you can believe anything either of them says, which isn’t a good feeling to have when you’re embarking on the marathon effort of reading her 405page tome. But if you can get past your cynicism there’s actually a lot to like about Jada’s book.

From growing up in Baltimore, the child of drug addicts and becoming a drug dealer herself, to befriending rapper Tupac Shakur to hustling for her big break in Hollywood, she has led a very eventful life.

Although Jada delves into the disintegration of her marriage, what comes through loud and clear is that she wants people to see her as being far more than “Will’s wife”.

For her it’s about individual growth, the driving need to become stronger and better, and although her willingness to fall down the rabbit hole of every new selfhelp fad can be a tad tiresome, you’ve got to admire her willingness to put in the work.