Sorry guys, even I didn't notice how old it was. I saw a commercial on TV about the thing at the Fox and I remembered someone mentioning Morrie recently so I did a search and this one came up.
Obviously this was not the thread I was thinking about because it was much more recent.
Originally posted by p7eggyc: Oh, my gosh, you're right. All but D and Shawna...amazing! LOL I'm almost positive this is 7/04 not 7/05 but maybe I'm wrong....
Not sure what you mean by that? The date of KD's original post is July 25, 2004, so this thread is definitely circa 07/04.
Posts: 7864 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
I didn't notice the date either at first. I was reading along, thinking I would mention Tuesdays with Morrie, Into Thin Air and The Perfect Storm when, all of a sudden, there was my name and I was talking about 2 of those 3 books...I got a little freaked out until I looked at the date.
Posts: 7864 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
LOLOL...oh, my gosh...I didn't notice the old date on the original post and I saw the post from D in St. Pete and I was SOOOOO excited. I was just about to post when I saw the date on it. Darnit....I miss her.
Just finished Tuesdays with Morrie....what a sensational book on living and on dying. ON taking care of people and allowing them to take care of you. Fabulous.
It's never too late to get it right.
Posts: 3473 | Location: Central USA | Registered: March 11, 2004
I actually read a lot, but the thing that comes to mind for me, probably because I am from Indiana, and my dad played, coached and officiated basketball, is the Milan Basketball Team.
The movie "Hoosiers" is based upon their story. They came from one of the smallest schools in Indiana to conquer one of the biggest schools in Indiana in the High School Basketball State Finals. (This happened in the 1950s). I do believe there are books of the account, particularly by or about Bobby Plimpton, who threw the last second winning shot.
Their story is known by every one in Indiana, whether you are a basketball fan or not. It is the true story of the underdog, putting their collective minds and talents to a task and acheiving the goal.
I think that story impacted my life much more than I ever gave it credit for. It made me believe that if you had a dream, you could work to achieve it. No matter who you are or where you are from.
Unfortunately, the IHSAA has screwed it all up for the State by changing the system to a Class system. Now the small schools only play the small schools and the large schools only play the large schools. I think that sends the wrong message to kids. But that is another story altogether.
Dawn
"Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You have to set yourself on fire." anonymous
Posts: 4533 | Location: Indianapolis, IN | Registered: March 15, 2004
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer is one of the most amazing "against all odds" stories I have ever read. It's so well written that it read more like a novel than a nonfiction "true story."
The Perfect Stormby Sebastian Junger is an amazing story that I think of as an "overcoming obstacles" story even though...well...some folks didn't.
Thin for Life by Anne M. Fletcher isn't the story of one person or even a related group of people, but it's still a story of overcoming the odds and I'm currently on my second read because it's SO helpful.
I'm sure there are more, but those are the ones that jumped to mind first. Of course, KD, your two books are inspirational because (as I'm forever saying to people) they aren't JUST cookbooks...I love that first part of your books. It's inspirational AND helpful!
Posts: 7864 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
It's an oldie but goodie and I go back to it time and time again when things look really tough and I don't think I can deal with life. "Man's Search for Meaning" By Viktor Frankl tells about the Jews during the holocaust and how the managed to life lives of joy and celebration, yet live in desolation and horror. Very good.
Cathy J
It's never too late to get it right.
Posts: 3473 | Location: Central USA | Registered: March 11, 2004
Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis Thomas Jefferson and the Opening of the American West by Stephen Ambrose
I read this at a very difficult point in my life, and it absolutely is my fallback book when things are difficult. It's incredibly readable, the characters (which were real people) are addictive, and even though you pretty much know how the story turns out, there is so much involved that it's difficult to put down.
And even though it's fiction, Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty was a pivotal book in my life, too. The cattle drive, establishing a home in Montana, saying good bye to old loves and old ways. . .if you read it as the literature it truly is rather than a "western", it's beautiful.
Sheri recommended the first book "Thin for Life". I actually like the second book, "Eating Thin for Life", better. I saw myself in all of the stories and had a flash of "Oh my gosh! This is ME!"
I am sure that there is not consensus among backpackers that Bill Bryson would fulfill the "overcoming great odds" category. You can tell that from the Amazon reviews. The guy was out of shape and middle aged and walked 2,000+ miles of the Appalachian Trail. Hardcore backpackers seem to have a lot of contempt for him because he didn't finish the trail, but the book inspired me.
Plus, the book is laugh out loud funny! I took it to a Family Camp vacation. I’m sitting in my lawn chair reading this book and I’m practically falling out of my chair laughing. My sister wanted to know what was so funny, so she reads the book and we decided that we must go for our own “Walk in the Woods”.
We went to Thrift Town and bought used backpacks and made reservations to go backpacking for a weekend at a local state park. Just she and I went. It was our first backpacking trip. She was 42 and I was 43. We only hiked 5 miles out and made camp. We would have stayed two nights, except I accidentally spilled our dinner in the dirt and we ran out of food. We laughed our butts off and had a great time. We also felt this huge sense of accomplishment.
I had read other more technical backpacking books - but this was the one that inspired us to actually go.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: GoingSkiing,
Posts: 9221 | Location: Silicon Valley, CA | Registered: March 17, 2004
Darnit....I miss her.