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Audacious Goals, Remarkable Results: How an Explorer, an Engineer and a Statesman shaped our Modern World
What do you do when someone tells you, “It can’t be done” ?
Here is the extraordinary story of three people — an explorer, an engineer and a statesman — who repeatedly proved critics and naysayers wrong. To them bullets, blizzards, fires, and floods were all part of a day’s work.
Roald Amundsen — the Norwegian explorer
Isambard Kingdom Brunel — the greatest engineer the world has ever seen
Teddy Roosevelt — the cowboy turned statesman
Audacious Goals, Remarkable Results reveals the outsized risks and setbacks each faced in their quest to change our world.
Diving into the triumphs that turned these everyday men into legendary champions, this book takes you up close and personal to the hardships and obstacles they encountered in bringing their greatest endeavors to life,
· Brunel’s Great Western Railway,
· Amundsen’s quest for the Northwest Passage and the South Pole, and
· Roosevelt’s epic construction of the Panama Canal.
This book is entertaining and fun to read. It shows the compelling nature of the three men and their stories, and puts you in the middle of the fray – revealing the flaws in all of the men and their plans, as they strive valiantly to make the world better.
If you like authors like Malcolm Gladwell, Bill Bryson, or David McCullough, you will love Borkan and Hirzel's unforgettable portrayals of the larger-than-life explorer, engineer and statesman highlighted in Audacious Goals, Remarkable Results.
Praise for this
" Audacious Goals Remarkable Results is shot through with what is rapidly becoming the authors’ trademark - high octane excitement in learning lessons from great people.” Stephen Scott-Fawcett, historian.
“Deeply fascinating. I found it gripping, exhilarating and inspiring.” Sir Ranulph Fiennes, world’s greatest living Polar explorer.
Wishing Shelf Book Awards for Non-Fiction (Bronze award)
Chanticleer International Book Awards for Insightful Non-Fiction
Here is the extraordinary story of three people — an explorer, an engineer and a statesman — who repeatedly proved critics and naysayers wrong. To them bullets, blizzards, fires, and floods were all part of a day’s work.
Roald Amundsen — the Norwegian explorer
Isambard Kingdom Brunel — the greatest engineer the world has ever seen
Teddy Roosevelt — the cowboy turned statesman
Audacious Goals, Remarkable Results reveals the outsized risks and setbacks each faced in their quest to change our world.
Diving into the triumphs that turned these everyday men into legendary champions, this book takes you up close and personal to the hardships and obstacles they encountered in bringing their greatest endeavors to life,
· Brunel’s Great Western Railway,
· Amundsen’s quest for the Northwest Passage and the South Pole, and
· Roosevelt’s epic construction of the Panama Canal.
This book is entertaining and fun to read. It shows the compelling nature of the three men and their stories, and puts you in the middle of the fray – revealing the flaws in all of the men and their plans, as they strive valiantly to make the world better.
If you like authors like Malcolm Gladwell, Bill Bryson, or David McCullough, you will love Borkan and Hirzel's unforgettable portrayals of the larger-than-life explorer, engineer and statesman highlighted in Audacious Goals, Remarkable Results.
Praise for this
" Audacious Goals Remarkable Results is shot through with what is rapidly becoming the authors’ trademark - high octane excitement in learning lessons from great people.” Stephen Scott-Fawcett, historian.
“Deeply fascinating. I found it gripping, exhilarating and inspiring.” Sir Ranulph Fiennes, world’s greatest living Polar explorer.
Wishing Shelf Book Awards for Non-Fiction (Bronze award)
Chanticleer International Book Awards for Insightful Non-Fiction
256 pages, Paperback
Published July 24, 2021
10 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Brad Borkan
11 books8 followersBrad Borkan has a lifelong interest in how people and businesses survive, and thrive, in almost impossible situations. Brad is co-author of two books.
The first is the award-winning book: When Your Life Depends on It: Extreme Decision Making Lessons from the Antarctic. Listed in the Top 100 Best Decision Making Books of All Time, the book puts the reader right into the action of the life-and-death decisions made by early explorers. In it, he reveals unparalleled lessons in leadership, teamwork, and the sheer determination that can help all of us make better decisions in life.
His second book, Audacious Goals, Remarkable Results: How an Explorer, an Engineer and a Statesman Shaped our Modern World, focuses on six epic achievements made by three extraordinary people, one of whom is Theodore Roosevelt. It explains the mindset needed to make a monumental impact.
Brad is an author and lecturer who has travelled to all seven continents. He has presented at business and Antarctic conferences, on cable TV in the US, and as a guest on podcasts and internet radio programs. He previously worked for SAP. Originally from the US, and now based in London, Brad was honored to be made a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
The book is co-authored with David Hirzel, a California-based Antarctic historian. The website for their books is www.extreme-decisions.com.
The first is the award-winning book: When Your Life Depends on It: Extreme Decision Making Lessons from the Antarctic. Listed in the Top 100 Best Decision Making Books of All Time, the book puts the reader right into the action of the life-and-death decisions made by early explorers. In it, he reveals unparalleled lessons in leadership, teamwork, and the sheer determination that can help all of us make better decisions in life.
His second book, Audacious Goals, Remarkable Results: How an Explorer, an Engineer and a Statesman Shaped our Modern World, focuses on six epic achievements made by three extraordinary people, one of whom is Theodore Roosevelt. It explains the mindset needed to make a monumental impact.
Brad is an author and lecturer who has travelled to all seven continents. He has presented at business and Antarctic conferences, on cable TV in the US, and as a guest on podcasts and internet radio programs. He previously worked for SAP. Originally from the US, and now based in London, Brad was honored to be made a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
The book is co-authored with David Hirzel, a California-based Antarctic historian. The website for their books is www.extreme-decisions.com.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 11, 2022
*** Four and a half shiny stars
A fascinating and exhaustively-researched narrative on the lives and accomplishments of three men - Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Theodore Roosevelt, and Roald Amundsen - whose leadership, vision, decisions and drive propelled them to complete two historically “bold undertakings” each, in total completing six projects of global and persistent impact.
Audacious goals indeed.
Focusing on the exploits of the three men, the authors manage to strike a tone as entertaining as it is informative - leaving this reader with a head-brimming with incredibly interesting historical stories centering on breath-taking cataclysmic change, along with the personalities, forces, focus and skillsets that needed to align, (in a time, place and historical context), to allow for its successful creation.
With a single-mindedness that can also be seen to be somewhat disturbing, (which I found to be particularly true for Roosevelt, but also present in the revelations surrounding each of the men), it’s clear that the compunction to drive change at this level may also be seen to tinker with one’s moral compass. (If you share the mindset of this reader, in that the ends do not definitively always justify the means).
Without giving too much away (you will need to read this beautifully-detailed book to find out more), the people and projects discussed include:
- Isambard Kingdom Brunel - (1820 and beyond) an engineer, of remarkable insight, whose passion and skill led to the development of the modern passenger railway system, as well as the first tunnel engineered under a free flowing river (the Thames).
- Theodore Roosevelt - (1901 and beyond) - the force behind the final successful bid to construct the Panama Canal as well as the foundation for the US National Park and Forest systems and National Bird, Wildlife and Game Preserves.
(The Game preserves, were undoubtedly a commendable achievement, even though, unfortunately, Roosevelt, an avid hunter, may have had less than admirable motives underpinning his interest in this area).
- Ronald Amundsen - (1897 and beyond) a Norwegian explorer, whose fascination with polar exploration from a young age sparked his accomplishments as the first human to reach the South Pole (1911-1912) as well as his successful hunt for the Northwest Passage.
A great big thank you to the author(s) and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.
A fascinating and exhaustively-researched narrative on the lives and accomplishments of three men - Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Theodore Roosevelt, and Roald Amundsen - whose leadership, vision, decisions and drive propelled them to complete two historically “bold undertakings” each, in total completing six projects of global and persistent impact.
Audacious goals indeed.
Focusing on the exploits of the three men, the authors manage to strike a tone as entertaining as it is informative - leaving this reader with a head-brimming with incredibly interesting historical stories centering on breath-taking cataclysmic change, along with the personalities, forces, focus and skillsets that needed to align, (in a time, place and historical context), to allow for its successful creation.
With a single-mindedness that can also be seen to be somewhat disturbing, (which I found to be particularly true for Roosevelt, but also present in the revelations surrounding each of the men), it’s clear that the compunction to drive change at this level may also be seen to tinker with one’s moral compass. (If you share the mindset of this reader, in that the ends do not definitively always justify the means).
Without giving too much away (you will need to read this beautifully-detailed book to find out more), the people and projects discussed include:
- Isambard Kingdom Brunel - (1820 and beyond) an engineer, of remarkable insight, whose passion and skill led to the development of the modern passenger railway system, as well as the first tunnel engineered under a free flowing river (the Thames).
- Theodore Roosevelt - (1901 and beyond) - the force behind the final successful bid to construct the Panama Canal as well as the foundation for the US National Park and Forest systems and National Bird, Wildlife and Game Preserves.
(The Game preserves, were undoubtedly a commendable achievement, even though, unfortunately, Roosevelt, an avid hunter, may have had less than admirable motives underpinning his interest in this area).
- Ronald Amundsen - (1897 and beyond) a Norwegian explorer, whose fascination with polar exploration from a young age sparked his accomplishments as the first human to reach the South Pole (1911-1912) as well as his successful hunt for the Northwest Passage.
A great big thank you to the author(s) and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.
August 12, 2022
This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Audacious Goals, Remarkable Results: How an Explorer, an Engineer and a Statesman shaped our Modern World
Author: Brad Borkan and David Hirzel
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 15
Stats
Editing: 9/10
Writing Style: 10/10
Content: 9/10
Cover: 5/5
Of the 15 readers:
15 would read another book by this author.
15 thought the cover was good or excellent.
15 felt it was easy to follow.
15 would recommend this book to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 6 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘subject knowledge’.
Of all the readers, 6 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
Of all the readers, 3 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘clarity of message’.
15 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
15 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
“A short, concise read, but enthralling, nevertheless. The authors seem to know the history of the three men well and show skill in putting over what they did and how they did it in an easy to follow way. As a motivational tool, this is excellent. So, if you happen to want to know how and why successful people did what they did, this book is for you.” Male reader, aged 63
“The world is full of people trying to be the best. This book looks at three men who got there. Not only is it insightful, it´s also well-written and utterly compelling. Helped along by a small number of illustrations, this is a fantastic tool for entrepreneurs.” Female reader, aged 39
“This is a fun, informative read. The authors do an excellent job of putting across the drive of the three men, and how they got to where they did. I would recommend this to anybody looking for a little inspiration. Just a pity they couldn´t find a women to go along with them.” Female reader, aged 40
To Sum It Up:
‘A fascinating insight into three extraordinary men. A BRONZE MEDAL WINNER and highly recommended!’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Title: Audacious Goals, Remarkable Results: How an Explorer, an Engineer and a Statesman shaped our Modern World
Author: Brad Borkan and David Hirzel
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 15
Stats
Editing: 9/10
Writing Style: 10/10
Content: 9/10
Cover: 5/5
Of the 15 readers:
15 would read another book by this author.
15 thought the cover was good or excellent.
15 felt it was easy to follow.
15 would recommend this book to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 6 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘subject knowledge’.
Of all the readers, 6 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘writing style’.
Of all the readers, 3 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘clarity of message’.
15 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
15 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
“A short, concise read, but enthralling, nevertheless. The authors seem to know the history of the three men well and show skill in putting over what they did and how they did it in an easy to follow way. As a motivational tool, this is excellent. So, if you happen to want to know how and why successful people did what they did, this book is for you.” Male reader, aged 63
“The world is full of people trying to be the best. This book looks at three men who got there. Not only is it insightful, it´s also well-written and utterly compelling. Helped along by a small number of illustrations, this is a fantastic tool for entrepreneurs.” Female reader, aged 39
“This is a fun, informative read. The authors do an excellent job of putting across the drive of the three men, and how they got to where they did. I would recommend this to anybody looking for a little inspiration. Just a pity they couldn´t find a women to go along with them.” Female reader, aged 40
To Sum It Up:
‘A fascinating insight into three extraordinary men. A BRONZE MEDAL WINNER and highly recommended!’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
April 13, 2022
I really enjoy reading non-fiction books and anything to do with goals or challenges, so I jumped at the chance to take part on the blog tour for this book.
Audacious Goals, Remarkable Results looks at how three people tackled challenges, achieved their goals and helped to shape the world that we live in today.
The first person that we meet is the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel and how he overcame huge obstacles to build among other things the Thames Tunnel, which revolutionised the way we travel today. The second person we learn about is the politician Theodore Roosevelt who became President of the United States in 1901. The final person is the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen.
I really enjoyed the way in which you learn the history behind each person and that it makes you think about how each one tackled their own challenge. I also liked the structure of the book, each section gives you the history and lots of detail and then ends with information about how they dealt with goals, challenges or problems.
The book makes you see challenges in a completely different light. I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys non fiction and books about goals or self-improvement. This is a fascinating and inspiring book that I would give five stars to.
Audacious Goals, Remarkable Results looks at how three people tackled challenges, achieved their goals and helped to shape the world that we live in today.
The first person that we meet is the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel and how he overcame huge obstacles to build among other things the Thames Tunnel, which revolutionised the way we travel today. The second person we learn about is the politician Theodore Roosevelt who became President of the United States in 1901. The final person is the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen.
I really enjoyed the way in which you learn the history behind each person and that it makes you think about how each one tackled their own challenge. I also liked the structure of the book, each section gives you the history and lots of detail and then ends with information about how they dealt with goals, challenges or problems.
The book makes you see challenges in a completely different light. I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys non fiction and books about goals or self-improvement. This is a fascinating and inspiring book that I would give five stars to.
January 17, 2022
Astoundingly interesting
A very well researched and well written book. Learned a lot of about the 3 men featured , their ideas, their perseverance, their inventiveness. I never really understood why Theodore Roosevelt was on Mount Rushmore, I understand now. I did not know Roosevelt was the first sitting president to leave the country which he did because he wanted to oversee the building of the Panama Canal.
These men were definitely responsible for being leaders in their fields, and built things that have stood the test of time
Definitely the best book I have read this year
A very well researched and well written book. Learned a lot of about the 3 men featured , their ideas, their perseverance, their inventiveness. I never really understood why Theodore Roosevelt was on Mount Rushmore, I understand now. I did not know Roosevelt was the first sitting president to leave the country which he did because he wanted to oversee the building of the Panama Canal.
These men were definitely responsible for being leaders in their fields, and built things that have stood the test of time
Definitely the best book I have read this year
March 17, 2022
If you have not read anything on the stories of Roosevelt and Shackleton then this is a great introduction their greatness. However, it doesn't link them together in a new way, nor does it provide enough new facts to warrant a five-star grade.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews