The Pursuit of Happyness

March 6, 2006
Gardner chronicles his long, painful, ultimately rewarding journey from inner-city Milwaukee to the pinnacle of Wall Street. Born in 1954, he grew up like too many young blacks: poor and fatherless, with a mother strong on children and church, yet soft on men. His violent, hateful stepfather refused to accept Gardner as a stepson and thwarted him at every turn. By his own account, Gardner was a good kid who got into trouble occasionally, but stayed on a steady, upward track. After a stint in the navy, he set his sights on a medical career, but a foray into sales led him to the stock and bond market. Gardner's own weakness was women, and when one of them left him with a son, it led to a period of homelessness on the San Francisco streets. Determination and resourcefulness brought father and son not merely to safety but to the top. Gardner is honest and thorough as he solidly depicts growing up black and male in late 20th-century urban America. His story isn't especially fresh, but his voice is likable, resulting in a quality African-American/business memoir deserving a wider audience than its niche-market elements might suggest. Photos. Ad/promo to coincide with the major motion picture starring Will Smith.

July 10, 2006
Gardner's inspiring rags-to-riches memoir of his transformation from homeless single father to philanthropic owner of a multimillion-dollar brokerage house somehow has less of an impact in audio than on paper. Blake has an excellent, manly voice, perfect intonation and excellent streetwise cursing abilities (a crucial part of Gardner's account of his relationship with his stepfather). Yet as good as the narrator is, by the third CD listeners may not be able to shake the feeling that he's an actor reading someone else's words. Since Gardner's love of jazz is a running theme, the evocative jazz trumpet music at the beginning and end of each CD is appropriate; even more between-tracks music might have been effective where the narrator's pauses are not long or dramatic enough (say, between one sentence where he is with his biological father in Louisiana and the next, at work in his brokerage office). This is a moving story whose audio version might have been better served with more dramatic devices. Simultaneous release with Amistad hardcover. (Reviews, Mar. 6)

October 1, 2006
Gardner was born in Milwaukee in 1954, seemingly with the odds stacked against him. Not knowing his father and living with his mother, horribly abusive stepfather, and assorted half-sisters, he could have easily succumbed to the drugs, violence, and other atrocities available to young African American males. Instead, Gardner was told early on by his mother that he could achieve anything he put his mind to, and so he began setting and achieving his goals. Serving briefly in the navy and initially thinking of a medical career, he eventually settled in San Francisco with the aim of becoming a successful stock broker. Just as his dreams began to materialize, he found himself homeless and the single father of a toddler. The most unique and significant relationship in this memoir is the one between Gardner and his son; he was determined to be the father he never had. "The Pursuit of Happyness" is slated to become a major motion picture, and if the narrative can be tightened and secondary characters sufficiently fleshed out, it should be an interesting film. Andre Blake does a good job conveying Gardner's emotional highs and lows, but he can sometimes be a bit too theatrical. The overall quality of the production is excellent. Recommended for all school and public libraries." Nicole A. Cooke, Montclair State Univ. Lib., NJ"

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.