The book features...
Inspiring stories of famous and
not-so-famous people who got over
the hurdles of life - and how they did it.
Shaquille O'Neal
LSU and NBA basketball superstar
When he was age 13 and a high school freshman, his coach told him he'd never make it as a basketball player - because he was supposedly too slow, too clumsy, etc.
Albert Einstein
Brilliant Scientist
He was branded "the dopey one" early in life and was not expected to contribute much to society.
Oprah Winfrey
TV show host, director, actor
She was born into poverty in rural Mississippi, sexually abused as a child, pregnant at age 14, and considered suicide. But she worked her way into a new life in the broadcast media, later hosting her own self-help TV show and becoming a movie actor, Broadway producer, magazine publisher and billionaire philanthropist.
Rudy Ruettiger
Notre Dame football hero
One of only two Notre Dame football players ever to be carried off the field by fellow players, he was told many times that he was too small and too slow to play college football.
Walt Disney
Builder of entertainment empire
He went bankrupt at age 21 while trying to make a living as a cartoon animator.
J.K. Rowling
Author of Harry Potter books
Her manuscript for the first of the Harry Potter books was rejected by several publishers. She gathered strength from past failures.
Bill W.
Founder of Alcoholics Anonymous
He overcame the handicap of chronic drunkenness to become the founder of A.A., which has helped millions of men and women all over the world to stop drinking.
Pete Maravich
LSU and NBA basketball superstar
He got to know his true self only later in life after he experienced a profound spiritual awakening.
Mariah Carey
Singer
Following an emotional and physical collapse due to over-work, she finally took control of her life when she grew in self-knowledge, recognized her human limitations, and learned to say "no" to over-work and over-commitment.
Kay Vandiver
One-armed bowling champion
A right-handed bowler who lost her right arm in an auto accident, she discovered within herself the will and fortitude to return to bowling, and not only to return but to win.
Paul Anderson
"The strongest man in the world"
As a child he was diagnosed with terminal kidney disease and was not expected to live past age 12, but he built himself up to be an Olympic Gold Medal weightlifter.
Don Meyer
College basketball coach
After losing a leg and nearly losing his life in an auto accident, he returned to coach his Northern State University team (in Aberdeen, S.D.) and emerged as the winningest college coach in NCAA history.
Steven Spielberg
Movie director
One of the most talented and successful American movie directors ever, he was turned down three times for admission to the University of Southern California School of Theater, Film and Television. Nor did he make it into the UCLA film school.
Elvis Presley
King of Rock 'n' Roll
He was told he would never make it as a singer, didn't have the voice.