Synopses & Reviews
I felt, intuitively, that luck exists. It’s like capitalism: For better or for
worse, and whether you believe in it or not, luck is inescapable. —from As Luck Would Have It
While cowriting the books in the Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook series, Joshua Piven came across dozens of people with tremendously compelling stories of triumph (or misfortune), seemingly against all odds and logic. When they were asked what they had in common, invariably their answer was: good luck, or not enough of it. The beneficiary of his own brand of extraordinary luck in publishing, Piven decided to take a closer look at how this phenomenon plays a part in success and survival.
As Luck Would Have It offers a fascinating survey of the phenomenon, presented through incredible first- person stories: the swimming pool repairman who had only a hundred-dollar bill to pay for his hot dog, asked for his change in lottery tickets, and won $180 million; the woman who survived a plane crash at sea; the teller who was struck by lightning while at his window inside the bank; the guy who invented the Pet Rock. Weaving the subjects’ own beliefs about their experiences with compelling research on chance, probability, and luck psychology, As Luck Would Have It also includes research on how to prepare for luck, how to deal with it when it arrives, and how to make the choices that will help us benefit from luck.
Mesmerizing, by turns hilarious and harrowing, As Luck Would Have It offers a series of scenarios that are at once unimaginable and vividly real.
Review
"Those looking for a philosophical or psychological examination of the concept of luck will be disappointed, but readers satisfied with the That's Incredible! approach will get exactly what they're looking for." Booklist
Review
"As Piven knows, readers enjoy nothing more than witnessing a likable character get sideswiped by an act of nature or rise from the humdrum of everyday life through an uncanny spell of good fortune. The stories work because Piven takes us back with meticulous detail to the historical second when luck is about to strike." USA Today
Synopsis
Incredible true-life stories of people who experienced amazing good fortune are delivered by the coauthor of the bestselling "Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook" series.
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. [185]-199).
About the Author
Joshua Piven is the coauthor, with David Borgenicht, of the globally bestselling The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook and its sequels, which have been translated into more than two dozen languages and adapted into a board game and a TV series. He lives in Philadelphia.
Table of Contents
Do not rip the ticket or otherwise mutilate it /Steve Roberts --Staying put means giving up /Bennet Zelner --A cardboard box with airholes and a carrying handle /Gary Dahl --Jenny, I've got your number /Tommy Heath and Jim Keller --We have lost both engines /Amy Knowlton --It is not a log /Josh Smith --Like a shotgun blast inside the plane /Keith Gallagher --Parents wait in line for hours /Al Kahn --As if someone has swung a baseball bat into his spine /Steve Marshburn.