Worthy

Who do you think deserves love? Who gets to feel cared for? Who is allowed grace for their mistakes? Who is given a pass in times of struggle? Who can defy the status quo to embrace their authenticity?

Is it ever YOU?

Do you consider yourself worthy of self-love?

Many of us do not, and women, as the caretakers and the peacekeepers, are particularly skilled at putting others in front of ourselves, pushing our energies outward and leaving our needs unmet and our own dreams unheard. Jada Pinkett Smith knows this reality intimately.

While the world crafted one narrative about her highly misunderstood marriage to one of the biggest movie stars in the world, her unconventional approach to parenting her children, her relationship with iconic rapper Tupac Shakur—a narrative riddled with assumptions—Jada lived another story. In Worthy, her honest, at times painful, ultimately inspiring memoir, Jada Pinkett Smith chronicles lessons learned during a roller-coaster ride from the depths of suicidal depression to the heights of rediscovery and a celebration of authentic female power.

Opening in 1980s Baltimore, Worthy chronicles how Jada went from the little girl of two addicts to a promising theater student, with a violent interlude as a petty drug dealer; her move to Los Angeles and parallel rise to stardom alongside her close friend Tupac; her passionate romance and complicated marriage to Will Smith; and her joyful embrace of motherhood. But, as with so many women, Jada found herself in crisis—having suppressed her needs for too long, losing her identity, her agency, her power, even her hair in the process. At her lowest point, and spinning our of control, she had to consider rebuilding her life alone.

Faced with excruciating choices—between love and loss, living and dying—Jada chose to redefine her life in every way and set out on a spiritual path that required ultimate surrender. At the heart of this powerful book are two love stories, one being Jada's own journey to self-love, and the other her unconditional love and acceptance for all who have been part of her story. Worthy reveals to us who Jada is, and who we can be when we're willing to let go, do the hard work of defining our worth on our own terms, and trusting love.