“Greenlights” Matthew McConaughey Book Review

By Ashton Slaughter

(Photo taken by Ashton Slaughter)

All throughout my years as an elementary school student, I was more often than not found with a book in my hands. Fast forward to my senior year of high school, I don’t read near as often as that adolescent child— for no reason in particular, I just don’t. With that being said, I need to find real interest in a book if I want to read it. It has to be a compelling subject, interesting story, book adaptation of a film/show, or a book written about or by a person I find interesting. In that last point, who is more interesting than Matthew McConaughey? One of Hollywood’s top actors, a man who is an Academy Award winning actor, a diehard Texas Longhorn fan, father of three and has starred in everything from rom-coms to detective shows.

(Photo from CBS News)

This book reflects on the past fifty (at the time) years of his life, as he has journaled for thirty-five of those years. Those entries are used all throughout the book, which is more of a memoir than anything else. These journal entries are used for reflecting on past stories, pictures, poems or writings McConaughey wrote over the years, etc.

From the start, the book is very… McConaughey: it’s authentic and true-to-self, just like the movie star. Stories about family fights, staying with a strange family in Australia, “RV’ing” across the U.S. and auditioning for roles he wasn’t initially trying for, but received, are all in the book. These personal stories give you a glimpse into what drives the actor, along with what he’s experienced in his adventurous life. 

One of my favorite parts of the book is when McConaughey tells the reader about the audition process for “Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation”. Originally, it was a one day job. All he had to do was ride up on a motorcycle to Renée Zellweger a couple of times, and that was that. Before the shoot, McConaughey met with the director to give him a few names of people he believed would fit the main role of Vilmer Slaughter, the mechanical-legged killer. Matthew gave a few names, then he walked out to the U-Haul which had all of his possessions packed before he went off to Hollywood to fully pursue acting. A thought then came to his head: “Why don’t I try out for the role of Vilmer?” writes McConaughey, before re-entering the building and telling the director he wanted to audition for the main role. Using the secretary as his scene partner and an oversized spoon he found in the kitchen, he auditioned for the role… and got it.

(Photo from Amazon)

This book teaches many lessons from the ever-so-evolving brain of McConaughey. The main theme of the book revolves around the term “greenlights,” relating it to when to proceed and go on in life, when to be cautious or when to stop, as if hitting a yellow or red light. As McConaughey puts it, “This is a book about how to catch more yes’s in a world of no’s and how to recognize when a no might actually be a yes. This is a book about catching greenlights and realizing that the yellows and reds eventually turn green.” 

This book made me laugh, think and reflect on my own past experiences. Since he’s such a relatable guy (other than the millionaire and Oscar-winning actor part), you read this “memoir” of sorts, and can see yourself in his wild and carefree teenage years.  I would recommend this book to just about anyone and everyone, McConaughey fan or not. It is easily one of my favorite reads, and I will for sure revisit it down the line.

Official Review: “Greenlights” by Matthew McConaughey rating: 10/10 (certified greenlight)