Review: Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning

Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning by Leslie Odom, Jr.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh my heart! It's so very fitting that this book survived me walking through a torrential rain downpour from Agnes Scott College all the way back to the Decatur public lot across from Java Monkey, and without an umbrella! The front cover is only very slightly crinkled, but it's in almost mint perfect condition. It's lucky that I wore a polyester shirt that day. :) But nonetheless, this book is about being a creative soul and a survivor of the harsh rejection that inevitably hits upon anyone who wants to do creative pursuits, whether that be singing, acting, visual arts, or writing. I loved Leslie's honesty about hitting thirty and what that meant for him, and as a thirtysomething myself who also fell in love with RENT as a teenager, I really connected to a lot of his messages.

This is a little book, but it really packs a punch and made a big impact on my soul and my heart. Leslie reminded me to minimize distractions, such as social media, and not to give up. He had a way of writing these messages with an inspiring quote and personal anecdotes with each chapter and in ways that were not hackneyed and cliché. This book made me cry twice, especially the last chapter. Leslie reminded me to be brave, to keep pushing for diverse representation, to keep writing, to let my voice be heard, and in short, to be who I am in a world that I sometimes feel tries to push me to conform and to walk the line more than I really want to. I haven't hit Leslie's RENT moment yet, and I don't think I have met my "person" yet, but he makes me believe that both of these things are still to come for me, and that in the meantime, I should push myself to grow creatively, intellectually, and in terms of character. Thank you, Leslie! I have a feeling that if we got to know each other, we'd be friends. <3 Thanks to you, I'm planning to take a Facebook Hiatus this June and part of July, while I work on my own writing. I need to turn off the noice and the distractions, in order to let my creative voice soar.

View all my reviews