From Simms to Zanzibar--What They Didn't Tell Me About Success in High School and I Didn't Know to Ask

by Lynn Garrett McLeod

What would you do if you were ready to embark on your latest adventure, a sailing trip off the coast of Australia, and you discover an email inviting you to give the commencement address at your high school, half a world away in Texas in one week? Most people would immediately dismiss the possibility as totally impractical; for Lynn McLeod, it was another potential adventure....she just couldn t physically get there in seven days. She hoped she would be invited back ... and she was. Meet and grow up with Lynn Garrett McLeod. Abandoned by her birth-mother at nine months old, taken by the welfare authorities, and later kidnapped by her father and grandfather to bring her home, she s the perfect model for someone who feels that life is too difficult, just not fair and mostly, the pits. With a mixture of humor and warmth, Lynn weaves together the personal stories and professional experiences in her pursuit of Success that she shared with a James Bowie High School graduating class in Simms, Texas, when she was invited to speak at their commencement ceremony as an alumna of the school. You will cheer her journey as she acquires an education, achieves success in the business world against the odds of her chaotic upbringing, and becomes a world-class adventurer, exploring the wilds of Africa and surviving a near-death experience while backpacking in Argentina. Success is not a birthright... Find your passion, live your dream...Education was the pathway to the quality of life that I enjoy...Give yourself permission to fail; you haven t stopped breathing yet... From Simms to Zanzibar recently won 2 awards in the USA Book News Contest.

168 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2010

Reviews

[Jeff Dickison]

A motivational book that is basically autobiographical in nature. The text come from her life as a poor girl in Texas who overcame her problems and became a respected business woman. Included is her commencement speech to her high school in Simms, Texas, given in 2002. The author is the older sister of a singer/entertainer in Branson, Missouri who she did not know existed until he was eight years old. Go see his show and buy her book.

[Susannah Gist]

Great inspirational life story! Full of great advice and quotes for the young and old in your journey to success in life.