The Best Advice I Ever Got

<b><i>NEW YORK TIMES</i> BESTSELLER • <b>For anyone who wants to see how today’s best and brightest got it right, got it wrong, and came out on top.</b><br></b><br>What was the tipping point for Malcolm Gladwell? What unscripted event made Meryl Streep who she is? In this inspiration-packed book, Katie Couric reports from the front lines of the worlds of politics, entertainment, sports, philanthropy, the arts, and business—distilling the ingenious, hard-won insights of leaders and visionaries, who tell us all how to take chances, follow our passions, cope with criticism, and, perhaps most important, commit to something greater than ourselves.<br><br>Among the many voices to be heard here are financial guru Suze Orman on the benefits of doing what’s right, not what’s easy; director Steven Spielberg on listening rather than being listened to; quarterback Drew Brees on how his (literal) big break changed his life; and novelist Curtis Sittenfeld on the secrets of a great long-term relationship (she suggests marrying someone less neurotic than you); not to mention:<br><br>• Michael Bloomberg: “Eighty percent of success is showing up . . . early.”<br>• Eric Stonestreet: “Remember that the old lady who’s taking forever in line is someone’s grandma.”<br>• Joyce Carol Oates: “Read widely—what you want to read, and not what someone suggests that you should read.”<br>• Jimmy Kimmel: “When in doubt, order the hamburger.”<br>• Apolo Ohno: “It’s not about the forty seconds; it’s about the four years, the time it took to get there.”<br>• Madeleine K. Albright: “Never play hide-and-seek with the truth.”<br><br>Along the way, Couric reflects on the good advice—and the missteps—that have guided her from her early days as a desk assistant at ABC to her groundbreaking role as the first female anchor of the <i>CBS Evening News</i>. She reveals how the words of Thomas Jefferson helped her deal with her husband’s tragic death from cancer, and what encouraged her to leave the security of NBC’s <i>Today</i> show for a new adventure at CBS.<br><br>Delightful, empowering, and moving, <i>The Best Advice I Ever Got</i> is the perfect book for anyone who is thinking about the future, contemplating taking a risk, or daring to make a leap into the great unknown.