Very Good Lives: The Fringe Benefits of Failure and the Importance of Imagination

I grossly overpaid for this. I really should've just googled her speech. It's probably 4 pages long in total. The kindle edition includes very small font and lots of graphics to fill up the pages. But it took me all of 20 minutes to read this and Amazon is out here charging 9.99 for it :-/This really should've just been posted to Harvard's website for free.At any rate, I imagine witnessing this speech was quite a treat. It was funny and honest and devoid of arrogance one might expect from someone who's experienced this amount of success. It focused on three important themes:- success and failure should be defined for yourself- failure brings with it the gift of fearlessness, and presents opportunities to begin again- empathy and understanding of one's own privilege is an important tool in understanding your reality and believing in your possibilities

"Imagination is not only the uniquely human capacity to envisions that which is not, and therefore the fount of all invention and innovation; in it's arguably most transformative and revelatory capacity, it is the power that enables us to empathize with humans whose experiences we've never shared."3.5*This is J.K. Rowling's Harvard commencement speech written in book form. I went into the book blind, and was hoping for way more than I got out of it. It was an excellent commencement speech, but as a book I wanted more out of it. There was so much space they could have gone deeper with this subject and I love J.K. Rowling so I would have loved for her to go there and explore the subject matter more, which covered everything from human nature to how failure can be a good thing. But it didn't go there for me and so while I gave it a 3.5 stars for being an excellent commencement speech, as a book it should have gone deeper.

This is life changing. From the first time I heard JK Rowling's commencement speech for Harvard University and read the transcript I knew that I was listening to great wisdom that would take hold and change me on a visceral level. These aren't words of a pep talk from some billionaire who never really had it THAT hard. These are words of a woman who truly struggled, and overcame. She chased her dream. She was of her own accord, at rock bottom. These words gave me the courage to pick myself up, and start chasing my own dreams. I felt about as low as a person could possibly be. I had given up. I didn't want to hear self help garbage from some quack. I didn't want to hear how I had failed. I did that enough to myself. Hearing these words, just conveyed as a story, helped. More importantly, I realized that failure isn't always bad. Failure has benefits. Failure can happen to anyone, but it needs to be embraced, fully, as a learning experience, a clean slate, and a solid foundation from which to rebuild on.Certainly this will end up a best seller. JK Rowling's grocery list would be a best seller just because she wrote it. But I sincerely hope that all of those who buy this book will read it, consider it carefully, and take it deeply to heart. Whether you're struggling professionally, or personally; internally, emotionally, physically, economically...these words can be applied. There's no scheme to buy into. There's no twelve step path to follow. There's no work book to fix it all in 30 days. There's solid, sound advice to use, and to adapt to any situation. Use it, learn it, live it.

Short and easy to read, but the words are powerful and moving. This book came to me in a very dark and hopeless time in my life, and gave me the boost I needed to push through. I had borrowed a library copy, but once things (financially) got a little better, I had to own a copy for myself. This is a book I will reread again and again whenever I need my spirits lifted. The author's words are profound and magical. I highly recommend this to everyone.

This is a short, illustrated text of Jo Rowling's commencement speech at Harvard. It's uncommonly personal for such a speech, filled with wit and heartbreak, and it is in essence a sort of homily, a spiritual message on how to live worthwhile lives. I wish every young graduate could read it. I wish I had been there to hear Jo give this speech -- but having it in print is the next best thing.

I love J.K. Rowling so very much and I knew this was just her Harvard commencement speech (which I had previously read) but I am still so happy to have this book! I have read and reread it several times and each time I finish it I feel like I can take on the world. If you're a fan of Rowling and you want something inspiring (and clever and humorous), I would highly recommend this!

This was a great and inspiring book for anyone that is down on their luck and needs a push of encouragement. Her anecdotes and humor and woven throughout the book and they provide hope for those who need it. My only qualm was that this book was unusually short. I didn't realize this was a compilation of her graduation speech. You can probably google her speech but this book is nice to have as a collection item piece.

Spoken well by someone who has gained and employed the wisdom of life experience to its maximum potential. No one can dispute the words shared within. The author has lived this and fortune has smiled on her. God bless her for sharing the wealth of her life path, as well as her fertile imagination and proof of resilience.

I read this book in about ten minutes, and came away feeling as though I had attended some sort of personal happiness seminar. Rowling uses her own hardships and struggles, and extols the positives she found in these. Her way of seeing the world flows through the pages and has given me a new viewpoint on my own struggles. I only wish I had been there when she delivered the speech, the atmosphere must have been electric! The book looks wonderful too, the many illustrations adding character and charm. A must read for Rowling fans, though I would heartily recommend it to anyone!

Great as a gift for a fan or as a gift to inspire.A short and very enjoyable read - but please note, you can read this online - this is simply for those that would like the speech presented in an aesthetically pleasing format.Good stocking filler!

This short lecture was to a class of recent graduates. It gives them pointers on how to live their lives and is based on the advice that JK Rowling would give to her 21year old self. It's not a self help book so don't let that put you off. It's very thought provoking. Only negative is the price but maybe that's because most of the money will go to charity?

I do like the book , however I thought it be a bit longer . It didn’t take long to read. Otherwise good and inspirational

This wonderful woman, though hugely successful (and most likely hugely wealthy) humbly offers words of immense wisdom to graduating students. As with all her published work, she uses humour and carefully chosen words to inspire, enlighten and captivate. I love this speech!