• Start Where You Are

  • By: Chris Gardner
  • Narrated by: Andre Blake
  • Length: 5 hrs and 40 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (207 ratings)

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Start Where You Are  By  cover art

Start Where You Are

By: Chris Gardner
Narrated by: Andre Blake
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Editorial reviews

Chris Gardner, the real-life entrepreneur whose memoirs of struggling with homelessness to raise a son and eventually become a successful stockbroker was the basis for the movie The Pursuit of Happyness, presents a series of life lessons to help other prospective businesspeople to realize what they want to be and actualize that potential. Gardner recalls his success and the advice that spurned it, and how receiving lessons from others has made him feel that he should "pay it forward". Andre Blake performs Gardener's words in a steady and friendly tone, making the subject feel light and lofty goals seem attainable.

Publisher's summary

New York Times best-selling author Chris Gardner returns with a fantastic inspirational self-help book that hopes to provide direction in a time of great uncertainty.

If you've been dealing with the loss of a job or home, or have had a health or financial crisis, Start Where You Are abounds with lessons that offer hope and provide a road map for starting anew. This is also the ideal book for anyone ready to launch a personal or professional undertaking, or someone who simply wants to break through the cycles and thinking that have limited his or her potential in the past.

©2009 Chris Gardner (P)2009 HarperCollins Publishers

What listeners say about Start Where You Are

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Absolutely Amazing

I truly enjoyed this book and received many nuggets to launch my goals from. Chris Gardner is amazing.. 🙏🏽 Respect

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Great Book for Entrepreneurs

This is simply a great book for entrepreneurs and those in need of hope.
It inspired me greatly at a very pivotal moment in my life. I recommend this
book to any young man in America and around the world with a dream.
It is not just one of those many inspirational books but a practical guide to making it in life.

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1 person found this helpful

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Absolutely Awesome!!

Each chapter could easily be a daily or weekly motivational speech! Great book, great applicable tools, loved it!

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How to Proser in Good Times and in Bad Times

Tis book has helped me tremendously. Chris Gardner’s story is as American as apple pie. This book is like a tool kit in how to handle life’s enviable challenges. Whenever I feel stuck I always say: Start Where You Are!!

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Means what it says, says what it means.

Where does Start Where You Are rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

An excellent book- well organized into bite sized pieces, easy to digest, recall, and remember. A self-help book that tells it like it is with bits of wisdom we all may have heard, but NEED to hear once again in a clear and concise package.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Start Where You Are?

Chris meets Nelson Mandela. There were also some chapters that specifically addressed issues that I find myself needing to hear, especially- "the cavalry isn't coming" and a reminder that we are responsible for our own "Happyness".

What about Andre Blake’s performance did you like?

Slow, considered, with the right touch of feeling, but no drama where not required. It is apparent he considered the voice of the writer, along with a solid understanding of the content and the lessons it was mean to impart. A very difficult performance I am sure, stepping into Chris Gardner's shoes, however very well done by Mr. Blake.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Chris recalls the "best day of his life" when his daughter J. graduates, at the same time he becomes a Grandfather. He makes it personal and emotional when he explains how he got where he was, and he will "start again" where he is on a new phase of his life. This helps the lessons sink in- it is impossible not to trust Chris' advice considering his tremendous life experience and his own experience helping others personally get "unstuck" and get moving in their pursuits of Happyness.

Any additional comments?

I would recommend "Start Where You Are" to anyone at a crossroads in life, needing a slight kick in the pants or a little help being pointed in the right direction, or a little help getting your "Mojo" back. Chris Garner imparts the advice we all need from our wise, successful uncle- the one we don't have.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Baby Steps Count!

This book is inspiring and motivating. My wife purchased that book for me. You see, I have been kind of sitting on the sidelines waiting for a push to start a business of my own. I have thought that I was going to be laid off and was just waiting for that to happen so that I would go do my own thing. I will have to say that learning ALL the adversities that Chris had to overcome and learning the different Life Lesson illustrated in the book and how to apply them to your own life is what make this audio book "credit worthy" to me.

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9 people found this helpful

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Inspirational!

The only thing that could have made Chris Gardner's book better was him doing the narration. However, Andre Blake does an excellent job!

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gradebook very insightful. a lot of help

very good book lot of great helpful stories. I would recommend this book to others

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Very inspirational man

As I listen to this audiobook for the umpteenth time I can't help but be amazed at all the little tidbits of inspiration in nearly every chapter. Now I'm a big Chris Gardner fan, and I can't wait til his next book (if he has another one in him).

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Full of little golden nuggets

The flow of the book was spot on and the narrator was easy to follow!

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