Succeeding Against the Odds

I bought this Book way back in 1992.I always Admired Mr.John H.Johnson for all that He overcame & also for providing Ebony & Jet into my early childhood all the to the present. what He overcame & what He Accomplsihed is truly incredible. He created magazines that spoke & gave Black America a Fair shake at the Newsstand & also showed our world in a up-lifting light. John H.Johnson is a true Pioneer who trail-blazed so much for the better.RIP & this is a Must have Book.

This book uplifted the self esteem of me and many other African Americans. It was the story of a black man raised in rural Arkansas who had a dream. He figured out at an early age that African Americans wanted to know about what was happening in their community. There where only so many if any stories about us in Life Magazine. And if they did publish something about us it was negative. Why couldn't African Americans have a magazine of their own? One that told stories, positive stories about our lives, our heroes, and our history. This book gave me hope to know that even a lower middle class, African American boy from the Bronx like myself could grow up and strive for greatness amongst our people and the rest of society. John H. Johnson's publications are over 50 years old now and are still giving us stories that uplift our minds, bodies and spirits. Reading this book is not only a joy and a honor but it should be required reading for all African Americans and focal point of reading for all others.

I read the hardcover edition of this book when it first came out. I was in need of and searching for some means to act on all the success and motivation material I had read and listened to before SUCCEEDING AGAINST THE ODDS. To have read how Mr. Johnson worked his way up like so many other successful people, regardless of their skin color, continues to encourage me as I work toward my vision of success. Mr. Johnson endured criticism, overcame obstacles, struggled, and bided his time to achieve his successes. That he achieved despite the prejudice and racism of his time and got help from a few non-African Americans, as well as his own people, attests to his influence, power, and charisma. As an American of Asian descent, I still identify with his coming from destitute circumstances which he rose out of to become the publishing magnate he is and advisor and confidante he had been at the executive level of our nation's government a decade or two ago. Well worth staying up into the early morning hours before a workday to realize that there are no real obstacles to success, only temporary distractions to recognize and disregard.

I read this book when it was first released. I was a stugling college student at the time and in need of guidance. This book set the tone for my success. It lifted me up in ways no other book has with its true to life realism. Mr. Johnson is a true role model, not only for people of African American decent but for all. As an African American male it taught me just how much I need to be thankful for the trials and tribulations my for fathers endured to allow me to do what I am doing today. It let me know that I exist because of men like Mr. Johnson who laid the ground work for me to become my own success story and that even in today's world I have nothing to complain about. I recomend this book highly and hope one day to meet Mr. Johnson and thank him for giving me the right to dream.