Rating: 
Summary: Refreshing! There should be more books like this!
Review: At first glance, you might think this is a career self-help book. It is not!! If you are looking for an effective how-to book, I recommend The Pathfinder by Nicholas Lore. I passed this book by in the bookstore and picked it up out of curiosity at the library. I'm very glad I did. The author sought to find out about a wide variety of people's paths toward answering the question "what should I do with my life?". I have asked this question of myself my entire life and more actively sought the answer in the last year. I found it fascinating to read about other people's real life paths. The book is written in a very honest and heartfelt manner. It doesn't try to be objective and it doesn't have any rah rah, pep talk, self help language which I found very refreshing. It tells the real stories of many people from all parts of the country and all types of backgrounds. It showed me that we often sell ourselves out to fear. After reading it I feel encouraged and more willing to be bold in my career choices and put my values at the forefront when making career decisions. I didn't think the book was perfect, but I'm giving it five stars to hopefully up the three star average I saw when I got to this page. This is a 4-5 star book, in my opinion. (P.S. I found it very interesting that "coincidentally" I lost my job while reading this book - a job that I was unhappy with from the start.)
Rating:
Summary: Confirming
Review: I saw the author on ... and decided I really should read the book. I really loved the book. I feel connected to each of the people in each of the stories in some way. It really does show that there are second (and more) chances in life. There are many stories that helped confirm my belief that we are meant to have many life chances and explore the people who we are meant to be, but also that who we are meant to be can change every year, every day, every decade. The stories were short. Some I felt left me wondering what happened to a particular person. Others you knew where they were and they were happy. My favorite story is about Sidney Ross. He said, "I do what I want with my life and when I want to do it." I felt compelled to read this book and discover the many possibilities that life can have.
Rating:
Summary: This book changed my life.
Review: I'm sure everyone comes to a certain period in their life and they see other people moving along, ostensibly towards their true "goal" in life. Yet, like me, you wonder--am I going in the right direction? This book is not for those who want strict guidelines on how to achieve your goal. It won't provide such insight at all. What this book does is provide you with an understanding of 53 ordinary people who have achieved extraordinary events in their life. Leaving one job -- such as a tenured professor of chemistry to be an attorney, for example. This book says that if you wish to make a change, it is possible. You are not required to stay anywhere if it is not meant for you. The people described in the book are the type that big name media personalities would say are an exception. But these individuals are no exception to the rule. They had an idea and a plan to change the way they were living. Some of the plans seem surprising--such as a desire to go from being paid a seven-figure income as a CEO, leaving it, and becoming a cop. To many of us, this seems unfathonable. But what say you if this is his passion? This is who the book is talking to -- those of us who feel as though we are selling ourselves short by remaining on a course just because we're comfortable and are a little afraid of adventure. The book was a joy to read. He writes in fairly good prose, and I found that I had a hard time putting the book down.
Rating:
Summary: Great if you just got laid off.
Review: In this time of economic uncertainty almost everyone has been laid off. Well if it happens to you get this book to help keep your mind off the negative and focus on the positive. Very introspective.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed despite the great attempt
Review: When I picked up this book, I thought it would be a great reading which could give me some insights about life. I was very disappointed after reading Po's book. His attempt was good to try to solve the mystery of life's destiny. However, the stories told in the book are not applicable to most people. I am not suggesting that we need a dramatic story to make it work. Po claims that many of his interviewees do not have financial resources or other advantages. This is certainly not the case if you look at it. For example, the farmer/catfish owner who left his job at First Boston. Would he be willing to take the risk if he did not work for First Boston and accumulate some wealth beforehand? It's questionable. Many other Po's stories does not seem to be representative samples of our people. He picked the stories that he could associate with - but not the readers: the bond traders, people having baby (Po just got his first kid) etc...It seems that he chose stories that HE could relate to RATHER THAN the readers. Hopefully Po will have something better next time.
Rating: 
Summary: inspiring book, but too autobiographical
Review: This book of regular people's amazing stories is inspiring. Unfortunately, Po Bronson (or "Po Bro'" as my SO and I call him) interjects too much of himself into other people's stories. He literally wastes 50% of some chapters discussing how HE feels about the interviewee, how HE helped the interviewee, and how the interviewee reminds him of HIS own experiences. He should have spent more time relaying the people's stories.
Rating: 
Summary: Okay, but agree with need for an editor
Review: I actually purchased the Audio CD version. In in the audio version I had to fight through the odd metaphors and exaggerated descriptions at every turn. The sporadic curse word "sh*t" and "FU money" were ill-fitting and shocking. Overall, there were some good stories documented and a few bits of wisdom interwoven throughout. It won't answer the ever popular, "What should I do with my life" but there are some questions that the author poses that anyone searching should consider.
Rating: 
Summary: ???
Review: It's not what I thought it was about. This book presents interesting stories about people searching for their calling but it's full of questions. Nothing in their life is resolved yet. Because the book covers many people, sometimes the story ends abruptly. If you're looking for inspirations, this book is not for you but if you're interested in just reading about their stories, this is for you.
Rating:
Summary: Ugly American does slip through, however...
Review: I did not see Po Bronson on Oprah and didn't read anything from him other than what is written in this book. I did not read in this book that he promised to help change the careers of those who read the stories. He simply asked himself a question and in the midst of trying to answer it, decided that others may have asked themselves the same question and proceeded to find out their answers. That's it. It's a book of stories that you may or may not be inspired by, simply because some of us need advice to be handed to them rather than get inspired reading about someone else's trials and tribulations. I read the first few stories and it got me thinking. That's all it should do. However, there is an arrogance in the tone of Bronson's writing. Bronson does seem to acquire delusions of grandeur throughout his journey, probably because it seems he has actually helped many of the people he interviewed simply because they needed someone to listen to them. That's how therapists make a living - getting people to talk out loud about their problems ultimately solving those problems themselves. But the ugly American syndrome is rampant in his ramblings, in the way he assumes we all think like him. For example, there's the usual "we're all supposed to hate Fidel Castro" attitude, even though most of us don't really know anything about him for real, other than what our government keeps trying to brainwash us to believe. I say, just tell the story. Don't add your assumptions of what you assume we all believe. If a Cuban immigrant doesn't like Castro, so be it. She lived it; Bronson didn't. This is the kind of thinking that breeds the ugly American - assuming positions on world affairs without ever learning or experiencing these cultures themselves for real. And yes, the writing is atrocious. It's funny how he mentions his English teachers said he didn't have the skills to write and that he was much better in math. That's true, but he does have a knack for storytelling. He just should have hired a good editor. So, if you can get beyond the Almighty stance, the ugly Americanisms, the poor writing, and you do not expect to be spoon fed the wisdom you need to find your right livelihood, you'll find this book enjoyable. Otherwise, maybe you can ask Bronson to include you in his follow-up edition.
Rating:
Summary: Waste of Time!
Review: This book was not at all what it seems. The idea sounds great, and the write ups make it sound like Po has put together a masterpiece that should be required reading for someone who is searching for their lot in life. ThIS BOOK IS AS FAR FROM THE MARK AS CAN BE! It is absolutely terrible. How could something that sounds so great be so bad? I thought it was me. So I lent this book to my friend because he was doing some soul searching as well. He also concluded that this book is an aweful read and not what it seems. Save your money...this book is not worth the paper it's printed on!
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