I mostly checked this out because hello it's Leslie Odom Jr. In a semi-memoir/self-help book, he takes us through his career from the early days of wanting to join theatre after seeing "Rent" to working with Lin-Manuel Miranda for "Hamilton," and the lessons he learned about trying to make it as an actor and singer. Most of the other platitudes throughout the book didn't quite stand out from what I've read before with similar titles. They felt quite repetitive and didn't seem to move past using the shortcomings life throws at you in your favor as much as possible. Learning about his life and career was the main highlight for me, and it'd be fascinating if he released a full memoir sometime in the future that focused mostly on that.

One of the best anecdotes that stood out was how he was about give up on his dream when his mentor asked him to try before he quit. Instead of sitting around an waiting for someone to call, what could he / we do something small that puts him out there and take him closer to his dream. That was a nice reminder for when we get stuck thinking about the bigger picture to magically appear instead of focusing on the details.

The book is practically hand-held and only 200 pages long, so it's easy to read in one or a few sittings. Though his perspective will be helpful to all readers and appeal to younger fans, this will be more enjoyable for aspiring artists or creative-types who need reminders on how to stay positive and to keep trying. If this had been released while I was studying theatre in college, it would've been inspiring for me to keep acting.