Author(s): Pappas Theodore

History | No Category

How did the great men and women who changed the world actually do it? Were they simply smarter and more talented than the rest of us? What was their secret? The accomplishments of the great are widely known, but their many battles with adversity, frequent setbacks and defeats, and the personal and professional hardships they endured along the way that molded and motivated their drive to succeed--this is the dark side of achievement that is often ignored or underappreciated. This book examines ten historic figures - from the world of sports and popular culture to literature, business, science, statecraft, and social service - and highlights how they left their legendary mark on the world. Their recipes for success were many and varied, but all had one key ingredient in common: that life-changing mix of passion and perseverance popularly known as grit. The ten tales include: "Battling Demons" on Joe Louis "The Spur of Humiliation" Ruth "Barbie Doll" Handler "Frail, Lonely but Fearless" Marie Curie ";Warring from the Outside "; Madeline Albright "The Maddening Wait for Opportunity" Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel "Stumbling with No Loss of Enthusiasm" Ian Fleming "Failure and Perspiration" Thomas Edison "Adversity as Teacher" Walt Disney "; The Hard Path Unpaved "; Clara Barton "Slips, Not Falls" Abraham Lincoln Epic stories of perseverance that show how ten historic figures from various fields dealt with defeat, disappointment, and adversity and still managed to change the world.