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Driven from Within

4.23 of 5 stars 4.23 · rating details · 508 ratings · 53 reviews

Michael Jordan is the rare global icon whose celebrity extends beyond his original stage and onto multiple platforms.His relentless determination produced six NBA Championships and some of the most spectacular performances in sports history, while his enduring grace and unique sense of style made him equally famous in the worlds of fashion, business and marketing.

In "Drive...more

Paperback, 205 pages

Published November 21st 2006 by Atria Books

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May 06, 2010 Mr. Z rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: a-classroom-library, sports-and-hobbies, biography-autobiography-memoirs

"Our culture needs to see examples. You can hear about how somebody played, or read about the best way to achieve success, but people need to see examples. Until they see, they won't do."

MJ was one of the greatest basketball players to play the game, and his trademark Air Jordans have made him one of the richest athletes to play any sport. From reading this book, you get the impression that none of his success has to do with lucky breaks. He sets goals that get bigger and bigger with each succes...more

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Sep 23, 2009 Douglas rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: biographies, self-improvement

I was curious to learn about what drove Michael Jordan internally to accomplish everything in his career.

The book is very straightforward and chronological. I really liked how they weaved commentary from Michael Jordan, Tinker Hatfield (The designer of the Jordan Shoes) and other people into the book.

Tinker Hatfield did a great job explaining much of what went into each Jordan shoe ranging from events happening in Jordan's life, to changing the material to increase the basketball shoe durabili...more

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Jan 07, 2010 Ramiro rated it 4 of 5 stars

i thought the way this book was put together was exceptional. every page had artwork on it, a few pages were nothing but art, multiple fold outs, differnt fonts throughout, and perspectives from a multitude of people that were (and still are) very close to MJ.

i've never been a fan of MJ (i know hard to believe). i've always been a die hard Laker fan, and could never find myself a fan of anyone (MJ included) that beat the lakers. after reading this book, i do have a new found respect for the man,...more

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Dec 12, 2011 Judah Oechsle rated it 5 of 5 stars

After reading this book 4 times, I can safely say that it is my favorite book of all time. Michael Jordan is the greatest to ever play the game, and his story is great. He put in so much work, had amazing confidence, and is an inspiration to all who enjoy basketball. I loved that it not only talked about the come-up of Michael as a player, but also Michael as a brand. The Jordan Brand is huge and his shoes have become iconic. The book gave an inside look at each of the signature shoes along with...more

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Dec 21, 2008 Jayson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: people who like basketball and people looking for someone as an inspiration to be successful

Shelves: advisory-books

Driven From Within
By Michael Jordan
205 pages New York, NY
Ataria Books.
ISBN-10: 0-7432-8400-3

Flying through the air as he dunks the ball. Michael Jordan the basketball player who transcended the sport, his story is told through this novel. This was a good book because the person who went through all these things writes the book and it gives you a very different perspective. Have you ever wanted to interview someone who is very famous and someone you look up to? By reading this book it is almost...more Driven From Within
By Michael Jordan
205 pages New York, NY
Ataria Books.
ISBN-10: 0-7432-8400-3

Flying through the air as he dunks the ball. Michael Jordan the basketball player who transcended the sport, his story is told through this novel. This was a good book because the person who went through all these things writes the book and it gives you a very different perspective. Have you ever wanted to interview someone who is very famous and someone you look up to? By reading this book it is almost like I was sitting down with Michael Jordan himself and having an interview.
This novel isn’t just the story about Michael Jordan’s rise to the top, it shows that he is also a regular person like us. In the story, he talks about things in his life. Reading this novel makes him seem more human than what we are use to seeing on the television. He has bad days and good days, which is something we can all relate to. In this book he talks about losing his father, I’ve had to deal with some losses as well, and very recently. I know how it feels when you lose someone who is close to you- I lost one of my best friends in an accident. He also spoke about his teenage years and dealing with grades and parents. I can relate to how his parents were strict and wanted to discipline him. He says even if you don’t agree with them in that time you will find out that they only want the best for you and that is great to hear especially from someone like him.
Something else that I found very interesting from this book is a theme that kept on coming up. Jordan speaks about what makes someone great and not just in basketball, but also in life. He keeps on talking about being different. I thought that was important because he says that people now try to be like him instead of being themselves. He says that he became great because he didn’t try to copy anyone; he started new trends and things that people follow until this very day. For example now, everyone who plays basketball wears shorts that are baggier unlike back then in the 80’s. He started that, and another thing that he changed is how people view and wear sneaker. Before Jordan’s came out nobody put that much colors on their sneakers, now everyone likes colors on their sneakers, and they wear them not just for sports but for style. That is what made him great he didn’t care about what people say he was going to do things his way. He took new ideas and he ran with it and you know what people followed.
Like Michael Jordan’s thinking this book in a way reflects that in the sense that it doesn’t look like other books. The writing style with the font and the designs and the pictures is really different. Throughout the book there isn’t just one font size there are changes in font and also the color of the word to emphasize a point. Which is great because it really makes things stand out. The pictures that they show are also amazing. They show these pictures of the design of his shoes and you can see the thought process of the designers. They also put very artistic drawings that reflect Jordan’s life in that point in the book. Not only does the writing tell a story but the pictures do as well.
This is a good book to read especially if you are interested in Michael Jordan’s life. This novel is also good for people who are athletes because he doesn’t give away his secrets in basketball but he gives you good advice on many things. His story shows another side of him and is something interesting to read as you learn about one of the greatest athletes ever.

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Apr 27, 2012 Nate Carlson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Driven from with in By micheal Jordan guides you through his life and his amazing NBA carrer. His dedication to basketball and his desire to be great prove that with hard work you can acheive anything. I thought this was a very inspiring book. I loved how some of the parts of the book where written by family member or co workers at Brand Jordan. It showed you how much recpect they had for Micheal and all that he had acccomplished. In my opinion Micheal Jordans life exemplifies the american dream...more

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May 11, 2009 Jonathan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 12th-grade-reading

Being a big NBA fan, reading this book about Michael Jordan's philosophies and values was a must. I wanted to read something related to sports and came across this book about Jordan. I already know that Michael Jordan is considered to be among the best players of all time. What I did not know was how Jordan came to be, what motivated him, where his values were, etc. This book was short but made of numerous quotes by Jordan himeself.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is a sports fan bec...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Kelvin added it

The book that I read was Driven from Within by Michael Jordan a great book for all basketball player and basketball fans. I started reading this book 2 years ago when my sister bought it from a library in Virginia. When my sister stopped reading it, she put it away and I decided to read it. I was interested in this book because I thought that Michael Jordan was the best basketball player of all time, and he still is. I’m interest in his shoes and in his life that he made before him finished his...more The book that I read was Driven from Within by Michael Jordan a great book for all basketball player and basketball fans. I started reading this book 2 years ago when my sister bought it from a library in Virginia. When my sister stopped reading it, she put it away and I decided to read it. I was interested in this book because I thought that Michael Jordan was the best basketball player of all time, and he still is. I’m interest in his shoes and in his life that he made before him finished his career. Michael Jordan’s book describes his life from the beginning to the end of this career and he made many great quotes in this book.

When Michael Jordan was a famous basketball player Jordan said “I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” Michael fails a lot of times in his life and he didn’t give up and tried and tried again and was successful in life. He lost lots of games that were very important and didn’t have up and was successful the second time around.

Jordan’s words “Don't let them drag you down by rumors just go with what you believe in.” in this quote he said that to not let people tell you things that will make you not want to do what you really want and believe in. Michael believed that he could become a famous basketball player and could be something in life. Some people believed in him and some people didn’t and Jordan didn’t listen to them because he knows that he was good. This book was nice because it has comments from teammates and people who worked will him and they wrote things about he and wrote he it felt to work will him and how he was when he is not playing basketball. Michael also talked about then and how it felt to play with them.

I think that Michael’s best quote that he made was “What is love? Love is playing every game as if it's your last!” is a great quote that he made because saying that love is playing every game as if it was his last game in the NBA. He loved the NBA and stop playing it; he was a legend in the NBA also a player and as a people. Michael liked everyone around him to people even kids, he was in a lot of kid shows but more in a cartoon called Looney Tunes. Michael’s book talks about a lot of things about him loving his job and entertaining his fans from kids to fans that have been watching him for a long time. Michael loved lots of people and lots of people loved him.

I recommend this book to all basketball fans and people who are a fan of Michael Jordan. I think that they should find this book and read it because it has many great quotes that will influents people like young basketball players who want to be like Jordan. Jordan’s book is a basically about his life and how he was the best basketball player of all time. He is so important to all basketball player and fans that should learn from he and read his quotes that he made in his whole life in the NBA and in life. I believe that the people who want to learn and listen to his quotes are people who want been something in life. He is the best basketball player of all time and will influents people so they want be like him.
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Aug 02, 2012 Jeremy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: basketball, biography

Beautiful volume with relevant artwork woven in to the story. It's obviously not an unbiased view, but the book does give a glimpse into Michael Jordan. Many things are admirable, especially his work ethic and discipline. Other things are interesting, like his ability to compartmentalize and his meticulous attention to detail. Some things are curious, since it feels like Michael didn't have to apologize to others as much as others had to apologize to Michael. Overall, enjoyable for a basketball...more

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May 31, 2012 Dashad rated it 5 of 5 stars

This man has accomplished so much through his years of playing basketball and has set goals he knew would take hard work sweat and tears to complete. Jordan knew with size as a kid he had to out work everything he went up against to have a chance of being the best on and off the court and he did it by having a mind set that he was going to become the best basketball player in the world. Jordan has left the game but hasn't gone far from the game he has a brand shoe out and is the GM of the Charlo...more

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May 11, 2010 Ice rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: afro-american, sports, basketball

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Michael Jordan is the rare global icon whose celebrity extends beyond his original stage and onto multiple platforms.

His relentless determination produced six NBA Championships and some of the most spectacular performances in sports history, while his enduring grace and unique sense of style made him equally famous in the worlds of fashion, business and marketing.

In Driven from Within, Michael makes it clear that the basis for his phenomenal success came from the inside out, thanks in part to th...more

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Aug 20, 2011 Bill rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: basketball

I was expecting not to like this book much, and the first few pages confirmed it -- Jordan has a thinly veiled confident arrogance that made him the G.O.A.T. as a player, but makes him insufferable to read! He's a fascinating subject for good writers, but he hasn't much of a telent for autobiography. But the concept of the book turned out to be interesting (parallel accounts of Jordan's life/career and the design of each of the Jordan shoes), and the input from all his associates was a good feat...more

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Apr 24, 2009 Ernest rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book explains on how Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player ever. It starts with him creating his first shoe to winning championships to retiring to go play baseball and then coming back to the NBA to win another championship. What really inspires about him is that he was so great and famous but yet humble. I love collecting his sneakers because it shows Jordan's creative side on making the shoes. They can be really expensive but their definitely worth the cost.

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Jun 18, 2012 Lola rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have always been a fan of Michael, not only because of his impeccable reputation but because of my fascination with his work ethic. I thought this book would give me a little insight, and it did just that and much more! So inspirational; I wanted to soak in every word. I sat down and devoured the whole book in one sitting. Would recommend to anyone since his drive can be incorporated into any aspect of life.

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Oct 09, 2012 Jondarius Brown marked it as to-read

I can safely say that it is my favorite book of all time. Michael Jordan is the greatest to ever play the game, and his story is great. He put in so much work, had amazing confidence, and is an inspiration to all who enjoy basketball. I loved that it not only talked about the come-up of Michael as a player, but also Michael as a brand. The Jordan Brand is huge and his shoes have become iconic.

like · see review

Dec 30, 2012 Morris Bankston rated it 4 of 5 stars

Good Bulls stories and insights overall. The book is a little redundant towards the end and the details about gym shoe designs become overkill at a certain point. But what makes this book still a good read is the insight from MJs mom provides about MJ. You gain a tremendous amount of respect for Michael Jordan's parents reading this book.

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Jun 12, 2012 Nelson-buddha rated it 5 of 5 stars

All in all its a great book about Micheal Jordan's career and what kept him motivated through the highlights of his career. The book also reveals his cheap nature, touches on the subject of his addiction to gambling and the thought process behind his Jordan line of Sneakers.

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Jun 08, 2008 Yung rated it 2 of 5 stars

There is no one in sports that I love more than MJ, being a Bulls fan. I still love Michael, but this book was a supreme disappointment. it is an all too detailed history of the design and sales success of his shoes and newer clothing line, and also includes Michael's passages about being determined and "driven". If you really want to learn about MJ, I would suggest Playing for Keeps by David Halberstam or The Golden Boys by Cameron Stauth, which profiles the members of the 1992 Olympic Dream Te...more

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Feb 26, 2013 Winter Owens rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was great! I should have read it a long time ago. Plan on using lots of stuff from this book in my classroom. Great marketing tips and there is some great information that can be turned into some powerful quotes/messages.

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Sep 05, 2012 Clarence Mitchell rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Great insight on his early life. And if you bought a lot of his shoes and still have a lot (like I do) you'll definitely love how he came up with the concept of them, shoe by shoe

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Jan 19, 2011 Kbennett2 rated it 5 of 5 stars

If you want to learn how to bounce back from your mistakes and learn how to never gove up on your dreams and you love the game of baskteball well then this is the book for you.

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Dec 12, 2008 Jeff rated it 3 of 5 stars

It was an easy read that I enjoyed simply because it was Michael Jordan. It wasn't terribly in depth but it gave a little behind the scenes with the work he did as a basketball player and a businessman with Nike.

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Aug 15, 2010 Eli Woodford rated it 3 of 5 stars

I learned very little about his life from this book but it did have a lot of interesting photos showing the way he lives and the style of his play

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Jan 02, 2013 Chris added it

This was a great book, especially if your a fan of Michael Jordan it doesn't only tell you about his life and what he went through but it also motivates readers to want to be able to do more with their selves it also make them thing of things on other levels. This book teaches me not to dream because dreams will only slow me down by making my mind think that i'm going to accomplish a goal and instead of dreaming just do it. This book is however full of pictures of mj's greatest achievements.By t...more

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Dec 05, 2009 Brooklyn Teen-central rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, sports, basketball

Reviewed by John- Baptiste, 16 yrs

Liked how Jordan explained the passion and ideas behind the creation of each sneaker.

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Nov 29, 2009 Derek Neighbors rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jordan proves that talent had little to do with his rise to success. He was clearly the hardest working guy in the NBA.

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Sep 01, 2010 Khalid rated it 5 of 5 stars

Truly an amazing book and one of my favorites and i would reccomend to anyone who asks.

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Jun 07, 2009 Loren rated it 4 of 5 stars

I never liked Jordan much, but in retrospect I appreciate his work.

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Jun 20, 2008 David rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is an amazingly well laid out book in terms of graphic design. The story of MJ would be fascinating to anyone. So even non-basketball fans or even non-sports fans can read this. It is the normal triumph over adversity book.

This is a great book to read at those points in your life when you think that it can't get any worse. You will be left with a feeling of "If he can do it so can I". The book brings back MJ to the mortal realm just enough that you feel you can do it to. However, by the en...more

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Sep 20, 2010 Bhadshah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Awesome book.Anyone like basketball.Read this book or Else.

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About Michael Jordan

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads' database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a retired American professional basketball player and active businessman. His biography on the National Basketball Association (NBA) website states, "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time." Jordan was one of...more Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads' database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a retired American professional basketball player and active businessman. His biography on the National Basketball Association (NBA) website states, "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time." Jordan was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation and was instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s.

After a stand-out career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he led the Tar Heels to a National Championship in 1982, Jordan joined the NBA's Chicago Bulls in 1984. He quickly emerged as a league star, entertaining crowds with his prolific scoring. His leaping ability, illustrated by performing slam dunks from the free throw line at Slam Dunk Contests, earned him the nicknames "Air Jordan" and "His Airness". He also gained a reputation for being one of the best defensive players in basketball. In 1991, he won his first NBA championship with the Bulls, and followed that achievement with titles in 1992 and 1993, securing a "three-peat". Although Jordan abruptly retired from basketball at the beginning of the 1993–94 NBA season to pursue a career in baseball, he rejoined the Bulls in 1995 and led them to three additional championships (1996, 1997, and 1998) as well as an NBA-record 72 regular-season wins in the 1995–96 season. Jordan retired for a second time in 1999, but returned for two more NBA seasons in 2001 as a member of the Washington Wizards.

Jordan's individual accolades and accomplishments include five MVP awards, ten All-NBA First Team designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, fourteen NBA All-Star Game appearances, three All-Star Game MVP awards, ten scoring titles, three steals titles, six NBA Finals MVP awards, and the 1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award. He holds the NBA records for highest career regular-season scoring average (30.12 points per game) and highest career playoff scoring average (33.4 points per game). In 1999, he was named the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century by ESPN, and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press's list of athletes of the century. He was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame on April 6, 2009 and will be inducted in September 2009.

Jordan is also noted for his product endorsements. He fueled the success of Nike's Air Jordan sneakers, which were introduced in 1985 and remain popular today. Jordan also starred in the 1996 feature film Space Jam. He is currently a part-owner and Managing Member of Basketball Operations of the Charlotte Bobcats in North Carolina.
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“If I had been playing for money I would have complained a long time ago that I was underpaid.” — 2 people liked it

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