Wisdom to Grow On [Hardcover]

Chuck Acquisto (Author), Charles J. Acquisto (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 3, 2006

Acquisto, a journalist-turned-lawyer, didn't have a book in mind when he began writing to the most famous and successful people of our time. His simple goal was to celebrate the birth of his first child by collecting for little Nick the wisdom of these icons on the subjects of life, happiness, and success. But the letters that came back were so wonderful and compelling, they demanded to be shared with a wider audience. Over 250 sports heroes, entertainers, journalists, authors, business moguls, and politicians--including three U.S. Presidents--contributed to this precious and moving collection of wit and wisdom about how to create a life well-lived. Perfect for graduation gifts and to commemorate other important beginnings, these very special letters will delight and inspire readers of all ages for years to come.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Charles J. Acquisto, Esq., is a former sports journalist who wrote for The Baltimore Sun. He lives in Dublin, CA with his wife and three children.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Running Press (April 3, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762426160
• ISBN-13: 978-0762426164
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,858,687 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational but one-sided, August 3, 2011

By 

Armin Nikkhah Shirazi - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wisdom to Grow on: Incredible Letters And Inspiring Advice for Getting the Most Out of Life (Hardcover)

First, hats off to the author for not only coming up with an original idea but then following up on it and making it reality. Based on his description of the process in the intro that took a lot of work.
Overall, the comments of the celebrities in the book are quite inspirational, even in spite of the occasional platitude. I also appreciated the short biography section at the end, supplemented with the page numbers where that person's quotes appear. It helped me in particular because I was actually not familiar with many of the celebrities who are quoted in this work.
What in my view is the most serious flaw of this book is that apparently, the author's notion of what constitutes a 'successful' person is rather narrow, if not shallow. Most of the people quoted are either well-known athletes or entertainers, with a smaller proportion of well-known politicians and business people represented. This may be a reflection of the author's background as a former sports journalist and attorney, or perhaps he really did try and did not get any publishable replies from successful people in other fields. Nevertheless, it strikes me as hypocritical when many of the quotes admonish studying hard, and yet there is not a single successful person represented in this book the foundation of whose success is actually based on studying hard, as opposed to physical, artistic or interpersonal skill. Rather than quoting another b-list actor, it would have been refreshing to see a contribution from an engineer, mathematician, or scientist who was both personally and professionally successful.
The reason why I consider this a serious shortcoming of this book is that in my opinion, far too many youths today are trying to be the next (insert your favorite athlete/entertainer name here), rather than fully exploring their own innate talents, which may lie altogether elsewhere. Implicitly, by the selection of the celebrities it quotes, this book encourages this behavior, and thereby undermines its own central message (as I understood it) to find one's own path to success.
If the selection of celebrities had not been so one-sided, and if there were more fully printed responses, I probably would have given this book 5 stars.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great graduation gift, May 12, 2009

By 

Linda J. Fetchen (New Eagle,PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wisdom to Grow On: Incredible Letters and Inspiring Advice for Getting the Most Out of Life (Hardcover)

This is an inspiring book. High School students want to read the short messages written by famous people that they know. I have been giving it as high school graduation gifts for several years, always with positive feedback from the recipients.

5.0 out of 5 stars heartwarming, October 6, 2006

By 

Patricia Van Der Vossen "Mrs. V" (Ocean Pines, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wisdom to Grow On (Hardcover)

What wonderful words from some outstanding people to offer to a new child! Nice collection! A definite "coffee table" book to leave out for company to read.