Great Failures of the Extremely Successful [Hardcover]

Steve Young (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2002

Babe Ruth spent his childhood years in an orphanage and, as a baseball player, struck out 1,330 times...on his way to the Hall of Fame. Elvis Presley was banished from the Grand Ole Opry after one performance and told: "You ain't goin' nowhere, son." Oprah Winfrey was fired from her television reporter's job and advised: "You're not fit for TV." Author/interviewer Steve Young relates how hardships, roadblocks, rejections and even physicial infirmities cannot stop people determined to succeed! This collection of motivational stories and anecdotes of famous and everyday "failures" shows that success rests on changing "I can't" into "I will." From the worlds of business, science, entertainment, sports, education, politics and the arts come inspirational, often humorous but always helpful, reflections from those who refused to let defeat stop them on their road to victory. Personal stories by: Erin Brockovich; John Wooden; Jane Goodall; Johnny Unitas; Sam Donaldson; Teddy Pendergrass; Ann Richards; Bill Walton; Steve Allen; Billy Idol; Dr. Audrey Manley; Jimmy Breslin; and many more.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Steve Young is a multi-talented writer and motivational speaker. In addition to writing for The Tonight Show, his articles have appeared in major newspapers and national magazines. He is winner of the 2000 Prism Award, recognizing his ability to blend entertainment with important social issues. Mr. Young resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Diana, and their children, Casey and Kelly.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Tallfellow Press; First Edition edition (September 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931290172
• ISBN-13: 978-1931290173
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #758,251 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Offering valuable life lessons, October 6, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Great Failures of the Extremely Successful (Hardcover)

Great Failures Of The Extremely Successful by Steve Young (a man who failed college four times; discharged from the army after three months; divorced; fired from 23 jobs in the summer of 1968; failed businessman; losing contestant on both "The Dating Game" and "The Gong Show"; dropped from four literary agencies; and the recipient of a "gazillion" book, television and film rejections) is a collection of unique anecdotes about the stumbling blocks many famous and wealthy people encountered on the way to success, ranging from basketball star Bill Walton, to humorist Steve Allen, to advocate Erin Brockovich. Offering valuable life lessons, and most of all, emphasizing the importance of getting back on the metaphorical horse after being thrown, Great Failures Of The Extremely Successful is an enjoyable, enlightening, motivating, and highly recommended addition to any self-help, self-improvement reading list or library reference collection.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the read!, September 27, 2005

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Great Failures of the Extremely Successful (Hardcover)

In his preface, author Young states: "Parents, teachers, coaches, business supervisors, religious authorities, authors and critics of all sorts, inadvertently or not, have been responsible for dulling aspirations and destroying dreams." Isn't that so true!

From failure (and/or punishment) many of us are afraid to try again. For those who say, "I can't" without ever saying "I'll try," -- this book's message will shake you into trying again.

Steve Young has collected over 60 personal stories of failure from entertainers, adventurers, medicine, politics, business, war, and so much more. A few are stories I've heard, most are new to me. Some writers are famous; others not. All have the message that failure is the "best thing" that ever could happen to them.

Starting with Erin Brockovich, the authors range from Jane Goodall to Jamie Goldman, John Wooden, Bill Walton, Steve Allen, Ann Bancroft, Guy Gabaldon, Robert Townsend and Sam Donaldson and a whole of lot other interesting people in between.

The stories are all great. I had to read every word. This is NOT a book I'll pass along -- it will remain mine, but I will tell everyone about it.

I liked the one about Minnesota Viking's Jim Marshall who ran the wrong way and made a touchdown for the other team. He admitted his mistake, learned from it -- and in telling others, it allowed people everywhere to share mistakes they made and never told anyone about until they told Marshall.

After the stories, the second best thing is the wonderful collection of quotes focusing on failure and success.

The third great element is end-of-chapter quickies like Accidental Achievements (about things invented by accident), Unbelievable Understatement and Red-Letter Rejects (all about famous writers that were rejected again and again before someone finally published their work).

Armchair Interviews says: An amazing collection of "get-off-your-duff" stories to energize and support you to try again -- to rise from failure to success, or to look at your failures in a different light

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seeing Failure In A New Light -- Bright, Happy, Free, September 9, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Great Failures of the Extremely Successful (Hardcover)

As a community college English instructor, teaching adults who are often struggling with their perceived failures, I am utilizing Steve Young's book, Great Failures of the Extremely Successful, as a resource. Overwhelmed by low self-esteem and toiling under the shadow of past defeats, a student can find inspiration in Steve Young's book. Open it; it's a toolbox for better living. For anyone interested in finding the courage to change the things that can be changed, this book will serve as a guide. Supplement it in class with a novel such as, This Boy's Life, by Tobias Wolff or non-fiction such as Ruben Martinez' recently published book, Crossing Over, or Thinking in Pictures, by Temple Grandin.

The only thing that Steve Young's book cannot fix are my car problems, which are numerous. Despite that, I relish Great Failues of the Extremely Successful. This book helps me see that I (a single mother of two, and the driver of an unlovely, little car with over 216,000 miles on it), am also an extremely successful person, in my own right.

I can only offer one warning. If you are bent on being unwrinkled by life, or if you recently invested a lot of money in botox injections, read Great Failures of the Extremely Successful with caution. The laughter and tears in this volume will make smile-lines on your soul. Read it with delight!