Book Review: 21 Fantastic Failures by Sonali Misra

21 Fantastic Failures
Author: Sonali Misra
Publisher: Rupa Publishers
Rating: 3.5/5

It is a very well known adage that failures are the stepping stones for success. Success is not measured by wins but by the courage of combating failures one after the other. Most of the famous personalities have already set an example by their efforts and never-give-up spirit. ‘21 Fantastic Failures’, as oxymoronic as it sounds, is a peek into the lives of 21 such people who snatched success from the jaws of death, quite literally. Whether it was Amitabh’s struggle with his coma or Oprah’s battle with her diabolical past, each story has a lot to offer.

You might ask me how is this book from any other book that retells the success stories of famous people. Well, to be honest, it isn’t. Most of the books that fit in the same category have similar names and the stories are repetitive. The plus point of this book is its organization into various headings like Paths that the person could take, lessons learnt and a small section devoted to the ‘extra mile’ that the person in question chose to go. Another positive thing about this book is its selection. The author has cherry-picked the people from different fields and that makes this book all the more relatable. There are authors, painters, actors, inventors, media persons, entrepreneurs, sportsmen and politicians as well. Truly, all the artists form the scaffold of this book.

The narrative is easy and fluid. This book is a short read but yes, the content is repetitive especially when I think of names like Amitabh, Oprah, Messi, Nelson Mandela and Dr Seuss. Overall, 21 Fantastic Failures can be picked if you are reading such a book for the very first time. If not then pick this book to enjoy the stories of some of the very famous artists who knew how to eke out a living even when they were surrounded by problems.

Best wishes to the author!

Buying link: Amazon