They resemble the familiar tangents of friends going off-track when recounting last night’s events, the sudden realizations people uncover when they relay past incidents. They make the listening experience fun and exciting because they bring the authenticity of storytelling to the page. In each part, McConaughey interrupts himself with what he calls “bumperstickers” - “lyrics, one-liners, quick hitters, unobtrusive personal preferences that people publicly express” - in addition to snippets from past journal entries and extended soliloquies. “Greenlights” is divided into eight parts, chronologically retelling McConaughey’s life experiences starting from childhood. McConaughey does justice to his book with his gripping recital his talent for storytelling - his gift of gab - is what sets his memoir apart from others and keeps me crawling back. “Greenlights” is sentimental and serious, amusing and clever. I’ve wept through emotional memoirs like Michelle Zauner’s “Crying in H Mart” and Carmen Maria Machado’s “In the Dream House,” and I’ve laughed with celebrities like Issa Rae and Stanley Tucci as they’ve recounted entertaining tales in their respective works, “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl” and “Taste: My Life Through Food.” Yet, though I’ve collected celebrity memoirs like infinity stones, the only one I’ve returned to is McConaughey’s. From Emily Ratajkowski’s “My Body” to Betty White’s “If You Ask Me,” I have crossed out title after title from an extensive spectrum - and nobody does it better than McConaughey. I’ve read numerous celebrity memoirs in my day - they’re my “guilty pleasures,” if you will. It is just McConaughey telling his story and telling it absurdly well at that. There is no ghost writer, there are no unnecessary frills or false philosophical fillers. His writing is unrefined and relaxed, but that’s the point - McConaughey is sharing an intimate look into his life, and he’s doing it faithfully. No, McConaughey is not the next great American novelist. Stepping in shit is inevitable, so let’s either see it as good luck or figure out how to do it less often.”

We hit roadblocks, we fuck up, we get fucked, we get sick, we don’t get what we want, we cross thousands of ‘could have done better’s and ‘wish that wouldn’t have happened’s in life. On paper, the sentences might seem unfinished and lengthy, but it’s because they’re supposed to be spoken: McConaughey’s book is meant to be heard the style of “Greenlights” leans more informal than formal, more personal than professional.

It is crucial - essential - that first-time readers listen to the memoir for the best experience. The charm of “Greenlights” can be fully attributed to McConaughey’s musical southern drawl.

Matthew mcconaughey greenlights