50 Books like If Chins Could Kill

Rebel Without a Crew, or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker with $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player

by Robert Rodríguez • 1995

$7,000, no crew: a 23-year-old's diary of shooting a feature in Mexico and breaking into Hollywood.

4.19

6k+

🎬 Independent Filmmaking 📹 Guerilla Filmmaking 🔗 Creative Constraints 💰 Bootstrapping 📚 Self-Education

Rebel Without a Crew, or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker with $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player Summary

Rebel Without a Crew, or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker with $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player 96%

$7,000, no crew: a 23-year-old's diary of shooting a feature in Mexico and breaking into Hollywood.

by Robert Rodríguez 1995

4.19

6k+ ratings

🎬 Independent Filmmaking 📹 Guerilla Filmmaking 🔗 Creative Constraints 💰 Bootstrapping 📚 Self-Education

Silver Screen Fiend

by Patton Oswalt • 2015

A comedian’s movie-a-night obsession was his film school. The theater owner’s question ended it.

3.62

8k+

🎤 Stand-Up Comedy 🎭 Comedian Memoirs ⚠️ Addiction Memoirs 💡 Creative Ambition 🎪 Alternative Comedy

Silver Screen Fiend 94%

A comedian’s movie-a-night obsession was his film school. The theater owner’s question ended it.

by Patton Oswalt 2015

3.62

8k+ ratings

🎤 Stand-Up Comedy 🎭 Comedian Memoirs ⚠️ Addiction Memoirs 💡 Creative Ambition 🎪 Alternative Comedy

Guns & Thighs

by Ram Gopal Varma • 2015

His hits were accidental. His flops were deliberate. A Bollywood director's argument for failure.

3.68

871

🇮🇳 Indian Cinema 🎬 Filmmaking Memoir 💥 Artistic Failure 💡 Creative Process 🎞️ Film Philosophy

Guns & Thighs 93%

His hits were accidental. His flops were deliberate. A Bollywood director's argument for failure.

by Ram Gopal Varma 2015

3.68

871 ratings

🇮🇳 Indian Cinema 🎬 Filmmaking Memoir 💥 Artistic Failure 💡 Creative Process 🎞️ Film Philosophy

The Princess Diarist

by Carrie Fisher • 2016

She was nineteen, he was a married star. The diaries Carrie Fisher kept on the Star Wars set.

3.70

92k+

🎬 Hollywood Memoir 😂 Comic Memoir 🌟 Fame And Identity 🎭 Behind The Scenes 📝 Diary Memoir

The Princess Diarist 93%

She was nineteen, he was a married star. The diaries Carrie Fisher kept on the Star Wars set.

by Carrie Fisher 2016

3.70

92k+ ratings

🎬 Hollywood Memoir 😂 Comic Memoir 🌟 Fame And Identity 🎭 Behind The Scenes 📝 Diary Memoir

Miss May Does Not Exist

by Carrie Courogen • 2024

Forty dollars, one audition: American comedy changed forever. Then Elaine May decided to disappear.

3.83

777

🎬 Hollywood History 🎭 Comedy History 🎥 Women Directors 🎪 Improvisation 🤝 Creative Partnerships

Miss May Does Not Exist 93%

Forty dollars, one audition: American comedy changed forever. Then Elaine May decided to disappear.

by Carrie Courogen 2024

3.83

777 ratings

🎬 Hollywood History 🎭 Comedy History 🎥 Women Directors 🎪 Improvisation 🤝 Creative Partnerships

And Then One Day

by Naseeruddin Shah • 2014

His birth year was a mystery. Bollywood wanted a hero. He gave them an actor instead.

4.02

2k+

🎬 Bollywood Memoir 🇮🇳 Indian Cinema 🎭 Acting Memoir 🎥 Parallel Cinema 🎨 Artistic Integrity

And Then One Day 93%

His birth year was a mystery. Bollywood wanted a hero. He gave them an actor instead.

by Naseeruddin Shah 2014

4.02

2k+ ratings

🎬 Bollywood Memoir 🇮🇳 Indian Cinema 🎭 Acting Memoir 🎥 Parallel Cinema 🎨 Artistic Integrity

Born Standing Up

by Steve Martin • 2007

Arrow through the head, 20,000-seat arenas, and a deliberate exit from stand-up at his peak.

3.88

108k+

🎤 Stand-Up Comedy ✍️ Comedy Writing 🏋️ Creative Discipline 🎭 Fame And Isolation 🎬 Hollywood Memoir

Born Standing Up 93%

Arrow through the head, 20,000-seat arenas, and a deliberate exit from stand-up at his peak.

by Steve Martin 2007

3.88

108k+ ratings

🎤 Stand-Up Comedy ✍️ Comedy Writing 🏋️ Creative Discipline 🎭 Fame And Isolation 🎬 Hollywood Memoir

How Not to Make a Short Film

by Roberta Marie Munroe • 2009

The Sundance programmer's playbook for making a short film that festivals actually want to see.

3.67

492

🎬 Indie Filmmaking 💰 Microbudget Filmmaking 🎞️ Short Films 🏆 Film Festivals 🚫 Avoiding Cliches

How Not to Make a Short Film 93%

The Sundance programmer's playbook for making a short film that festivals actually want to see.

by Roberta Marie Munroe 2009

3.67

492 ratings

🎬 Indie Filmmaking 💰 Microbudget Filmmaking 🎞️ Short Films 🏆 Film Festivals 🚫 Avoiding Cliches

Cinema Speculation

by Quentin Tarantino • 2022

How a child snuck into adult movies in 1970s Los Angeles and came out a filmmaker.

4.04

15k+

🎬 New Hollywood 🎞️ Cinephilia 🎥 Genre Cinema 💥 Exploitation Films 📖 Auteur Theory

Cinema Speculation 93%

How a child snuck into adult movies in 1970s Los Angeles and came out a filmmaker.

by Quentin Tarantino 2022

4.04

15k+ ratings

🎬 New Hollywood 🎞️ Cinephilia 🎥 Genre Cinema 💥 Exploitation Films 📖 Auteur Theory

Room to Dream

by David Lynch • 2018

How a filmmaker built Eraserhead and Twin Peaks from dreams and meditation.

4.39

9k+

🎬 Auteur Filmmaking 🖼️ Surrealism 💡 Creative Process 🌙 Subconscious In Art 🧘 Transcendental Meditation

Room to Dream 93%

How a filmmaker built Eraserhead and Twin Peaks from dreams and meditation.

by David Lynch 2018

4.39

9k+ ratings

🎬 Auteur Filmmaking 🖼️ Surrealism 💡 Creative Process 🌙 Subconscious In Art 🧘 Transcendental Meditation

Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama

by Bob Odenkirk • 2022

From cult sketch comedy to Saul Goodman: a late-blooming actor's unlikely second act.

3.60

13k+

🎭 Sketch Comedy 🎬 Hollywood Memoir 📝 Tv Writing 😬 Impostor Syndrome 🌱 Late Bloomers

Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama 93%

From cult sketch comedy to Saul Goodman: a late-blooming actor's unlikely second act.

by Bob Odenkirk 2022

3.60

13k+ ratings

🎭 Sketch Comedy 🎬 Hollywood Memoir 📝 Tv Writing 😬 Impostor Syndrome 🌱 Late Bloomers

The True Adventures of the World's Greatest Stuntman

by Vic Armstrong • 2011

Indiana Jones's stunt double reveals the truck chase secrets and the invention that changed stunts.

3.67

403

🎬 Hollywood Memoirs 💥 Action Filmmaking 🎥 Behind The Scenes ✨ Special Effects 🪂 Hollywood Stunts

The True Adventures of the World's Greatest Stuntman Summary

The True Adventures of the World's Greatest Stuntman 93%

Indiana Jones's stunt double reveals the truck chase secrets and the invention that changed stunts.

by Vic Armstrong 2011

3.67

403 ratings

🎬 Hollywood Memoirs 💥 Action Filmmaking 🎥 Behind The Scenes ✨ Special Effects 🪂 Hollywood Stunts

Love Life

by Rob Lowe • 2014

Fame, addiction, recovery. Rob Lowe learned that a good life is cast, not scripted.

3.68

12k+

🎬 Hollywood Memoir 🎭 Acting Craft 🍃 Sobriety Journey 👨‍👦 Fatherhood 🧑‍🏫 Mentorship

Love Life 92%

Fame, addiction, recovery. Rob Lowe learned that a good life is cast, not scripted.

by Rob Lowe 2014

3.68

12k+ ratings

🎬 Hollywood Memoir 🎭 Acting Craft 🍃 Sobriety Journey 👨‍👦 Fatherhood 🧑‍🏫 Mentorship

Diaries 1969-1979

by Michael Palin • 2006

The Python years, day by day: Palin's diaries from the decade they built a comedy revolution.

4.04

4k+

🎭 British Comedy 📺 Television History ✍️ Sketch Comedy 🎬 Behind The Scenes ✏️ Comedy Writing

Diaries 1969-1979 92%

The Python years, day by day: Palin's diaries from the decade they built a comedy revolution.

by Michael Palin 2006

4.04

4k+ ratings

🎭 British Comedy 📺 Television History ✍️ Sketch Comedy 🎬 Behind The Scenes ✏️ Comedy Writing

Producer to Producer

by Maureen Ryan • 2010

Low-budget producing: where to spend, where to cut, and how to get your film seen.

4.23

338

🎬 Indie Filmmaking 🎥 Film Producing 💰 Low-Budget Film 📋 Production Workflow 📊 Film Budgeting

Producer to Producer 92%

Low-budget producing: where to spend, where to cut, and how to get your film seen.

by Maureen Ryan 2010

4.23

338 ratings

🎬 Indie Filmmaking 🎥 Film Producing 💰 Low-Budget Film 📋 Production Workflow 📊 Film Budgeting

Hitchcock/Truffaut

by François Truffaut • 1985

A bomb under the table, a document nobody cares about: Hitchcock decodes suspense for Truffaut.

4.47

10k+

🧱 Film Craft 🎬 Auteur Theory ⏳ Suspense Mechanics ✍️ Screenwriting 🎙️ Director Interviews

Hitchcock/Truffaut 92%

A bomb under the table, a document nobody cares about: Hitchcock decodes suspense for Truffaut.

by François Truffaut 1985

4.47

10k+ ratings

🧱 Film Craft 🎬 Auteur Theory ⏳ Suspense Mechanics ✍️ Screenwriting 🎙️ Director Interviews

Melissa Explains It All

by Melissa Joan Hart • 2013

A child star's survival manual hidden inside a memoir: treat fame like a paper route.

3.42

5k+

🎬 Child Stardom 🎭 Showbiz Memoir 🌱 Grounded Celebrity 🛠️ Blue Collar Roots 💼 Working Motherhood

Melissa Explains It All 92%

A child star's survival manual hidden inside a memoir: treat fame like a paper route.

by Melissa Joan Hart 2013

3.42

5k+ ratings

🎬 Child Stardom 🎭 Showbiz Memoir 🌱 Grounded Celebrity 🛠️ Blue Collar Roots 💼 Working Motherhood

What's It All About

by Michael Caine • 1992

A charity ward birth, a fish-porter father, and a Cockney accent that Hollywood couldn't erase.

4.07

1k+

🎬 Celebrity Memoir 🎥 Hollywood Memoir 🇬🇧 British Cinema 👷 Working-Class Memoir 🎞️ Behind The Scenes

What's It All About 92%

A charity ward birth, a fish-porter father, and a Cockney accent that Hollywood couldn't erase.

by Michael Caine 1992

4.07

1k+ ratings

🎬 Celebrity Memoir 🎥 Hollywood Memoir 🇬🇧 British Cinema 👷 Working-Class Memoir 🎞️ Behind The Scenes

Her Again

by Michael Schulman • 2016

A producer called her ugly in Italian at her first film audition. She understood every word.

3.62

3k+

🎭 Actor Biographies 🏙️ New York Theater 🎬 Hollywood History 🦎 Transformative Acting ✍️ Creative Process

Her Again 92%

A producer called her ugly in Italian at her first film audition. She understood every word.

by Michael Schulman 2016

3.62

3k+ ratings

🎭 Actor Biographies 🏙️ New York Theater 🎬 Hollywood History 🦎 Transformative Acting ✍️ Creative Process

Business and Entrepreneurship for Filmmakers

by Charles Haine • 2019

Film schools teach craft, not cashflow. The business skills every working filmmaker actually needs.

4.00

🎬 Creative Entrepreneurship 🎥 Film Industry 🎨 Creative Freelancing 💼 Creative Business 💰 Bidding And Pricing

Business and Entrepreneurship for Filmmakers Summary

Business and Entrepreneurship for Filmmakers 92%

Film schools teach craft, not cashflow. The business skills every working filmmaker actually needs.

by Charles Haine 2019

4.00

5 ratings

🎬 Creative Entrepreneurship 🎥 Film Industry 🎨 Creative Freelancing 💼 Creative Business 💰 Bidding And Pricing

The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters

by Karl Iglesias • 2001

101 screenwriters reveal the habits that separate careers that sell from ones that stall.

3.87

479

🎬 Screenwriting 🎥 Hollywood Industry ✍️ Writing Habits 💡 Creative Process 📖 Storytelling Craft

The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters Summary

The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters 92%

101 screenwriters reveal the habits that separate careers that sell from ones that stall.

by Karl Iglesias 2001

3.87

479 ratings

🎬 Screenwriting 🎥 Hollywood Industry ✍️ Writing Habits 💡 Creative Process 📖 Storytelling Craft

Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho

by Stephen Rebello • 1990

Bored with his own glamour, Hitchcock gambled his fortune on a cheap psycho thriller and won.

3.91

2k+

🎬 Film Production 🔪 Horror Cinema 🧠 Psychological Horror 🎞️ Auteur Theory 🖤 True Crime Origins

Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho Summary

Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho 92%

Bored with his own glamour, Hitchcock gambled his fortune on a cheap psycho thriller and won.

by Stephen Rebello 1990

3.91

2k+ ratings

🎬 Film Production 🔪 Horror Cinema 🧠 Psychological Horror 🎞️ Auteur Theory 🖤 True Crime Origins

When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead

by Jerry Weintraub • 2010

He walked into Colonel Parker's office uninvited and walked out managing Elvis. That was act one.

4.13

4k+

🎬 Entertainment Industry 🎥 Hollywood Memoir 🤝 Deal-Making 🔗 Networking 🔄 Reinvention

When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead Summary

When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead 92%

He walked into Colonel Parker's office uninvited and walked out managing Elvis. That was act one.

by Jerry Weintraub 2010

4.13

4k+ ratings

🎬 Entertainment Industry 🎥 Hollywood Memoir 🤝 Deal-Making 🔗 Networking 🔄 Reinvention

Writing Movies for Fun and Profit

by Robert Ben Garant • 2011

Screenwriting is a blue-collar job: relocate, pitch constantly, and never turn down a rewrite.

3.95

2k+

🎬 Screenwriting 📐 Story Structure 🎤 Idea Pitching 🏛️ Studio Politics 🎭 Comedy Screenwriting

Writing Movies for Fun and Profit Summary

Writing Movies for Fun and Profit 92%

Screenwriting is a blue-collar job: relocate, pitch constantly, and never turn down a rewrite.

by Robert Ben Garant 2011

3.95

2k+ ratings

🎬 Screenwriting 📐 Story Structure 🎤 Idea Pitching 🏛️ Studio Politics 🎭 Comedy Screenwriting

I Must Say

by Martin Short • 2014

Orphaned at twenty, widowed decades later. The memoir that reveals grief as just another tough room.

4.12

19k+

🎙️ Comedy Memoirs 🇨🇦 Canadian Comedy 🕊️ Grief And Loss 🛡️ Humor As Resilience 🏙️ Second City Alumni

I Must Say 91%

Orphaned at twenty, widowed decades later. The memoir that reveals grief as just another tough room.

by Martin Short 2014

4.12

19k+ ratings

🎙️ Comedy Memoirs 🇨🇦 Canadian Comedy 🕊️ Grief And Loss 🛡️ Humor As Resilience 🏙️ Second City Alumni

Punk Rock Etiquette

by Travis Nichols • 2008

Start a band with nothing, record for pennies, survive the road without a label.

3.75

123

🎸 Indie Music 🔧 Diy Ethos 🤘 Punk Subculture 🎙️ Home Recording 🚐 Touring

Punk Rock Etiquette 91%

Start a band with nothing, record for pennies, survive the road without a label.

by Travis Nichols 2008

3.75

123 ratings

🎸 Indie Music 🔧 Diy Ethos 🤘 Punk Subculture 🎙️ Home Recording 🚐 Touring

Every Tool's a Hammer

by Adam Savage • 2019

A master maker's playbook: prototype in cardboard, plan in lists, and let obsession drive the work.

4.18

11k+

🛠️ Maker Culture 🎨 Creative Process 💡 Design Thinking 🔄 Iterative Design 📋 Project Workflow

Every Tool's a Hammer 91%

A master maker's playbook: prototype in cardboard, plan in lists, and let obsession drive the work.

by Adam Savage 2019

4.18

11k+ ratings

🛠️ Maker Culture 🎨 Creative Process 💡 Design Thinking 🔄 Iterative Design 📋 Project Workflow

Save the Cat! Strikes Back

by Blake Snyder • 2009

Script problems aren't failure. They're the raw material of every breakthrough draft.

4.17

1k+

📝 Screenwriting Guides 🏗️ Story Structure 🎯 Pitching And Loglines ✂️ Rewriting And Editing 🧱 Creative Obstacles

Save the Cat! Strikes Back 91%

Script problems aren't failure. They're the raw material of every breakthrough draft.

by Blake Snyder 2009

4.17

1k+ ratings

📝 Screenwriting Guides 🏗️ Story Structure 🎯 Pitching And Loglines ✂️ Rewriting And Editing 🧱 Creative Obstacles

The Art of Asking; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help

by Amanda Palmer • 2014

Fans gave her couches, food, then $1.2 million. The one rule: treat help as collaboration.

3.92

37k+

🎤 Artist Memoirs ✨ Creativity Guides 💔 Vulnerability In Art 🎁 The Gift Economy 🔧 Diy Ethos

The Art of Asking; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help Summary

The Art of Asking; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help 91%

Fans gave her couches, food, then $1.2 million. The one rule: treat help as collaboration.

by Amanda Palmer 2014

3.92

37k+ ratings

🎤 Artist Memoirs ✨ Creativity Guides 💔 Vulnerability In Art 🎁 The Gift Economy 🔧 Diy Ethos

Making It So

by Patrick Stewart • 2023

Star Trek was a six-week gig, he thought. Then Shakespeare met the starship.

4.29

20k+

🎭 Classical Theater 🎬 Acting Craft 🌟 Celebrity Memoir 🏭 Working-Class Origins 🖖 Star Trek Memoirs

Making It So 91%

Star Trek was a six-week gig, he thought. Then Shakespeare met the starship.

by Patrick Stewart 2023

4.29

20k+ ratings

🎭 Classical Theater 🎬 Acting Craft 🌟 Celebrity Memoir 🏭 Working-Class Origins 🖖 Star Trek Memoirs

Write It, Pitch It, Sell Your Screenplay

by DMA/Donna Michelle Anderson • 2015

The story framework and pitch strategy industry insiders expect, from a former script evaluator.

4.50

🎬 Screenwriting 🏗️ Story Structure 🎭 Character Arcs 📐 Three-Act Structure 🎥 Film Industry

Write It, Pitch It, Sell Your Screenplay Summary

Write It, Pitch It, Sell Your Screenplay 91%

The story framework and pitch strategy industry insiders expect, from a former script evaluator.

by DMA/Donna Michelle Anderson 2015

4.50

8 ratings

🎬 Screenwriting 🏗️ Story Structure 🎭 Character Arcs 📐 Three-Act Structure 🎥 Film Industry

A Life in Parts

by Bryan Cranston • 2016

His father walked out when he was eleven. Acting became the route back to himself.

4.20

24k+

🎭 Actor Memoirs 🎬 Craft Of Acting 🕰️ Late-Blooming Success 💔 Family Abandonment 👨‍👦 Father-Son Relationships

A Life in Parts 91%

His father walked out when he was eleven. Acting became the route back to himself.

by Bryan Cranston 2016

4.20

24k+ ratings

🎭 Actor Memoirs 🎬 Craft Of Acting 🕰️ Late-Blooming Success 💔 Family Abandonment 👨‍👦 Father-Son Relationships

Windswept & Interesting

by Billy Connolly • 2021

A Glasgow welder walked onstage with a banjo. The man who walked off was someone else.

4.40

11k+

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scottish Memoir 🎤 Comedian Memoir 🃏 Humor As Survival 💪 Sobriety Journey 🎨 Creative Reinvention

Windswept & Interesting 91%

A Glasgow welder walked onstage with a banjo. The man who walked off was someone else.

by Billy Connolly 2021

4.40

11k+ ratings

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scottish Memoir 🎤 Comedian Memoir 🃏 Humor As Survival 💪 Sobriety Journey 🎨 Creative Reinvention

It's Never Too Late to Begin Again

by Julia Cameron • 2016

A London workhouse boy invented the world's most famous character. Then the world demanded he speak.

4.12

1k+

🎞️ Silent Cinema 🎭 Comedy Theory 🎨 Creative Autonomy 🤸 Slapstick Comedy 🎬 Hollywood History

It's Never Too Late to Begin Again Summary

It's Never Too Late to Begin Again 91%

A London workhouse boy invented the world's most famous character. Then the world demanded he speak.

by Julia Cameron 2016

4.12

1k+ ratings

🎞️ Silent Cinema 🎭 Comedy Theory 🎨 Creative Autonomy 🤸 Slapstick Comedy 🎬 Hollywood History

The Filthy Truth

by Andrew Dice Clay • 2014

The most banned comic in America on the Hollywood machine that tried to destroy him.

3.72

227

🎤 Stand-Up Comedy 🎬 Hollywood Memoir 🎭 Comic Personas 💥 Provocative Comedy 🎰 Gambling Addiction

The Filthy Truth 91%

The most banned comic in America on the Hollywood machine that tried to destroy him.

by Andrew Dice Clay 2014

3.72

227 ratings

🎤 Stand-Up Comedy 🎬 Hollywood Memoir 🎭 Comic Personas 💥 Provocative Comedy 🎰 Gambling Addiction

Directing Actors

by Judith Weston • 1996

Most directors give actors adjectives. The ones who get great performances give them verbs.

4.36

2k+

🎬 Film Directing 🎭 Acting Technique 📜 Script Analysis 🧠 Actor Psychology 🔄 Rehearsal Process

Directing Actors 91%

Most directors give actors adjectives. The ones who get great performances give them verbs.

by Judith Weston 1996

4.36

2k+ ratings

🎬 Film Directing 🎭 Acting Technique 📜 Script Analysis 🧠 Actor Psychology 🔄 Rehearsal Process

To Pixar and Beyond

by Lawrence Levy • 2016

Goldman Sachs rejected Pixar. Its CFO took a different road to a billion-dollar IPO.

4.24

8k+

🎬 Animation Industry 🔄 Corporate Turnarounds 🎨 Art Vs Commerce 🎯 Creative Leadership 🍎 Steve Jobs

To Pixar and Beyond 91%

Goldman Sachs rejected Pixar. Its CFO took a different road to a billion-dollar IPO.

by Lawrence Levy 2016

4.24

8k+ ratings

🎬 Animation Industry 🔄 Corporate Turnarounds 🎨 Art Vs Commerce 🎯 Creative Leadership 🍎 Steve Jobs

Short Stories

by Columbus Short • 2020

A pint of whiskey daily to become Little Walter, and the habit that outlasted the role.

3.94

293

🎬 Hollywood Memoirs 🖤 Black Hollywood 💊 Substance Abuse Recovery 🩹 Childhood Trauma 🎭 Race In Entertainment

Short Stories 91%

A pint of whiskey daily to become Little Walter, and the habit that outlasted the role.

by Columbus Short 2020

3.94

293 ratings

🎬 Hollywood Memoirs 🖤 Black Hollywood 💊 Substance Abuse Recovery 🩹 Childhood Trauma 🎭 Race In Entertainment

Greenlights

by Matthew McConaughey • 2020

He turned down $14.5 million and wrestled in Mali to prove worst breaks are delayed breakthroughs.

4.2

481k+

🎬 Hollywood Memoir 📖 Self-Help Memoir 🧠 Personal Philosophy ➖ Subtractive Living 🎨 Creative Discipline

Greenlights 91%

He turned down $14.5 million and wrestled in Mali to prove worst breaks are delayed breakthroughs.

by Matthew McConaughey 2020

4.2

481k+ ratings

🎬 Hollywood Memoir 📖 Self-Help Memoir 🧠 Personal Philosophy ➖ Subtractive Living 🎨 Creative Discipline

Growing Up Laughing

by Marlo Thomas • 2010

Comedy giants sat at her father's table. Their lessons helped break television's rules for women.

3.85

2k+

🌟 Celebrity Memoir 🎭 Comedy History 🎬 Hollywood Memoir 🎤 Women In Comedy ✊ Feminist Memoir

Growing Up Laughing 91%

Comedy giants sat at her father's table. Their lessons helped break television's rules for women.

by Marlo Thomas 2010

3.85

2k+ ratings

🌟 Celebrity Memoir 🎭 Comedy History 🎬 Hollywood Memoir 🎤 Women In Comedy ✊ Feminist Memoir

Funny on Purpose

by Joe Randazzo • 2015

How to write, pitch, and perform comedy across every format, without waiting for a magic break.

3.99

244

🖊️ Comedy Writing 🎤 Comedy Career 🎭 Improv Comedy ✍️ Sketch Comedy 🎙️ Standup Comedy

Funny on Purpose 91%

How to write, pitch, and perform comedy across every format, without waiting for a magic break.

by Joe Randazzo 2015

3.99

244 ratings

🖊️ Comedy Writing 🎤 Comedy Career 🎭 Improv Comedy ✍️ Sketch Comedy 🎙️ Standup Comedy

Sonny Boy

by Al Pacino • 2024

South Bronx to The Godfather to fifty million lost. Pacino's most unguarded confession.

4.01

14k+

🎬 Hollywood Memoir 🎭 Acting Craft 💫 The Cost Of Fame 🍷 Addiction And Recovery 🏙️ Rise From Poverty

Sonny Boy 91%

South Bronx to The Godfather to fifty million lost. Pacino's most unguarded confession.

by Al Pacino 2024

4.01

14k+ ratings

🎬 Hollywood Memoir 🎭 Acting Craft 💫 The Cost Of Fame 🍷 Addiction And Recovery 🏙️ Rise From Poverty

Your Mom's Gonna Love Me

by Matt Rife • 2024

Bad teeth, small town, zero connections: the raw rules for outworking your flaws to sell out arenas.

3.83

10k+

🎤 Stand-Up Comedy 📚 Comedy Memoirs 🥊 Underdog Mentality 💪 Hustle Culture 😅 Self-Deprecation

Your Mom's Gonna Love Me 91%

Bad teeth, small town, zero connections: the raw rules for outworking your flaws to sell out arenas.

by Matt Rife 2024

3.83

10k+ ratings

🎤 Stand-Up Comedy 📚 Comedy Memoirs 🥊 Underdog Mentality 💪 Hustle Culture 😅 Self-Deprecation

Harpo Speaks!

by Harpo Marx • 1961

He went silent onstage after one review, then charmed the Algonquin wits and the Soviet Union.

4.23

4k+

🎭 Vaudeville Roots 🎬 Hollywood Golden Age 🤹 Physical Comedy 🍸 Algonquin Round Table 📜 Comedy History

Harpo Speaks! 91%

He went silent onstage after one review, then charmed the Algonquin wits and the Soviet Union.

by Harpo Marx 1961

4.23

4k+ ratings

🎭 Vaudeville Roots 🎬 Hollywood Golden Age 🤹 Physical Comedy 🍸 Algonquin Round Table 📜 Comedy History

Up Till Now

by William Shatner • 2008

Star Trek typecast him for decades; a late-career role as a shameless lawyer changed everything.

3.84

3k+

👤 Celebrity Memoirs 🎬 Hollywood Careers 📺 Television History 🖖 Star Trek 🔄 Career Reinvention

Up Till Now 91%

Star Trek typecast him for decades; a late-career role as a shameless lawyer changed everything.

by William Shatner 2008

3.84

3k+ ratings

👤 Celebrity Memoirs 🎬 Hollywood Careers 📺 Television History 🖖 Star Trek 🔄 Career Reinvention

Screenwriting Is Filmmaking

by Brian Dunnigan • 2020

Write screenplays that think like a camera: the craft of making films from the page up.

3.33

🎬 Screenwriting Craft 👁️ Visual Storytelling 🏗️ Story Structure 👤 Character Development ✍️ Scene Writing

Screenwriting Is Filmmaking 91%

Write screenplays that think like a camera: the craft of making films from the page up.

by Brian Dunnigan 2020

3.33

3 ratings

🎬 Screenwriting Craft 👁️ Visual Storytelling 🏗️ Story Structure 👤 Character Development ✍️ Scene Writing

And Here's the Kicker

by Mike Sacks • 2009

21 humorists on finding a comedic voice, editing brutally, and making a living being funny.

4.05

2k+

🎭 Humor Writing 📖 Interview Anthology 🧠 Comedy Theory 🎯 Truth In Comedy 👀 Outsider Humor

And Here's the Kicker 91%

21 humorists on finding a comedic voice, editing brutally, and making a living being funny.

by Mike Sacks 2009

4.05

2k+ ratings

🎭 Humor Writing 📖 Interview Anthology 🧠 Comedy Theory 🎯 Truth In Comedy 👀 Outsider Humor

Crowdsourcing for Filmmakers

by Richard Botto • 2017

Money isn't the first ask. Build a crowd, earn their trust, then launch your campaign.

4.40

🎬 Indie Filmmaking 💰 Crowdfunding Strategy 📣 Audience Building 📱 Social Media Marketing 🎨 Creative Entrepreneurship

Crowdsourcing for Filmmakers 91%

Money isn't the first ask. Build a crowd, earn their trust, then launch your campaign.

by Richard Botto 2017

4.40

15 ratings

🎬 Indie Filmmaking 💰 Crowdfunding Strategy 📣 Audience Building 📱 Social Media Marketing 🎨 Creative Entrepreneurship

Why We Make Things and Why It Matters

by Peter Korn • 2013

A woodworker spent decades making furniture, only to discover he was the real project.

3.73

2k+

🛠️ Craft Philosophy 🎨 Creative Practice 💼 Work And Identity 📦 Material Culture 🌊 Flow Psychology

Why We Make Things and Why It Matters Summary

Why We Make Things and Why It Matters 91%

A woodworker spent decades making furniture, only to discover he was the real project.

by Peter Korn 2013

3.73

2k+ ratings

🛠️ Craft Philosophy 🎨 Creative Practice 💼 Work And Identity 📦 Material Culture 🌊 Flow Psychology

A Curious Mind

by Brian Grazer • 2014

What a Hollywood producer learned from decades of asking total strangers for one-hour conversations.

3.41

6k+

🧐 Cultivating Curiosity 👁️ Perspective Taking 🧠 Intellectual Humility 💬 Conversation Skills 🎬 Creative Leadership

A Curious Mind 91%

What a Hollywood producer learned from decades of asking total strangers for one-hour conversations.

by Brian Grazer 2014

3.41

6k+ ratings

🧐 Cultivating Curiosity 👁️ Perspective Taking 🧠 Intellectual Humility 💬 Conversation Skills 🎬 Creative Leadership

Compare Features	Free	Pro
📖 Read Summaries Read unlimited summaries. Free users get 3 per month
🎧 Listen to Summaries Listen to unlimited summaries in 40 languages	—
❤️ Unlimited Bookmarks Free users are limited to 4	—
📜 Unlimited History Free users are limited to 4	—
📥 Unlimited Downloads Free users are limited to 1	—

People love SoBrief

Join our global community of 600,000+ readers

★★★★★

This site is a total game-changer. I've been flying through book summaries like never before. Highly, highly recommend.

— Dave G

Worth my money and time, and really well made. I've never seen this quality of summaries on other websites. Very helpful!

— Em

Highly recommended!! Fantastic service. Perfect for those that want a little more than a teaser but not all the intricate details of a full audio book.

— Greg M