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 (Paperback)

by Joey Green (Author) "Marilyn Monroe was dropped in 1947 by Twentieth Century-Fox after one year under contract because production chief Darryl Zanuck thought she was unattractive..." (more)
Key Phrases: New York, United States, Academy Awards (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Down on your luck? Don't despair. You might still be headed for a life of riches and renown. After all, consider the experiences of:

* Marilyn Monroe, who in 1947, after one year under contract, was dropped by 20th Century-Fox because Darryl Zanuck thought she was unattractive
* John Grisham, whose first novel, A Time to Kill, was rejected by sixteen agents and a dozen publishing houses
* Walt Disney, whose first cartoon production company went bankrupt
* Barbra Streisand, who made her stage debut at age 19 in a show that opened and closed in a single night
* Edgar Allan Poe, who was expelled from West Point
* Adlai Stevenson, who at age 12 accidentally killed a visitor to his parents' home on Christmas day

This inspired compendium of pop culture and historical trivia will amuse and delight readers of all ages. It's a perfect gift for graduates, for moms and dads, and for anyone whose cheese has recently been moved.

About the Author
Joey Green is the author of several bestselling books, including Polish Your Furniture with Panty Hose and Paint Your House with Powdered Milk. He lives in southern California.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (April 25, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316611166
• ISBN-13: 978-0316611169
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #727,262 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Look to this for inspiration galore..., August 25, 2001

By	Joel L. Gandelman (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Encouraging and Light, June 30, 2001

By	Carla (NJ) - See all my reviews

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.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Read Me First!!, July 29, 2001

By A Customer

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!