As Luck Would Have It: Incredible Stories, from Lottery Wins to Lightning Strikes (Paperback)

by Joshua Piven (Author) "Steve Roberts is having trouble reading the numbers..." (more)
Key Phrases: lightning strike victims, luck management, eighteen east, Tommy Tutone, Coast Guard, New Wave (more...)

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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Villard (November 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340833122
• ISBN-13: 978-0340833124
• ASIN: 0812968670
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,636,191 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lucky day, October 16, 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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I believe in luck!, October 23, 2003

By A Customer

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

This book addresses the phenomenon of luck by telling fascinating stories of good and bad luck. The stories have you churning pages and end with a quick but informative analysis of how the participants came upon such luck. I read the book while commuting on a train to and from work, and found that I completed one story per commute. The stories had me on the edge of my seat and are told with great attention to detail.

I think that the author has done a great job discussing the phenomenon of luck -- not sugar-coating it, but giving it a distanced, objective analysis. There is no psycho-babble here. I also think that the author has brought to our attention that some force, whether you call it "luck" or something else, can be invited or refused. Proceed accordingly!

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.