Success Memoirs

"The numerous voices presenting these oral histories are flowing, velvety, glib, humorous, and always passionate...This is an informative and heartwarming retrospective of life in the Bronx, in addition to an enlightening look at the changes in our society and culture." — Publishers Weekly...

Laird Hamilton has been hailed as the world's greatest big-wave surfer. His first book, Force of Nature, allows listeners a rare glimpse inside the unique philosophy that has created his circumstances, and not the other way around. After all, this is a man whose biological father abandoned him shortly after he was born; whose first job was working on a pig farm; who dropped out of school in 11th grade. And then the career decision: surfer.

A memoir penned with one good finger, Ndopu writes about being profoundly disabled and profoundly successful Global humanitarian Eddie Ndopu was born with spinal muscular atrophy, a rare degenerative motor neuron disease affecting his mobility. He was told that he wouldn’t live beyond age five...

The Way to Wealth, originally a preface to the 1758 edition of Franklin's beloved Poor Richard's Almanack, presents a brief fable of a local wise man, Father Abraham, quoting Poor Richard to an eager crowd. In this inspiring tale, Franklin steps out of the past and shares with you his famed maxims about wealth, knowledge, virtue, and all other elements of business success.

Frank Lorenzo is the epitome of the American dream. A first-generation American and entrepreneur, Lorenzo started an airline advisory business in his mid-twenties and ultimately rose to control the largest fleet of airplanes in the free world. Flying for Peanuts explains how the son of Spanish immigrants put himself through Columbia College by driving a Coca-Cola truck and then grew the fledgling advisory into ownership of Texas International Airlines. From there, Lorenzo became CEO of Continental Airlines, a large loss-making west coast airline at the time.

Nattanya Andersen's cherished career as a flight-attendant for one of the world's largest airlines careened to a halt, when a jet-engine-explosion five feet away from her at 6,000 feet altitude shortly after take-off left her with post-traumatic-stress-disorder (PTSD). The mental health professions' apparent lack of knowledge concerning the treatment of PTSD-sufferers and Nattanya's desire to help herself lead her to search for empirical studies on PTSD and other health-issues and dangers facing air-crew - and by extension their passengers - on a daily basis.

At the start of this riveting memoir, Dan Conway is a brash young executive in a vast corporation, slogging his way up the ladder while struggling with depression and an addiction he thought he had defeated long ago. As he begins to realize that the mix of nightmarish bureaucracy and his unruly “flip side” have doomed any chance of success, Dan stumbles upon cryptocurrency, tumbling down the rabbit hole to discover a strange, anarchic, but captivating world. He decides to wager everything - his savings, his marriage, his family, his future - on the fledgling crypto, Ether.

After a diagnosis of a degenerative eye disease, John Samuel’s life—and his chance at success—started to vanish. In a world systemically unequipped for accessibility, disability inclusion is often left out of conversations about diversity. For people with disabilities, it can feel impossible to adapt and thrive when you’re already set up for failure.

Financial success is success in an aspect of life, and not necessarily success in life. Equating financial success with an entire success is similar to equating a part to the whole. Success has to do with balancing every aspect of life. Jack Ma is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world, and learning his top rules for success can greatly help you pursue your dreams and attain true success.

"Lessons from the Prairie delivers one belly laugh after another as Melissa tees up an easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide to tackling life's toughest challenges, and making your life happier." -- Megyn Kelly For fans of the beloved TV show Little House on the Prairie, a self-help book by Melissa...

SEALs are notorious for telling riveting stories without a shred of emotion. There's a good reason for that. They've been trained to keep their emotions at bay-to be hard-so they can accomplish seemingly impossible missions. Rarely do you find a Navy SEAL who is willing to be vulnerable and share from the heart. Mark Greene is one of those SEALs. For years, he didn't understand how emotions played a part in decision-making. He had trained and worked under such extreme conditions that there was no room for subjectivity. Logic dominated his thoughts.

Remembering the truth of what it's like to be a kid is vital because most of us are stuck in some phase of arrested development, thanks to something traumatic that happened to us during our youth. Do you know what that trauma was and how it has affected who you are today? Understanding where you got stuck can free you to be the parent and adult you were meant to be.

Anyone who says there is no life after death has obviously never died. “I was high as a kite by the time I got there. I dropped five hits of acid that night. I made it through the first two bands before I started peaking. Then it happened...." I was a runaway, a dropout, a drug addict, a thief, a trouble maker, and a drug dealer. I was given a second chance at life. It has been a hard road. My life has been a battlefield. It has been a constant struggle, but I couldn’t be more grateful. This is my story.

Born on a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Glenn Medeiros grew up surrounded by modest means and strong values. Music wove its way into every path in his life, and soon, it stood as not only a hobby, but a passion and lifestyle, something to be pursued.

In this insightful and accessible biography, Warren Buffett: 10 Facts About the Oracle of Omaha, bestselling author Jasmine Dyggan unpacks the life and legacy of one of the most admired business minds of all time. This book doesn’t just explore the billionaire investor’s achievements—it reveals the principles behind them, and the quiet strength of character that set Buffett apart from Wall Street’s chaos.

Historian Sarah Hopkins Bradford details the life of heroic abolitionist Harriet Tubman, who was born into slavery but escaped to lead other enslaved people to freedom.

With From Rust to Trust, author Peter O'Dunne shares the approach that has worked for him to achieve success and peace of mind in life. Written from coauthor David B. Glover's point of view as he interviews Peter, From Rust to Trust is about the universal principles that can guide all of us. Principles that can be applied to business, athletics, personal growth, family, and friendships. Principles that can help us move from rust to trust.

Part memoir, part testimonial, and part life guide, Stand by Your Truth mixes Rickey Smiley’s down-home humor with the values he learned from being raised by three generations of elders, steeped in the Baptist church, and mentored by some of the most celebrated comics in the entertainment...

On June 13, 2013, as she drives to work, Tyila Cooks comes to the scene of an accident and quickly learns that the driver of the mangled vehicle is one of her six children - her oldest son. Years later, her oldest daughter’s long-term health condition worsens, and she finds herself in a fight for her own life. As this family journeys through two of the biggest storms of their lives, this mother’s faith is stretched, and her hope is shaken. With God’s grace, Tyila learns how to face grief, fear, doubt and a host of other emotions head on.

Sidney Poitier was one of the most revered actors in the history of Hollywood. He overcame enormous obstacles in extraordinary times and is a role model for many Americans because of his convictions, bravery, and grace. Poitier reflects on his amazing life in Life Beyond Measure, offering...