{"product_id":"9781495152566","title":"By Way of Luck- How Chance Shaped a Storied Life","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat's luck got to do with it? Everything, says author Jim Perkins.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eFollow along as Jim shares his stories of how a young Eastern European immigrant came to serve in the U.S. Air Force, rub elbows with celebrities and corporate bigwigs, significantly influence the publishing and ecommerce industries, and initiate a program that led to the conservation of more than 30 million acres of public lands in the United States. His stories give a first-hand glimpse into the evolution of business and media in America.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe people Jim has met along his journey are as varied as his career and include: John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Irving Stone, Saul Alinsky, Helen Gurley Brown, Hugh Hefner, Julie Eisenhower and Haines Gaffner, to name a few. His stories give a first-hand glimpse into the evolution of business and media in America.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJim is sure to entertain while providing insights into how people respond when caught up in extraordinary events. Here, he tells stories of actors and directors, writers, editors and publishers, of advertising agencies and television executives, of communications and financial conglomerates and of the people who run them, and how the decisions they made shaped the world we live in today.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHis colorful memoir recounts the oddly circumstantial events in which Jim has played a central role. Sheer luck — much of it good, he says — put him at the center of the changes engulfing the media industry during the second half of the 20th and into the 21st century.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLuck provides those chances and choices that shape our lives. For better or worse, our response when opportunity comes our way defines our successes and failures. Accepting the challenge of difficult decisions and viewing them as opportunities is what makes up a storied and successful life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLearn through the wit and wisdom of the author how chance may even be shaping the story of your own life every time you decide to take the path \"less traveled by.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePraise for \u003cem\u003eBy Way of Luck \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Lucky? No way. Jim Perkins fascinating, delightfully crafted odyssey makes it clear, in fact, that it s his extraordinary imagination, creativity and vision, not to mention his mastery of the language, that can transform a tale of luck into an endlessly surprising and always engaging read.\" \u003cstrong\u003e—Joe Mathewson, Journalism Teacher, Northwestern University; author, \u003cem\u003eThe Supreme Court and the Press: The Indispensable Conflict\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"While Jim Perkins credits his livelihood to good fortune...that isn't the whole story. A reader will learn from the stories he tells that when you re alert to life s possibilities; are willing to take risks; and are resilient when setbacks occur; success happens. An invigorating book.\" \u003cstrong\u003e—Jean A. Mansavage, Ph.D., historian, U.S. Air Force Historical Studies Office; author, \u003cem\u003eNatural Defense\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A bravura performance. By Way of Luck far surpasses most of the breed. Perkins is a natural story teller. His voice comes through in both the flow of the narrative and its peopling with characters vividly drawn. For the reader who knows the territory he covers, this is valuable stuff, with a significant lesson imparted: Namely, danger awaits any firm that stubbornly maintains its corporate culture in the face of change.\" \u003cstrong\u003e—Donald S. Lamm, retired Chairman, CEO and Editor-in-Chief, W.W. Norton \u0026amp; Company, publishers\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"James N. Perkins","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47015856046320,"sku":"9781495152566","price":19.12,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781495152566_p0.jpg?v=1763665879","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781495152566","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}