Author Guide · Memoir
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In his memoir, Will Smith describes watching his father hit his mother when he was nine, and feeling like a coward for not protecting her. Will (2021) follows that West Philadelphia boy through the first rap Grammy in 1989, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, a run of blockbusters and a famously public marriage. He wrote it with Mark Manson, the author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, and it was an instant number-one New York Times bestseller. This guide covers his one book: what it is about and where to begin.
By Lisanne Swart · 1 key books · 2021–2021 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Will Smith’s one book for adults is Will (2021), a memoir written with Mark Manson and published by Penguin Press; he also published a children’s picture book, Just the Two of Us (2001). Start with Will, which Smith narrates himself on the audiobook.
Where to Start with Will Smith
If you want his life story
→ Will (2021) — from his childhood to stardom.
If you want the audiobook
→ Will (2021) — read by Smith himself.
Will Smith’s Book
Will
Written with Mark Manson and published by Penguin Press on 9 November 2021. Smith describes his father’s violence towards his mother, then follows his rap career with DJ Jazzy Jeff, his money troubles over unpaid taxes, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, his film career, his marriage to Jada Pinkett Smith and his experiences with ayahuasca. It was an instant number-one New York Times bestseller.
How to Read Will Smith
There is one memoir, told in roughly chronological order. It was published in November 2021, four months before the 2022 Academy Awards, so it does not cover his Oscar for King Richard or what happened on stage that night.
The audiobook is read by Smith himself, which suits a book built on scenes, voices and stories he has told many times on stage and in interviews.
A reading path
1. Will (2021)
2. The audiobook of Will, narrated by Smith
Everything Else Will Smith Published
Beyond the 1 key books: 1 more, grouped by kind.
Open a group with the + to see every book in it.
Children’s books
1
1 book · 2001
- 2001Just the Two of Usa picture book illustrated by Kadir Nelson
The years · 1968–2022
Quick facts about Will Smith
- Known for
- Hip-hop with DJ Jazzy Jeff, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and a string of blockbuster films, from Independence Day to Men in Black
- 1968
- Born in Philadelphia
- 1989
- First rap Grammy, with DJ Jazzy Jeff
- 1990
- The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
- 2021
- Will
- 2022
- Oscar for King Richard
- Born
- 25 September 1968, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Music
- DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince; the first Grammy for rap performance (1989)
- Television
- The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990–1996)
- Film
- Bad Boys, Independence Day, Men in Black, Ali, The Pursuit of Happyness
- Awards
- Academy Award for Best Actor, King Richard (2022)
- Book
- Will (Penguin Press, 2021), with Mark Manson
The red mark is 2021: Will, his memoir.
How Will Smith Writes: Fear as the Through-Line
Will is built around one idea set out at the start: that Smith saw himself as a coward after failing to protect his mother, and that much of what followed, the jokes, the work ethic, the need to win, grew from that.
The co-writer is Mark Manson, a self-help author, and it shows in the structure. Each chapter is a period of Smith’s life and also a lesson he draws from it, about fear, control or love.
The book is frank about his private life, including his relationship with his father, his marriage to Jada Pinkett Smith and his experiences with ayahuasca, while his films mostly appear as milestones in that story.
Watch
Will Smith on Will
Will Smith talks to ABC’s Good Morning America in 2021 about his memoir Will.
Frequently asked questions about Will Smith’s book
How many books has Will Smith written?
Two under his name: the memoir Will (2021), written with Mark Manson, and the children’s picture book Just the Two of Us (2001).
How many books has Will Smith written?
Just the Two of Us (2001), a picture book illustrated by Kadir Nelson, and Will (2021), his memoir.
Where should I start with Will Smith?
With Will (2021), his only book for adults.
What is Will Smith’s most famous book?
Will (2021), an instant number-one New York Times bestseller.
Did Will Smith write Will himself?
It was written with Mark Manson, the author of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, who is credited as co-writer (“with Mark Manson”).
Who narrates the Will audiobook?
Will Smith reads it himself.
Does Will cover the Oscars slap?
No. The book was published in November 2021. At the Academy Awards on 27 March 2022 Smith slapped the presenter Chris Rock on stage, then won Best Actor for King Richard later the same evening. He resigned from the Academy, and on 8 April 2022 the Academy barred him from its events for ten years.
What does Will say about his father?
The book describes his father hitting his mother when Smith was nine and returns to their relationship throughout; Smith writes that as an adult he once thought about killing his father to avenge his mother.
Is Will worth reading if you are not a fan?
The book is organised around his family and his inner life as much as his career, so it does not require knowing his music or films. It contains descriptions of domestic violence.
Footnotes
- Will — Penguin Random House
- Will (Will Smith memoir) — Wikipedia
- Will Smith recalls violent incident from when he was nine — Gulf News
- Will Smith gets 10-year Oscars ban — Al Jazeera
- Just the Two of Us — Kirkus Reviews
Bibliography last verified 9 October 2026. Where sources give different first-publication years, this page uses the year in library catalogues or the publisher’s own record.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
“I’ve always thought of myself as a coward.”
— Will Smith, Will (2021)
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