Customer Reviews

The Road to Success is Paved with Failure : How Hundreds of Famous People Triumphed Over Inauspicious Beginnings, Crushing Rejection, Humiliating Defeats and Other Speed Bumps Along Life's Highway

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Please look at all of the reviews that gave" five stars" . They had almost the same lenght and the same writing style. The reviews have been written from JUNE 27, JUNE 28, JUNE 29, JUNE 30 and JULY 1. Interesting!

When people look at someone who is successful (even if the definition of "success" varies from person to person) they usually have a tendency to think that someone went from point A to Point B with nothing in between. It's the old story of the "overnight success" that may have taken someone a lifetime or may have been achieved with great heartache, pain, and stress. One way of being inspired is to read biographies constantly. I'm an entertainer (ventriloquist, believe it or not) and I love reading show biz biographies. And I've found that when I read them there is a LOT of drama that took place between Point A (starting out) and Point B (succeeding). In The Road to Success Is Paved with Failure Joey Green has boiled down these life stories into a small book that completes its mission so thoroughly you will not only want to read, keep and refer to this book again and again -- but you'll want to gift this book to some loved ones. The concept is simple enough: each page, in large type, refers to a less-than-successful, unflattering or downright failure item involving a now famous successful person. At the bottom of the page, in smaller type, he tells you who this person is and why they are now famous for succeeding. This is "no frills" inspiration. And it works. Here's one example: (Big type) "Barbara Walters was told in 1957 by Don Hewitt, who became executive producer of 60 minutes, to "stay out of television."" Bottom of page (small type): "Barbara Walters became a host on the television talk show Today, an anchorwoman on The ABC Evening News, and a host of 20/20. She has won six Emmy Awards for her work on television and was elected in 1990 to the Television Hall of Fame." There are many others. But this is the kind of book that you can quickly re-read, or just grab a few pages and read if you're feeling "down" or discouraged. It gives you the mental vitamins to resist the naysayers and ignore discouragement and focus on the possibilities. Great concept. Great execution. Great biographical examples. Great value...given what it can do to uplift your life.

I have several dozen books on various aspects of success and failure and this book is the most mediocre of them all. Each page has about 100 words at best and there is no detail to any of the stories of the effort and perseverance required to actually succeed. So some slightly famous someone you have heard about had a bad day once. Big deal, there is no lesson to that. The real lesson is in reading about the depth and breadth it really takes to succeed - real commitment, not just a simple piece of good or bad luck.

If you have a friend who just doesn't like to read at all, this would be a suitable gift. I'm not saying that to be a book snob...we have all been in "their" houses, where the heck are the books? If you have a friend or relative who is trying to achieve something great in his or her life, but they are just not the type to read, then this book would be an acceptable choice. My younger brother - whom - I admire a great deal, is trying to succeed at a very difficult career path and I will be getting this book for him for his Christmas present. However, if you want anything more than the most superficial read, choose a different book.

This easy-to-breeze-through, lively book was quite uplifting and a fun read -- a quick burst of encouragement for those moments when you just feel like you're not getting anywhere -- and then are reminded of all the NOW famous people who took circuitous routes to get there or who suffered all kinds of wacky failures behind the scenes while on their way up. I found it really helpful to reflect on these for a moment, to put things in perspective. A light and easy little book with more gumption and spirituality and motivational force than might appear at first. A quick pick-me-up and a good gift.

I received a copy of this book as a gift for my college graduation and it was a great help keeping my spirits up while hunting for my first real job out of college. Any time I felt discouraged I simply picked up this book and flipped through it to get a dose of inspiration. I'm still amazed that Steven Speilberg didn't get into film school, Goldie Hawn worked as a go-go dancer, and Dr. Ruth had two failed marriages. This book really drives home the point that anyone can succeed if you just put your mind to it.

This is a fun little book. But more than that, this book is an excellent resource to browse frequently if you are trying to accomplish a challenging goal. As the researcher, Martin Seligman, has shown, what determines whether you give up after a setback or try again is how permanent you think the setback is. Browsing this book, you see example after example of people who went on to succeed after experiencing setbacks. You see that your setback might not be permanent. This puts the fight back in you. I'm the author of the book, Self-Help Stuff That Works, and I can tell you that reading Mr. Green's book really works. The more times you try, the more likely you will succeed, and this book will inspire you to try again.

This book is terrible. This book is for 3rd-graders. It will tell you what you already know, is overly simplistic, and offers no details, no inside information, and is not enlightening. It is written in super huge type so it can offer you 280 pages of headlines with a sentence or two below each entry. It looks like it was written in a day with little effort or pride to make it meaningful. I whipped through it in an hour frustrated on what a disappointment it was. Don't waste your money.

Every page in this inspiring little book made me laugh out loud. It's amazing to discover that every great person you can think of (Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, Bill Gates, even Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley) had a major failure before gaining world reknown success. Imagine if Walt Disney had given up after his first company went bankrupt or if Lucille Ball had listened to the dance teacher who told her she didn't have any talent and should give up show biz. This book goes to show that anyone can accomplish whatever they put their mind to, that persistence pays off, and that talent rises to the top--an important message conveyed with plenty of laughter. I'm buying a copy of this book for everyone I know this holiday season!

This wonderful little book is chockful of famous people who failed before they became successes, and the message of the book is hard to miss: never give up! When you discover that the Beatles were rejected by nearly every major record label, that George W. Bush was arrested for drunk driving, that John Grisham's first book was rejected by twelve publishing houses......well, it makes you feel like you can accomplish anything as long as you remain persistent. I can't recommend this book enough. It's great for anyone on the road to success... from high school graduates to aspiring writers, artists, and musicians... to anyone in your life who wants to make a difference. It can be done!

This is a wonderfully inspiring little book that is a 'quick read" in the style of the "Don't sweat" books. It really makes the point over and over again that the best things in life do not come easily - and that persistence is all important. It is really inspiring to pick out a successful person - and read about all their failures before they ultimately succeeded. I'm going to give this book to all my friends and relatives. A must read for anyone who is struggling with some aspect of life (everyone).