"Worthy" a memoir by Jada Pinkett Smith...
I was drawn to Jada Pinkett's new memoir, 'Worthy,' for multiple reasons, with one being that she's always been one of my favorite actresses, especially during the 90s. She always struck me as someone who had a big, yet sweet personality and living a great life of doing what she loved to do with a partner in her corner doing the same. Among my favorite movies starring Jada are 'Set It Off,' 'Woo,' 'Jason's Lyric,' 'Menace II Society,' 'Demon Knight' (yes, i went to the movies to see this and still love it), and 'Low Down Dirty Shame' to name a few. As a teenager I remember having pictures of The Smiths from magazine spreads, all on my wall. They gave me more than just married couple vibes, they seemed like best friends just having a good time - and I loved seeing that. Of course this book, along with them being more open about the reality of their partnership has clearly reminded us that no one is perfect. Another reason I picked up her book is simple - she was close friends with Tupac and if you grew up in the 90s then you know how we all felt about Tupac Shakur. Her friendship with Tupac has always been mentioned throughout the years but reading about her actual experiences from when they first met at Baltimore School for the Arts up until the last time she spoke with him (a moment she wishes happened differently) is definitely worth reading. Below I've highlighted a few other moments from her memoir that caught my attention that I found pretty fascinating or suprising....
Being a good friend to Tupac in school - Jada noticed that Tupac would come to school wearing the same clothes and understood that there were serious financial struggles within his home. With Jada now bringing in some money from the streets (that she was keeping a secret from alot of people) she stopped by The Gap specifically to get him some clothes, disguising it as if she just happened to come across a sale as she was shopping for herself so it wouldn't hurt his ego. She said he had the biggest smile on his face.
Meeting and getting to know Afeni - Jada described Afeni as intelligent (of course) and not easily impressed, especially when Jada first introduced herself. She immediately could see where Tupac inherited his passionate spirit.
Kings Dominion and PG County - As a DMV/PG County native, it was nice to read that Jada visited Kings Dominion with Tupac and her family where they made the "Parents Just Don't Understand" music video. If you ever visited Kings Dominion back in the day then you know about the "music videos" you could make with the green screen. I still have mine (Baby, Baby, Baby by TLC). Jada loves to skate and would drive to Temple Hills, MD and visit Crystal's skating ring with friends.
Famous Friends - It was interesting to read about her encounters and friendships with Prince, MC Lyte, Keenan Ivory Wayans, Debbie Allen, Jasmine Guy, Eddie Murphy, Eazy-E, Cesar Milan,....
Meeting Will and Marriage - There's alot to say here (most of which we already know to some degree) but some quick takeaways... in the beginning they were young, in love, and having fun - and moving fast. A random outing with mutual friends at a restaurant turned into 20+ years of marriage. But it was clear that miscommunication or lack thereof was slowly taking them down throughout the years. If you read his book then you can compare and see the faults on both sides. What seems to remain consistent is the friendship they have solidified over the years. I couldn't help but highlight an excerpt that stood out to me during the chapter of her planning the wedding (or trying to): "Putting on a wedding was hugely distracting when I felt we should be focusing on who we needed to be and what was needed for a successful marriage." <-- something I could relate to very well.
I'll stop here because there is so much more to her story including, her battle with severe depression, growing up in Baltimore, her grandmother's influence on respecting other cultures/religions, contemplating suicide, landing major roles, her haunted house (lol), her spiritual journey by embracing different religions, dealing with grief and loss.....and a lingering question... who is "Lance?!?"