George Foreman's Guide to Life: How to Get Up Off the Canvas When Life Knocks You Down [Hardcover]

George Foreman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 24, 2002

A down-to-earth guide to life from two-time heavyweight boxing champion of the world, George Foreman. George Foreman knows what it's like to get knocked down - in the ring and in life - and he knows how to get back up again. Two-time heavyweight boxing champion of the world, he knows what it takes to succeed. He has a wealth of life experience to share, and in GEORGE FOREMAN'S GUIDE TO LIFE he does just that. George was brought up in Houston's Fifty Ward, an area cursed with poverty and despair. The fifth of seven children, he grew up using his size, his fists, and his strength to take what he needed. A junior high school dropout, George graduated from the proverbial school of hard knocks. Boxing was a way to channel his rage and to make money. When he won the 1968 Olympic Gold Medal in boxing, he began a life journey more compelling than any novel, an incredible story of triumphs, defeats and comebacks, a story of redemption and faith. In BY GEORGE, Foreman told his story. In this book he shares the hard won life lessons he has learned and offers inspirational advice and guidance for families everywhere.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As a two-time former heavyweight champion of the world, an ordained minister, father of 10, husband five times, boxing commentator and globally renowned corporate spokesman, Foreman (By George, etc.) perforce knows a lot about life, both its ups and downs. In this slim but wise book, he shares his advice on how to handle life's challenges, drawing on the trials and triumphs of his own 54 years to concretize his words. The titles of the book's 28 brief chapters reveal its thrust and tone: "Be Yourself"; "You're Never Too Old to Fight"; "Say Something Nice," etc. There's little advice here, in other words, that strays from common sense and that many life-advisers haven't expressed before. What makes the book valuable are its simplicity, its directness and the vast pool of personal experience that Foreman calls upon. In the chapter "Why Life Isn't Fair," for instance, Foreman harkens back to his days in the ring: "I was hit in the face by Joe Frazier, knocked out by Muhammad Ali, and knocked down a couple of times by Ron Lyle before I got up and won. All the fights had one thing in common: When they were over, I could hardly remember the pain.... It's the same when you hit rough times. Don't let the disappointment and pain lodge inside." In the chapter "Think Before You Speak," he relates how he learned to curse from Sonny Liston and points out that, "These days, you'll be at a dinner party and most people will ask, `Do you mind?' before they pull out a cigarette. But no one ever asks, `Mind if I swear?' " With its hard-won lessons and congenial tone, this book can be of real use to many, particularly teenagers; short and sweet, it packs a real punch. B&w photos throughout.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Former boxing champion Foreman (By George) shares his life lessons here, showing how to turn hardship to happiness, overcome adversity, and achieve fulfillment no matter what life brings.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (December 24, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074322499X
• ISBN-13: 978-0743224994
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,392,789 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Short book that has a lot to offer!, June 24, 2003

By 

Blaine Greenfield "eclectic reader" (Belle Meade, NJ) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: George Foreman's Guide to Life: How to Get Up Off the Canvas When Life Knocks You Down (Hardcover)

GEORGE FOREMAN'S GUIDE TO LIFE by George Foreman
with Linda Kulman is a short book (124 pages) that surprised me in
all that it had to offer.

I wasn't expected much from it, given that Foreman on the surface
wouldn't seem to be the ideal role model to write a self-help book . . . he
was a bully, of sorts, when a kid . . . he didn't read his first
whole book until the age of 16 . . . and he was married and
divorced four times, only to find his fifth time to be the charm.

Furthermore, after he lost the heavyweight title for the first time,
he became a recluse of sorts . . . he also had a reputation for
being surly and mean-tempered, as unlikely as it now seems
when you see him pitching products on TV or doing boxing
commentary on HBO.

But Foreman has really turned his life around, and he shows you
how you can do the same . . . though much of the advice is basic,
and you may have heard it before, his effective use of examples
helps to drive many of his key points home . . . as he notes in
the Introduction, "Everyone in life goes through a hard time
sometime, but you can't let that define who you are. What defines
you is how you come back from those troubles and what you find
in life to smile about."

There were several other memorable passages; among them:
With life there is pain and still more pain, but even with it all,
there is always a reason to smile: a beat of music to make you
lift your feet and dance; a piece of chocolate to sweeten up
a moment. With death, as far as we know, there is no pain,
only silence.

The point is I could forgive a horse for biting me, another for
almost killing me. But it seems that people can rub us the
wrong way and we're through with them overnight. We can
forgive an animal and hold on to a grudge for years against
another person.

People only want to hear the best about their children. That's
because every mom and dad feels their child is an extension
of themselves. So pointing out their kid's shortcomings-whether
they're physical, emotional, or behavioral-hurts because it
feels like it's a reflection on them and their success as a parent.
As soon as you say something's wrong with that boy or girl, their
mother or father starts a conversation inside their head that goes
something like, "If only I were better at this or if only I had done
that, my child wouldn't have this problem." It doesn't really matter
what you say or that you meant well; what they hear is, "What's
the matter with you? Couldn't you have done a better job?"

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars George Foreman's Guide to Life: How to Get Up Off the Canvas, March 22, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: George Foreman's Guide to Life: How to Get Up Off the Canvas When Life Knocks You Down (Hardcover)

I enjoyed reading this book. Down to earth advice on being positive and believing in yourself.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Recommend, February 14, 2005

By 

Randy Watson (TN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: George Foreman's Guide to Life: How to Get Up Off the Canvas When Life Knocks You Down (Hardcover)

THis is a very informative and insightful read. George really has some beautiful insights that should definitely be considered. Whether you are a Foreman fan or a self-help fan, I recommend you read this.