As Luck Would Have It [Hardcover]

Joshua Piven (Author), Meryl Sussman Levavi (Designer)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 7, 2003

I felt, intuitively, that luck exists. It’s like capitalism: For better or for
worse, and whether you believe in it or not, luck is inescapable. —from As Luck Would Have It

While cowriting the books in the Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook series, Joshua Piven came across dozens of people with tremendously compelling stories of triumph (or misfortune), seemingly against all odds and logic. When they were asked what they had in common, invariably their answer was: good luck, or not enough of it. The beneficiary of his own brand of extraordinary luck in publishing, Piven decided to take a closer look at how this phenomenon plays a part in success and survival.

As Luck Would Have It offers a fascinating survey of the phenomenon, presented through incredible first- person stories: the swimming pool repairman who had only a hundred-dollar bill to pay for his hot dog, asked for his change in lottery tickets, and won $180 million; the woman who survived a plane crash at sea; the teller who was struck by lightning while at his window inside the bank; the guy who invented the Pet Rock. Weaving the subjects’ own beliefs about their experiences with compelling research on chance, probability, and luck psychology, As Luck Would Have It also includes research on how to prepare for luck, how to deal with it when it arrives, and how to make the choices that will help us benefit from luck.

Mesmerizing, by turns hilarious and harrowing, As Luck Would Have It offers a series of scenarios that are at once unimaginable and vividly real.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As a former technology journalist who was offered an opportunity to coauthor what became the phenomenally bestselling Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook and its five sequels, Piven is no stranger to the vagaries of fortune. This series of short profiles of people who have experienced good or bad luck is less a scientific investigation of the nature of fortune and more a paean to those, in many cases, extraordinary individuals who were affected by and reacted to moments of chance events. Among his subjects who benefited from good luck are a contractor whose chance purchase of lottery tickets nets $336 million and a whale researcher who instinctively grabs a radio that saves her after her plane crashes at sea. He profiles people who developed an interesting idea into a phenomenon: the inventor of pet rocks and the American importer of the Japanese game Pokemon. And in the case of a bank teller struck by lightning, Piven shows how 15 years of pain led to the formation of an international advocacy group for lightning strike and electric shock victims. These people are all fascinating, and the details in each profile are well presented. Overall, however, the writing lacks the lively wit that gave substance to what could have been just dull detail in the Survival handbooks. Also, Piven's attempts to draw broader conclusions from his subjects' experiences only result in extremely general insights, such as those in a short concluding chapter that lists "luck management techniques" such as "be prepared" and "keep an open mind."
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Readers who remember the television series That's Incredible! will have some idea what to expect from this book. Piven has assembled a handful of stories about people whose lives were affected by luck, either bad or good. Here's the man who bought a hot dog with a $100 bill, took his change in lottery tickets, and won $181.5 million. Here's the advertising copywriter who struck it rich because he decided to write a spoof pet-owners' guide to be sold with the pet itself: the Pet Rock. Here's the rock band that lucked into a smash-hit single because its video was among the first aired on MTV. And so on. In his introduction, the author claims his book will examine how one's attitude affects the kind of luck one experiences in life, but the text fails to deliver on the author's promise. Those looking for a philosophical or psychological examination of the concept of luck will be disappointed, but readers satisfied with the That's Incredible! approach will get exactly what they're looking for. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 199 pages
• Publisher: Villard; 1 edition (October 7, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400060559
• ISBN-13: 978-1400060559
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,311,712 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht, authors of The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook series, live life on the edge in the wilds of Philadelphia.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating read!, October 9, 2003

By 

A huge Worst-Case fan (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: As Luck Would Have It (Hardcover)

I saw the author on the Today Show and own the Worst-Case Scenario books, so I went out and bought this new book. I was not disappointed.

The stories are fascinating, ranging from one-hit wonder Tommy Tutone (remember 867-5309/Jenny??) to plane crashes, and from the Pet Rock to wilderness survival.

Like the Worst-Case books, the information in each chapter is entertainingly presented, and clearly well researched. The difference is that this book is narrative, and the author is able to expand on the details of each story. The writing is lively--and in many places quite funny--and the stories really make you think about luck in a new way. I also think that the author did an excellent job in picking his stories, and each one is compelling in its own way. Unlike one of the reviews above, I found the psychological research to be complimentary to the stories--it was interesting to hear evidence about how luck really works, and it also helped to make the book more than just a collection of stories with nothing to tie them together.

All in all a very satisfying read, and one that, as another reviewer mentioned, can be put down and picked up easily.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful collection of stories!, September 8, 2004

By 

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

This review is from: As Luck Would Have It (Hardcover)

Sam Goldwyn, legendary film producer, is credited with having first said, "The harder I work, the luckier I get" . . . I kept thinking about that quote as I read AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT by Joshua Piven--a fascinating collection of stories from lottery wins to fad products and a whole lot
in-between.

In nine short chapters, Piven introduces an eclectic range of individuals who all have something to say about how luck impacted their lives . . . he also brought in research on the subject, as well as these techniques that can help better ensure the results we get in life are ones we can live with:

First, when possible, be prepared.

Second, keep an open mind.

Third, stay informed.

Fourth, stay curious and know where to look for new ideas.

Fifth, maintain broad, diverse circles of personal and professional relationships.

Sixth, trust your emotions and your instincts.

Seventh, share your good luck with others.

Eighth, be self-reliant.

Lastly, keep a positive mental attitude--perhaps the most important aspect of effective luck management.

I particularly liked reading about Steve Roberts, the swimming pool repairman who had only a $100 bill to pay for his hot dog . . . so he asked for his change in lottery tickets and won $180 million . . . in addition, I was inspired by the stories of Gary Dahl and Al Kahn, the brains behind the Pet Rock and Cabbage Patch doll, respectively.

Also, there were several memorable passages; among them:
In attempting to counter his bad luck, Bennet was showing many of the signs of a condition mental health professionals call "illusory control." First identified by the Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer in the 1970s, illusory control is the belief that we are in control even when, objectively, we're not. Some common examples of this phenomenon deal with luck and chance. The lottery player who chooses his own number, or the gambler who insists on rolling his own dice, experiences the illusion of control over a random, uncontrollable situation. Illusory control is
an adaptive measure that can increase motivation when one is facing difficult or adverse circumstances. It may make the player feel better about his chances, that his actions will cause a specific outcome, even when, from an observer's perspective, it is obvious that the event itself cannot be influenced.

The mathematician and author John Allen Paulos relates the tale, probably a fable, of the frequent flyer who is deathly afraid of the remote possibility of a bomb on his plane. Knowing the chances are low-but not low enough for comfort-the man decides he will always travel with a bomb in his suitcase, reasoning that the odds against having two bombs on an airplane would be astronomical.

But perhaps the lens through which we judge bad luck needs a wider view, and a sharper focus. Steve feels that every negative is simply a chance to create a positive, and in this way his bad luck was transformed into good luck for the hundreds of people he and his organization have helped, people who desperately needed assistance and had nowhere left to turn. "You learn from bad experiences," he says. "And one of the things you learn is that you either hate the world
or you help the world. Being struck was my lot in life, but it happened for a reason."

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lucky day, October 15, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: As Luck Would Have It (Hardcover)

I'm so glad I picked up this book! I read it straight through in a sitting one day. The stories are so fascinating, but each one is different...I kept wondering, what if that happened to me? Could I do something to make this happen to me or not happen to me? Read this book and open up your mind to the phenomenon of luck.