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* This post contains links that can lead you to other websites in order to buy this book, view the author's website, the publisher's website, or other destinations. * This book was sent to me by Shadow Mountain Publishing for an Honest review *This book's release date is 09/03/2019 Personal Blogger Moment Phew! Reader's Block is real!!! Reading block, for those of you who don't know, is like writer's block; you just can't seem to read. Reasons why may vary, but for me it is because I have so many books to read that I feel so overwhelmed and end up not reading at all. Which... doesn't help, okay, I'll admit that the more I wait the bigger the pile of judgmental books across the room stare me down. Judging me for ignoring them and spending countless hours on my phone. See, normally I can read and spit out a book every 1-2 days; but with reader's block, what usually takes at most two days becomes two months. It's so bad, I know. So take my word for it, this book is super good! But to my shame and horror, it took much too long to actually read it enough so that I could get to the point of reviewing and publishing my review! So... without further ado, here's August's Book of the Month!!! Back Cover Summary: Bill Marriott, son of J. Williard Marriott who opened a root-beer stand that grew into the Hot Shoppes Restaurant chain and evolved into the Marriott hotel company, grew up in the family business. In his more than fifty years at the company’s helm, Bill Marriott was the driving force behind growing Marriott into the world’s largest global hotel chain. His vision and leadership expanded the family business to more than 6,500 properties across 127 countries and territories. Bill Marriott: Success Is Never Final gives readers an intimate portrait of the life of a billionaire and business titan and shares his definition of success. Bill shares details about his very structured childhood including the private struggles with his domineering father’s chronic harsh criticism; his time in the United Sates Navy as an officer aboard the U.S.S. Randolph; how he innovated the hotel industry with resort-like facilities; his dogged courtship with Donna, who would eventually say yes to his marriage proposal over a pay phone; and the boundless passion and energy he demonstrated for his work, family, and faith. Bill also shares spiritual experiences that allowed him to recognize God’s guidance in his personal life, helping him bounce back from a life-threatening explosion in a freak boating accident which caused severe burns over his body. Readers will learn the fascinating details about the successes and failures of Bill’s business ventures and relate to his challenges of balancing roles as a CEO, a husband and father, and a man of faith. From his half-billion-dollar venture and “bet-the-farm” move to build the New York Marriott Marquis hotel, to the heartbreaking loss of an adult son whose body slowly degenerated from Mitochondrial Disease, to the billions of dollars donated to medical research, the biography of Bill Marriott tells the remarkable story of a man who had the vision to create a multi-billion dollar business, who understood the power of giving, and lived the creed that hard work will pay off but success is never final. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ So, part of have an Advanced Reader's Edition copy is that the final copy may come out looking different than the copy that I have. There may be more or less content in certain areas....or the summary may change. Personally, I like the summary that I have on my edition, but the summary above comes straight from the publisher's website. But don't you just feel inspired and ready to buy the book? I personally love (both) the summary, but now let's take a gander at the contents inside! ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ What I Liked (Loved): I'm going to start with a general statement(s) and then get into some specifics. The book was AMAZING!!! I seriously loved it. To me, the Marriott family are the living examples of the American Dream, and are so inspiring! I took notes while reading, so let's dive into specifics. 1.) The book surprised me (see, I originally knew NOTHING about the Marriott family) because it seems that the Marriotts have been long connected to important, historically famous, well-known figures. Presidents, Billy Graham, and the King family are just a few examples. This becomes important to some events, like inaugural dinners, that the Marriott family attend or help plan. 2.) An important theme of the book is the family's faith/religion. It's an important aspect of the family and shapes their decisions, family history, and just about every aspect of their lives (which is how it is meant to be). Certain chapters highlight this more than others. (If you were curious...they're Mormon) 3.) Dale Van Atta was successfully able to dig deep into the Marriott family history and brought to the surface inspirational stories about Bill Marriott's ancestors. It gives the reader a unique sneak peak into how the Marriott family was formed and how their values rose through each generation. You also get to see the overwhelming amount of struggles and obstacles that each generation faced and overcame. The entire family embodies the American Dream in that they never quit, but instead they continued with determination and found a way around every obstacle. They truly know how to hustle! Sometimes, however, the stories can seem a bit like tall-tales; which simply means every reader must determine for themselves to what limit they will believe the stories. 4.) Most of the Marriott family seems to adopt a sort of 'sink or swim' outlook on life. They take up challenges that should be too risky and result in failure, but then find the inner strength to rise above the challenge and succeed. 5.) Okay, so, you know how you go to school and learn about the history of America, especially major events like the Great Depression and the Korean War? This book kind of brought those points of history to life for me through the Marriott family. For the younger generations who have never experienced the hard parts of American history, it's like peeling back a layer of impersonal learning about events and seeing it for maybe the first time through the lens of a family and how the events effect them. Quotes: " 'I could hardly wait to get back to work.' It was a lesson he had learned from his father, that a life of ease is an enemy to progress, both for the person and for the corporation-that, as Bill often put it: 'Success is never final.' " "There is no such thing as, 'It can't be done.' " "Although he (J.W.) was very tough, he was successful in continuously challenging me and our executive team to always do better. Today, our belief that success is never final is what separates our company from our competitors." "Keep physically fit, mentally and spiritually strong; Guard your habits-bad ones will destroy you; Pray about every difficult problem; People are No. 1; Decisions... have all the facts and counsel necessary-then decide and stick to it; See the good in people and try to develop those qualities; Manage your time; Details-let your staff take care of them; Think objectively and keep a sense of humor. Make the business fun for you and others." What I Didn't Like: There's only one thing, and it's really more of a personal preference. The Marriott family's faith is Mormonism, and to me the Mormon faith is heretical. So I didn't really enjoy when the faith's views were explained, but that's minor. Who Should Read This Book: Anyone, everyone. Scream from the rooftops, hand out copies in the streets, this book is a keeper for sure! More About the Author: Dale Van Atta is a New York Times best-selling author and journalist who has been nominated five times for the Pulitzer Prize. For more than a decade, he co-authored the world’s most widely syndicated news column appeared in the Washington Post and nearly 1,000 other newspapers, reaching 50 million readers. Van Atta was a longtime Roving Editor for Reader’s Digest and has been published in numerous other national publications. He has made appearances on the variety of national television news shows and has reported from all seven continents, including coverage of several wars. He has interviewed a panoply of U.S. presidents, world leaders, business and military leaders, terrorists, and spies. Van Atta’s previously published biographies include General Norman Schwarzkopf, Stormin’ Norman: An American Hero; former Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird, With Honor; and murderous polygamist cult leader Ervil LeBaron, Prophet of Blood. He lives in Ashburn, Virginia, with his wife of forty-five years, Lynne. They have three children: Tara, Dylan, and Kate. Fun Extras:
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About the AuthorHi, I'm Rachel, and I'm here to share reviews of books with you so you can know what to read next! Archives
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