I Can’t Make This Up By Kevin Hart Book Review — Tosin Majekodunmi
Before reviewing the book, I might need to apologize to Kevin Hart or to whosoever read my thoughts and skepticism in finding the book insightful.
I recall vividly not voting for this book because I thought Kevin Hart and writing a book is a no-no. It is like two parallel lines that can never meet. I am of the opinion that he is good with stand-up comedy and acting. However, reading a book from Kevin Hart is a bit asking for too much. I was scared for him (about pulling this off successfully) because I assumed any book by Kevin Hart would be a waste of time.
Having given you an intro, I want to believe you won’t think I have overdone it when I appraise this book positively. The fact still remains not to judge a book by its cover. I had judged Kevin; however, I was met with a beautiful surprise.
I have to mention Neil Strauss too, the author of eight New York Times bestseller. He did a beautiful job with this book. Everything written in the book reflected Kevin. One could have thought Kevin merely dictated to him. He is good at his work and this is shown in the pages of this book and others he authored.
THE BOOK
Have you ever imagined Kevin’s personality? Or his personality as portrayed in movies? That was what stared at us in the pages of this book. More than seeing the funny young man Kevin, we saw where he came from, how he grew up, his convictions, his successes seducing us, his failures and doggedness to succeed. These taught us life lessons.
HIS BIRTH
There are lessons to learn from his birth, the neighbourhood he grew up in and the contradictory characters of his parents. Kevin said his birth was an accident. Neither his father nor his mother planned on having him, but they sure accommodated him, especially his mother.
As major a factor one would have considered this to be, Kevin decided to learn from this. How you view yourself determines how far you will go. You can learn from it and use same as a catalyst to have your dream come true or chose otherwise. Here’s a relative a quote from the book
“Life is a story. It’s full of chapters. And the beauty of life is that not only do you get to choose how you interpret each chapter, but your interpretation writes the next chapter.”
GROWING UP
Kevin was from a humble background and grew up in a neighbourhood where drugs and stealing were dominant. His mother instilled in him discipline and ensured he was always busy. I believe his mother firmly believed that “an idle man or teenager is the devil’s workshop”. Kevin’s main desire growing up was to have his freedom and do as he pleases.
AS A YOUNG ADULT
In Kevin’s sole desire to embrace freedom from his mother and her dreams, he lost some opportunities. I need to mention here the dumb idea he came up with to writing SAT exam. If the idea had ended in his head, it would not have been this amusing but that he expected to ace the examination. Of course, Kevin failed the exam and we could easily have excused his failure. However, when he made the effort to pass by preparing for the exams, he ended up failing also. I am therefore slow to conclude that Kevin is book smart.
HIS DECISIONS
I believe real growth comes with responsibility and when embraced, it stretches you. At the point when college was not working out for Kevin, his mother reminded him of her promise that he was free to do as he pleased at age 18. Kevin and his likable personality got him a job at the sneakers shop where he put into use the lessons his mother taught him; hard work and the ability to work long hours, especially. He was used to living a scheduled type of life also known as life around the clock. This has finally become a way of life for Kevin and the good news about this was that it created a big path to the bigger picture for Kevin.
HIS CHALLENGES
We saw how Kevin worked hard as a stand-up comedian. It didn’t come easy. Kevin has a teachable spirit. He was dutiful to his mentor and stayed with him even when he was tempted to do otherwise. We read about his first breakthrough in the Hollywood and his challenges afterward. When Hollywood stretched its arms towards Kevin, he didn’t give up on his first love (stand-up comedy) and when Hollywood closed its door of opportunities, Kevin did not give up. Instead, he intensified his efforts and worked hard-er.
We saw from this wonderful book the importance of hard work, not giving up on one’s dreams even when others didn’t believe in those dreams, we saw that opportunities meet with those who are prepared and ready. We saw the importance of learning. It does not necessarily have to do with the four walls of school, but learning is important for growth. The final breakthrough came and little efforts that might look unseen and uncounted worked its magic for Kevin. He used his disadvantages to his advantage. Knowing what purpose is is important but finding one’s purpose and living for it makes the difference.
We also learned about the importance of family, purpose, and spending wisely.
RECOMMENDATION
I will recommend this book to young adults for it teaches us to chase our dreams without fear. The book is worth every penny spent to get the book and even more. It is not a waste of time. It is funny and most importantly, filled with life lessons.
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