I Can't Make This Up: Life Lessons

By Kevin Hart and Neil Strauss

Superstar comedian and Hollywood box office star Kevin Hart turns his immense talent to the written word by writing some words. Some of those words include: the, a, for, above, and even even. Put them together and you have the funniest, most heartfelt, and most inspirational memoir on survival, success, and the importance of believing in yourself since Old Yeller.

It begins in North Philadelphia. He was born an accident, unwanted by his parents. His father was a drug addict who was in and out of jail. His brother was a crack dealer and petty thief. And his mother was overwhelmingly strict, beating him with belts, frying pans, and his own toys. The odds, in short, were stacked against our young hero, just like the odds that are stacked against the release of a new book in this era of social media (where Hart has a following of over 100 million, by the way). But Kevin Hart, like Ernest Hemingway, JK Rowling, and Chocolate Droppa before him, was able to defy the odds and turn it around. In his literary debut, he takes the reader on a journey through what his life was, what it is now, and how he's overcome each challenge to become the man he is today.

And that man happens to be the biggest comedian in the world, with tours that sell out football stadiums and films that have collectively grossed over $3.5 billion. He achieved this not just through hard work, determination, and talent: It was through his unique way of looking at the world.

Because just like a book has chapters, Hart sees life as a collection of chapters that each person gets to write for himself or herself. "Not only do you get to choose how you interpret each chapter, but your interpretation writes the next chapter," he says. "So why not choose the interpretation that serves your life the best?"

Candid, wickedly funny, and unforgettable, I Can't Make This Up is more than a memoir. It is a training manual designed to teach you a positive, drama-free outlook on life and code of conduct that will serve you, serve others, and serve your biggest, boldest dreams.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Release date: Jun 6, 2017
• ISBN: 9781471168680

Kevin Hart

Kevin Hart is an Anglo-Australian theologian, philosopher and poet. He is currently Edwin B. Kyle Professor of Christian Studies and Chair of the Religious Studies Department at the University of Virginia. He has received multiple awards for his poetry, including the Christopher Brennan Award and the Grace Leven Prize for Poetry twice. He teaches at the University of Virginia and is the author of nine volumes of poetry, including Young Rain (University of Notre Dame Press, 2009).

Reviews for I Can't Make This Up

[hillcl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book. It was honest, open, and FUNNY with life lessons for all of us.

[jewel.barnett · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is funnier than some of Kevin Hart's standup. I really admire Kevin Hart's character and how he is real with everyone. This book is not only funny, but offers great points on how to evolve as a person(for the better).

[Alek · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book!! Funny, wise and inspirational! Recommend it to everyone.

[Doris Ike · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book I must commend!!!the most original and unfiltered tell it all book I have ever read.i have so much respect for Kevin Hart as he tells the stories of his struggles and rise to success.Its a book I sure would recommend to my family and friends to read.It tells a story of persistence,struggle and consistency.Those are really words to live by!!!

[d-fbuser-444559801 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The best book I've read so far. It's hilarious,encouraging, takes you down watery eyes lane and picks you back up again.

[Pauline Kyama · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Amazing! keeps it real! an inspiring journey of success... and the importance of good old hard work and being nice...

[charrlygirl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

4.5/5 stars!

I recently saw most of the film THE UPSIDE, starring Bryan Cranston, Kevin Hart and Nicole Kidman. I missed a little of the beginning but I watched and enjoyed the rest. I was surprised by how much I felt for Kevin Hart in the film, because I'd previously only seen him in commercials or very short comedic bits and he got on my nerves, to be honest.

In this book he tells the story of his life, his successes and failures, his positive and negative points, his love for his mom and family, and his willingness to work hard and get it done. It was not all fun and games, because a fair amount of the time he and his first wife were constantly fighting, (he was cheating, she might have been), and so on.

What impressed me the most was his ability to shrug things off and stay positive and I'm going to try to take that ability and incorporate it into my life.

This was hilarious and informative and fun to listen to, if maybe just a tad too long.

Highly recommended, especially to those who love to listen to the memoirs of comedians.

*I purchased this audiobook from Audible with my hard earned cash.*

[syeu715 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was not expecting to like this book as much as I did. Often, I would catch myself laughing out loud very loudly, even in front of a crowd... which is very unlike me. But it couldn't be helped. Hart's sense of humor kept me entertained throughout the whole book and left me constantly wondering what happened next. And at the same time, I found myself underlining many sentences and passages, as I felt his experiences offered many morsels of wisdom that were applicable to my life. His story is one that I can really relate to-- especially at this juncture in my life. Like him, I found a passion that I am pursuing wholeheartedly, and his dedication and persistence are things I found truly inspiring to my dreams. Hart is a hard worker and doesn't ever take no for an answer, and I have learned so much from his sharing of his life. I love this book very much and think everyone will have a good time reading it.

[rdra1962 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

REVISED! See Note Below!

Funny and interesting book, surprisingly well written for a celeb. piece. The story of Hart's childhood, family, slow and bumpy rise to fame and more. The best part of this book are Hart's "words of wisdom/life lessons" which are insightful, cautionary and inspiring.

This is the book to pass on to your (teen ) kids/friends who are not huge readers. It is a quick, easy read that will actually teach them some valuable lessons, give insight into the rich flashy stars they admire, talk about commitment, hard work, friendship, family values etc in a funny, easily digested manner. In my family the book is being passed around to all the adults, my older teens, my younger (12/15) nephews and their are multiple friends on the waiting list! Good thing we have 2 copies!

**NOTE: In light of recent revelations that Hart has admitted to once again cheating on his wife, I take back my recommendation to pass this on to teens! If you do share the book, be prepared to have a chat about this issue and his failure to learn from his mistakes, despite the hurt he has inflicted on now 2 wives, as well as his children.

[narilka · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Every experience is a potential life lesson. Even if you don’t appreciate it at the time, each struggle in the present is preparing you for something else in the future.Going into this I really didn't know that much about Kevin Hart. I'd seen him in a few movies (he's hilarious in Jumanji) and I knew he was a stand up comedian though I've not caught any of his shows. I noticed his book was getting some great reviews so I figured why not? I am so glad I gave it a shot.I Can't Make This Up is a memoir about Kevin Hart's life and how he worked to make it big in the entertainment industry. He covers everything from his childhood, family, friends, career and the many mistakes he's made along the way. The story is told with a lot of humor, as you'd expect from a comedian, brutal honesty and a lot of heart (pun intended). Kevin's life philosophy is surprisingly uplifting and positive. The unique way he looks at the world is what has allowed him to grow from highly negative circumstances and learn from all of life's experiences to keep growing personally and professionally in the face of both adversity and success. Yes, success has it's own challenges too. It's a great message, one that applies to anyone in any walk of life not just those trying to make it in the entertainment business.I listened to the audio book narrated by the author. I'm starting to think this is the way to go with memoirs when it's possible. His delivery can't be beat and he added so many funny little asides that were not part of the book itself that you would miss by reading the book the traditional way.

[nicolewbrown · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Kevin Hart was what could be called an "oops baby". He was born in Philadelphia and had an older brother Kenneth and many half brothers that his dad had with the women he slept around with while with his mom and after the two divorced. His parents argued a lot and his mom could be found chasing his dad with a knife. His dad was also a thief and would wind up on crack doing things worthy of being chased about with a knife.HIs mom worked hard and believed in education. She went easy on Kenneth and he wound up getting a hold of some drugs to sell until she flushed them and beat him about the head to let him know that wasn't acceptable. He was just trying to find a way to make money for the household. He would try again by stealing a woman's purse and she'd turn him into the police. The judge gave him the option of jail or the military and he chose the military.To save Kevin she made him a rigid schedule of school and then after school activities such as swimming and then basketball. But if there was time between the activities and when she got home she paid an older woman in the neighborhood to watch over him. This afforded him some freedom as he got to play around in her basement pretending to clean it while he actually looked at old Playboys and made a fort. This would continue into high school when he would invite girls to come hang out in the backyard where he was raking leaves or some such and instead was fooling around with them. While he loved basketball he hated swimming and never really tried to win at it. Academically he wasn't very good. He just hated to memorize facts and spit them out for a test. He blew the SAT off and found himself without a hope for a four-year college.His mom got him into a community college but nothing had really changed for him. He still hated school and he didn't try there either. When he dropped out he did so with a job already lined up selling shoes at a sports store. His mom wasn't happy but he told her this was until he could figure out what he wanted to do with his life. She let him stay with her as long as he was working on figuring that out. The rule had been: go to college or leave my house. But she saw that he was working on a plan for his life and she trusted him. And one day it came to him. He was going to work for Nike as a sales rep.Then while working there he would make his co-workers laugh or the customers laugh and one day one of his co-workers said he should try stand up. It had never occurred to him. So he did. He went to Laff House on an amateur night and he was given five minutes to do his material and he ran through it in like three and a half and had to improvise the next minute and a half. But he got laughs from the stage and he was hooked. He came back two more times and then they decided to hold a cash contest for best comedian and he won. He also won the next five times the held it. Now he really knew what he wanted to do with his life and it wasn't selling shoes. Soon he had to make a decision: go to gigs booked by Tue Rae Gordon the Laff House host who was willing to help him out or keep selling shoes and give up on comedy. He gave his notice to the store. His mother was another matter.It was at the community college that he met Torrei the on again off again love that would last twelve years. It was one of those romances that are as hot outside of the bed fighting as it is inside of the bed. We've all had a crazy romance and this one was Kevin's. It was just one that became so comfortable that it became hard to let go. Also, children would be involved which made it harder. She didn't understand why he had to go out all the time and go to New York when he wasn't even going on stage. She didn't get his networking or his studying of other comics. She thought he was up there sleeping with other women. And as things became strained between them and they broke things off and on they both slept with other people making their relationship very tempestuous.Kevin's career was going well and at age twenty-three he looked to be going to make it big but the movie that he agreed to make was Soul Plane which came off the heels of his TV show getting canceled. He was box office poison. It would take many years for him to be able to rebuild his career. But he believed in himself and he had a plan: become too big for Hollywood to ignore. His mom taught him to work hard with her tight schedules and his dad taught him to shrug things off (once his dad was hit by a man with an ax and just acted like it was nothing). He holds to being nice to people and that the fun guy always wins in the end. This is a great book sneakily filled with life lessons that you can learn taken from his life. It's hilarious and insightful and inspirational. I've been a fan for years and it was wonderful to catch a look at the man who has made me laugh so hard and smile so much.QuotesAcceptance is a drug as powerful as crack.-Kevin Hart (I’m Not Making This Up: Life Lessons p 117)In most action movies, one person rises out of humble beginnings to discover that they have been chosen by destiny to save the world. But that’s not how it works in real life. You rise out of your humble beginnings to become part of a community, and it is only together and as equals that we will save the earth.-Kevin Hart (I’m Not Making This Up: Life Lessons p 184)

[teezie-968389 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It was a good read. Felt like he was taking to me. Real down to earth.