How to Become Famous, Cass R. Sunstein
How to Become Famous, Cass R. Sunstein
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

How to Become Famous
Lost Einsteins, Forgotten Superstars, and How the Beatles Came to Be

Author: Cass R. Sunstein

Narrator: Tom Beyer

Unabridged: 7 hr 45 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Ascent Audio

Published: 05/21/2024


Synopsis

It's hard to imagine our world without its stars and celebrity geniuses—they become a part of our culture and history, seeming permanent and preordained. But as Cass Sunstein shows in this startling book, that is far from the case. Focusing on both famous and forgotten (or simply overlooked) artists and luminaries in music, literature, business, science, politics, and other fields, he explores why some individuals become famous and others don't and offers a new understanding of the role of greatness, luck, and contingency in the achievement of fame.

First, Sunstein examines recent research—on informational cascades, power laws, network effects, and group polarization—to probe the question of how people become famous. He explores what ends up in the history books, in the great religious texts, and in the literary canon—and how that changes radically over time. He delves into the rich and entertaining stories of a diverse cast of famous characters, from John Keats, William Blake, and Jane Austen to Bob Dylan, Ayn Rand, and Stan Lee—as well as John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

How to Become Famous takes you on a fun, captivating, and at times profound journey that will forever change your perspective on the latest celebrity's "fifteen minutes," the nature of memory, success and failure in business, and our enduring fascination with fame.

About Cass R. Sunstein

Cass R. Sunstein is the Robert Walmsley University Professor at Harvard Law School. From 2009 to 2012, he was administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Since that time, he has served in the US government in several different roles. Adviser to many nations and international organizations, he is the author of Nudge (with Richard H. Thaler), Noise (with Daniel Kahneman and Olivier Sibony), The World According to Star Wars, and Wiser (with Reid Hastie).


Reviews

Goodreads review by simona.citeste on January 25, 2025

Nu prea mi-a plăcut, nu mi-a transmis mare lucru și n-am descoperit aici informații de păstrat sau idei interesante. Avem câteva povești care surprind personaje faimoase și ce a dus la reușita lor. Concluzia e că sunt foarte mulți factori care determină dacă ajungi sau nu faimos, adică nimic concret......more

Goodreads review by Jason on June 16, 2024

I like to read books by my friends. But Cass writes more quickly than I can read. I confess that I only read this one out of guilt because he handed me a copy that he had just purchased for me at full price in a bookstore. But I'm really glad I did. In lieu of a review I'm pasting the email I sent to......more

Goodreads review by Tamalee (TheKnittingGoose) on May 12, 2024

I thought it was really interesting to read and I learned a lot about famous people and people who aren’t as well known. Mary Brunton, for example, wrote books around the same time as Jane Austen was and yet her name has faded into obscurity. I’m really glad I won the giveaway for this book.......more

Goodreads review by Chuck on May 27, 2024

Intriguing and entertaining theories on why certain people become famous and most don’t. No easy way and luck are governing forces at work. Learned about some fascinating people who were or weren’t famous and why Cass Sunstein is one of my favorites......more

Goodreads review by Daniel on September 28, 2024

How to become famous? Have lots of luck, reasonably good talent, meet the right people, have cult-like followers, dedicated advocates, and lots of luck. The talent can be socioculturally determined thus never fixed; the right people are only right for specific talents; cults are determined by the cu......more