89 books like Will

By Will Smith, Mark Manson,

Here are 89 books that Will fans have personally recommended if you like Will. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Greenlights

Nicole Vignola Author Of Rewire: Break the Cycle, Alter Your Thoughts and Create Lasting Change

From my list on teach you how to tell your own story.

Why am I passionate about this?

I am a neuroscientist and author who wants to help people break the mold and become the best possible versions of themselves. While working with people, I noticed that many repeated things like "I could never," "I am just wired this way," and “I am not good enough.” Even worse, they're holding onto a statement that was said to them in their formative years, which has dictated their trajectory as peopleI want you to know that your brains can change…at any age! You can exhume your best traits and break the cycle of the habits and behaviors holding you back.

Nicole's book list on teach you how to tell your own story

Nicole Vignola Why did Nicole love this book?

This might seem like a random suggestion, but I read this book in two days. It opened my eyes to living a joyful life full of greenlights. A greenlight is being kind to our future selves. Seeing the things in our lives confirms we’re on the right path.

I loved it because it really helps you listen to your intuition and connect your heart and your head without fear of judgment.

By Matthew McConaughey,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Greenlights as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

From the Academy Award (R)-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 fifty years, been trying to work out its riddle for forty-two, and been keeping diaries of clues to that riddle for the last thirty-five. 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.…


Book cover of Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir

David Winkler Author Of The Arrangement: A Love Story

From my list on emotionally available male celebrities.

Why am I passionate about this?

I started reading and listening to memoirs in preparation for writing my own, and they inspired me to be honest and vulnerable about my story in ways that helped me overcome sexual shame. I lived a fascinating lifestyle as a sugar daddy for a few years, but talking about it was scary as hell. Reading other men who admitted their fears and failings gave me the courage to be radically honest and lay it all out there. Writing the book was cathartic in ways decades of therapy failed!

David's book list on emotionally available male celebrities

David Winkler Why did David love this book?

I read Matthew Perry’s memoir only a month before his tragic death and was so moved by his honesty and vulnerability to every personal fear and failure.

I imagine reading it now would be a little more difficult, but it still stands as a powerful look inward at ambition, addiction, and fear of failure. 

By Matthew Perry,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
#1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

The BELOVED STAR OF FRIENDS takes us behind the scenes of the hit sitcom and his struggles with addiction in this “CANDID, DARKLY FUNNY...POIGNANT” memoir (The New York Times)

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK by Time, Associated Press, Goodreads, USA Today, and more!

“Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty.”

So begins the riveting story of acclaimed actor Matthew Perry, taking us along on his journey from childhood ambition to fame to addiction and recovery in the aftermath of a life-threatening…


Book cover of Like a Rolling Stone: A Memoir

David Winkler Author Of The Arrangement: A Love Story

From my list on emotionally available male celebrities.

Why am I passionate about this?

I started reading and listening to memoirs in preparation for writing my own, and they inspired me to be honest and vulnerable about my story in ways that helped me overcome sexual shame. I lived a fascinating lifestyle as a sugar daddy for a few years, but talking about it was scary as hell. Reading other men who admitted their fears and failings gave me the courage to be radically honest and lay it all out there. Writing the book was cathartic in ways decades of therapy failed!

David's book list on emotionally available male celebrities

David Winkler Why did David love this book?

As the founder of Rolling Stone magazine, Jann recounts decades of being at the forefront of musical, film, and political history.

But it’s his personal admissions of his arrogance and, most importantly, decades of being in the closet as a gay man that make reading or listening to this absolutely fascinating.

By Jann S. Wenner,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Like a Rolling Stone as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this New York Times bestseller, Rolling Stone founder, co-editor, and publisher Jann Wenner offers a "touchingly honest" and "wonderfully deep" memoir from the beating heart of classic rock and roll (Bruce Springsteen).

Jann Wenner has been called by his peers “the greatest editor of his generation.”

His deeply personal memoir vividly describes and brings you inside the music, the politics, and the lifestyle of a generation, an epoch of cultural change that swept America and beyond. The age of rock and roll in an era of consequence, what will be considered one of the great watersheds in modern history.…


Book cover of Who Is Michael Ovitz?

David Winkler Author Of The Arrangement: A Love Story

From my list on emotionally available male celebrities.

Why am I passionate about this?

I started reading and listening to memoirs in preparation for writing my own, and they inspired me to be honest and vulnerable about my story in ways that helped me overcome sexual shame. I lived a fascinating lifestyle as a sugar daddy for a few years, but talking about it was scary as hell. Reading other men who admitted their fears and failings gave me the courage to be radically honest and lay it all out there. Writing the book was cathartic in ways decades of therapy failed!

David's book list on emotionally available male celebrities

David Winkler Why did David love this book?

Though Mister Ovitz might not be as famous as the others whose books I suggested, as the power broker who ran the Hollywood talent agency CAA from the 1980s through 2000, Mister Ovitz’s admission of how he mowed down the competition in order to build actors like Tom Cruise into mega stars is surprisingly vulnerable and inspiring.

By Michael Ovitz,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Who Is Michael Ovitz? as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

If you're going to read one book about Hollywood, this is the one.

As co-founder of Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Michael Ovitz earned a reputation for ruthless negotiation, brilliant strategy and fierce loyalty to his clients. He reinvented the role of the agent and helped shape the careers of hundreds of A-list stars and directors, including Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep, Sean Connery, Steven Seagal, Bill Murray, Robin Williams and David Letterman.

But this personal history is much more than celebrity friendships and bare-knuckled deal-making. It's an underdog's story: How did a kid with no connections work his way…


Book cover of The Come Up: An Oral History of the Rise of Hip-Hop

Sowmya Krishnamurthy Author Of Fashion Killa: How Hip-Hop Revolutionized High Fashion

From my list on learning about hip-hop.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve loved hip-hop since, as Biggie Smalls would say, “the public school era.” For over 10 years, I’ve been a journalist and on-air host covering all facets of hip-hop from breaking emerging acts to interviewing superstars. Fashion Killa: How Hip-Hop Revolutionized High Fashion is my first book and the culmination of my expertise in fashion and pop culture. These books served as the bedrock for me—as inspiration, research, and motivation—and one day, I hope that my book will do the same for the next writer.

Sowmya's book list on learning about hip-hop

Sowmya Krishnamurthy Why did Sowmya love this book?

For most of us, we’re fans of hip-hop but there’s something special hearing the story of hip-hop from the people who were actually there.

I grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan but The Come Up takes me straight to the streets of New York City, Los Angeles, and beyond. The book draws on more than 300 interviews over three years including some of the originators of hip-hop including Grandmaster Caz, Run-D.M.C., Kool Moe Dee, and Ice Cube.

The vivid voices trace hip-hop’s history and offer insider access—whether you were there or just wish you were—to what really went on behind the scenes.

By Jonathan Abrams,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Come Up as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The music that would come to be known as hip-hop was born at a party in the Bronx in the summer of 1973. Now, fifty years later, it's the most popular music genre in America. Just as jazz did in the first half of the twentieth century, hip-hop and its groundbreaking DJs and artists-nearly all of them people of colour from some of America's most overlooked communities-pushed the boundaries of music to new frontiers, while transfixing the country's youth and reshaping fashion, art, and even language.

And yet, the stories of many hip-hop pioneers and their individual contributions in the…


Book cover of It's All In Your Head

Juwan Rohan Author Of Money Talks: The Beginners Guide To Investing For Kids

From my list on for children to learn financial literacy.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm very passionate about teaching children's financial literacy and business because with social media, it's easy for children to get caught up in the flashy and shiny materialist things. I like to teach kids about business and how to use the mistakes in business to scale and grow. I have expertise in this area as I've written three books, taught financial literacy & business at schools, and own a few different businesses. After I graduated college, I was thrown into the 'real world' with a good job and learned my lessons the hard way by spending too much money on things that did not matter. Hence my passion to want to help The Misguided.

Juwan's book list on for children to learn financial literacy

Juwan Rohan Why did Juwan love this book?

This is another great recommendation for older kids.

This book focuses on the drive to want to be better and the mindset that may be holding us back. I really enjoyed this book and although it is not geared towards financial literacy, it's geared towards the mindset and actions that can lead your child to want to be better with their finances.

By Russ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked It's All In Your Head as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Instant National Bestseller! Wall Street Journal bestseller; USA Today bestseller; Publishers Weekly bestseller; international bestseller.

An inspirational book by self-made musical superstar, Russ, reminding you that it starts with YOU, to believe in yourself, and to get out of your own way.

Twenty-seven-year-old rapper, songwriter, and producer Russ walks his own path, at his own pace. By doing so, he proved that he didn't need a major label to surpass over a billion streams on Spotify/Apple Music, get on Forbes' 2019 "30 Under 30," make the Forbes' "30 Under 30 Cash Kings" at number 20 for most earned, sell out…


Book cover of Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest

Aaron Carnes Author Of In Defense of Ska: The Ska Now More Than Ever Edition

From my list on music books with a unique twist.

Why am I passionate about this?

I love music books and annoy my wife with how many I consume per month. (She wants me to read fiction. Pish-posh.) The ones that play with format and provide multiple viewpoints are my favorites. I became a music journalist after spending my teenage years in a ska band; that alone taught me that music is complex, ever-evolving, and the technical is intrinsically tied to the personal. I approached my book with the same acknowledgment of diverse opinions and fierce emotional connection. I have devoted my life to loving and playing ska, and it seemed to be the only genre lacking a defender. The defender turned out to be me. 

Aaron's book list on music books with a unique twist

Aaron Carnes Why did Aaron love this book?

I could easily recommend five Hanif Abdurraqib books. Still, I chose this one because his writing in this book is profoundly personal and emotional, revealing how his connection to their music helped him understand his identity and place in the world.

I found myself relating to his thought processes and relationship with music, especially because music helps me express all my hard-to-put-to-word feelings. Abdurraqib relays his love for Tribe with such poetic grace. I was already a fan of Tribe before reading the book. Now, I get choked up when I listen to some of their songs. Music is transformative. 

By Hanif Abdurraqib,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Go Ahead in the Rain as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A New York Times Best Seller
2019 National Book Award Longlist, Nonfiction
2019 Kirkus Book Prize Finalist, Nonfiction
A February IndieNext Pick
Named A Most Anticipated Book of 2019 by Buzzfeed, Nylon, The A. V. Club, CBC Books, and The Rumpus, and a Winter's Most Anticipated Book by Vanity Fair and The Week
Starred Reviews: Kirkus and Booklist
"Warm, immediate and intensely personal."-New York Times

How does one pay homage to A Tribe Called Quest? The seminal rap group brought jazz into the genre, resurrecting timeless rhythms to create masterpieces such as The Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders. Seventeen…


Book cover of Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop

Sowmya Krishnamurthy Author Of Fashion Killa: How Hip-Hop Revolutionized High Fashion

From my list on learning about hip-hop.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve loved hip-hop since, as Biggie Smalls would say, “the public school era.” For over 10 years, I’ve been a journalist and on-air host covering all facets of hip-hop from breaking emerging acts to interviewing superstars. Fashion Killa: How Hip-Hop Revolutionized High Fashion is my first book and the culmination of my expertise in fashion and pop culture. These books served as the bedrock for me—as inspiration, research, and motivation—and one day, I hope that my book will do the same for the next writer.

Sowmya's book list on learning about hip-hop

Sowmya Krishnamurthy Why did Sowmya love this book?

There’s a saying in hip-hop to always “trust the shooter”, a nod to the importance of photographers in capturing the moment.

Contact High goes behind the lens and celebrates the photographers who contributed to the visual evolution of hip-hop. This is one of the best coffee table hip-hop books and goes beyond just pretty pictures. By using contact sheets, readers get a rare insider view of the creative process and a deep appreciation for the power of photography.

By Vikki Tobak,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Contact High as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

ONE OF AMAZON'S BEST ART & PHOTOGRAPHY BOOKS 0F 2018
AN NPR AND PITCHFORK BEST MUSIC BOOK OF 2018 PICK
ONE OF TIME'S 25 BEST PHOTOBOOKS OF 2018
NEW YORK TIMES, ASSOCIATED PRESS, WALLSTREET JOURNAL, ROLLING STONE, AND CHICAGO SUN HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE PICK

The perfect gift for music and photography fans, an inside look at the work of hip-hop photographers told through their most intimate diaries—their contact sheets.

Featuring rare outtakes from over 100 photoshoots alongside interviews and essays from industry legends, Contact High: A Visual History of Hip-Hop takes readers on a chronological journey from old-school to alternative…


Book cover of American Royalty

LaQuette Author Of Vanessa Jared's Got a Man

From my list on rom-coms with diverse characters living their best lives.

Why am I passionate about this?

I write sexy, stylish, and sensational romance. That means I write sentimental and steamy stories (like Hallmark movies, but with a lot of sex) featuring at least one main character who always keeps it cute. I’m a Brooklyn native who writes unapologetically bold, character-driven stories. My novels feature diverse ensemble casts who are confident in their right to appear on the page. My work has been featured in Entertainment Weekly, O-Magazine, and the Library Journal. If I’m not writing, I am probably trying on or looking for my next great makeup find.

LaQuette's book list on rom-coms with diverse characters living their best lives

LaQuette Why did LaQuette love this book?

Duchess is a female rapper who’s worked hard to get to the top of her game. As a rapper, she’s reached the pinnacle of her success. As a skincare entrepreneur, she’s almost at the precipice of realizing her dreams when bad press caused by an unscrupulous adversary in the entertainment industry nearly topples her ambitions. An invitation to a charity performance for the Queen of England’s late consort is exactly what Duchess needs to erase the bad PR. At least she thinks this is a good idea until she meets and ends up having to stay with Prince Jameson, the patron of the charity events. Instant sparks fly, but as a member of the Royal family, Jameson’s life is entirely mapped out for him, and that doesn’t include falling for a savvy and outspoken Black rapper. The scandal could ruin them both if word of their relationship gets out.

Funny,…

By Tracey Livesay,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked American Royalty as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

In this dangerously sexy rom-com that evokes the real-life romance between Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan Markle, a prince who wants to live out of the spotlight falls for a daring American rapper who turns his life, and the palace, upside down.

Sexy, driven rapper Danielle "Duchess" Nelson is on the verge of signing a deal that'll make her one of the richest women in hip hop. More importantly, it'll grant her control over her life, something she's craved for years. But an incident with a rising pop star has gone viral, unfairly putting her deal in jeopardy. Concerned about…


Book cover of The Last Black Unicorn

Kim O'Hara Author Of No Longer Denying Sexual Abuse: Making The Choices That Can Change Your Life

From my list on abuse survivors speaking candidly.

Why am I passionate about this?

Abuse as a buzzword is so broad and big. Our stories are so unique in how we were neglected, abused, abandoned, not seen, beaten, or sexually molested, but what also differs is what area of our lives it affects. For some of us, it's our bodies and food. For others of us, it's addiction to drugs and alcohol. And then there is promiscuity or sexual isolation. As a survivor myself, and having written a book that covers how denial was my go-to in my abuse history, I'm always fascinated by the human’s desire to persevere and be resilient. As a survivor, I want to be part of opening the conversation about abuse up louder.

Kim's book list on abuse survivors speaking candidly

Kim O'Hara Why did Kim love this book?

Just when I said I wasn’t that interested in the lives of famous people, this book from hilarious and raunchy comedian Haddish came up on my reading list. Shock is an understatement when you read about the poverty and violence from which Haddish resurrects herself from. She doesn’t tell anyone about the abuse from which she emerges triumphant, to where you think perhaps this book is truly the expose of her truth. She plays her cards smart in her career, never sleeping around or downplaying her talents, even when homeless and unsure where her next paycheck will come from. She shows the reader that if your dream is big enough, you can come from hell and still step back up.

By Tiffany Haddish,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Last Black Unicorn as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

From stand-up comedian, actress, and breakout star of Girls Trip, Tiffany Haddish, comes The Last Black Unicorn, a sidesplitting, hysterical, edgy, and unflinching collection of (extremely) personal essays, as fearless as the author herself.

Growing up in one of the poorest neighborhoods of South Central Los Angeles, Tiffany learned to survive by making people laugh. If she could do that, then her classmates would let her copy their homework, the other foster kids she lived with wouldn't beat her up, and she might even get a boyfriend. Or at least she could make enough money-as the…


Book cover of Greenlights
Book cover of Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir
Book cover of Like a Rolling Stone: A Memoir

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