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Wake Up and Live!  By  cover art

Wake Up and Live!

By: Dorothea Brande
Narrated by: Mitch Horowitz
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Publisher's summary

Born in Chicago, Dorothea Brande (1893-1948) was a widely respected journalist, fiction writer, and writing instructor. Brande is widely known for her enduring guide to the creative process, Becoming a Writer, originally published in 1934 and still popular today. In 1936, Brande published a masterwork of practical psychology, Wake Up and Live!

The book entered more than 34 printings and sold over 1,000,000 copies. For many years, Wake Up and Live!, with its simple and sound advice for personal excellence, rivaled the popularity of contemporaneous works such as Think and Grow Rich and How to Win Friends and Influence People. This classic of self-improvement is now available on audio with this new edition.

©2013 Dorothea Brande (P)2013 Gildan Media LLC

Critic reviews

"Eminently sensible and practical." ( The New York Times Book Review)

What listeners say about Wake Up and Live!

Average customer ratings
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    5 out of 5 stars

Inspirational Book, Excellent Audio

Would you listen to Wake Up and Live! again? Why?

This book is a wonderful inspiration. After applying it's main premise upon completion of the audio, I overcame various obstacles that normally stop me throughout the day. One in particular included simply doing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen. You don't have to believe me, but at least give this book a try. Those interested in personality types, MBTI for example, will enjoy this book. She appeals to all temperaments and will encourage you to overcome being unmotivated, lethargic, and inert. Look at me, for the first time ever, I have written a review on a website.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Dorothea Brande's ideas in this book are very original and unique. This book serves as an inspiration to others, including Steven Pressfield's The War of Art and Turning Pro. I found Steven's book intriguing, his idea of Resistance, compares to Dorothea's idea of "Will to Fail". However, I felt as if something were missing from Steven's work, and I found it in Dorothea's Wake and Live. This book also reminded me of the movie "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, 2013".

What about Mitch Horowitz’s performance did you like?

Mitch Horowitz did very well reading the audio. He does not have a strong accent, nor does he regularly make distracting noises during the text. Every once and a while you can hear what sounds like swallowing, but thankfully it wasn't too intrusive and the reading flowed naturally. Gildan media made a great production.

What did you learn from Wake Up and Live! that you would use in your daily life?

Ms. Brande's book taught me the importance of observing myself using my conscious awareness and to use my active imagination to bring about change. This book resounds well with the work of Maxwell Maltz, Psycho-Cybernetics. The remedies/exercises she provides are well rounded and deeply moving. I am grateful to have been guided to this book.

Any additional comments?

There are tons of self help books and personal development books that exist. Besides regularly reading the Holy Scriptures daily (try the New World Translation-Revised Edition), this book, Maxwell Maltz' Psycho-Cybernetics, and David Seabury's The Art of Selfishness, have had the most profound impact on my life. I am an INFJ personality type and sometimes struggle to be motivated and manifest my dreams. I have overcome these obstacles from the inspiration of the above mentioned books. For a practical guide on harnessing your life's energy and restoring health, try Dr. Robert Fulford's Touch of Life. I hope these books assist you in your life's journey!

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16 people found this helpful

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Life Changing Read !!

I am she as she is me as we are all together! Guided by the spirit of my new mentor, Dorothea Brande. ❤️

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5 people found this helpful

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Enlightening and ...

This is one I may pick up in print. There were point that could have been simplified and not so redundant. Overall, I enjoyed the content and author's message.

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3 people found this helpful

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Loveeeeee this book

I love the message in this book and will be applying immediately. I will be listening to this book everyday. Although I wish they would have got a female voice to read, thru the words I was still able to hear her voice in my head. I recommend this book to anyone who is working on mastering their mind and becoming more disciplined.

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2 people found this helpful

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Life Changing

I listen to it every few months. A bit dated but 99% still revelation to success.

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For those who are willing to think for themselves

The message: Grow up (don't be a "poor crying childish ("infantile" as the author puts it) baby, ACT (take action) keeping in mind that failure is not an option.

At times, the author goes into subjects and matters that are beyond the ordinary average reader. This is when this reader could "stretch the envelope" of their knowledge, go the extra mile and learn (look things up) what the author is writing about.

This book is for those who are willing to think for themselves. Those who are used to having everything "pre-chewed" for them and who seem to feel "entitled" to having someone else think for them are advised to look elsewhere.

Don't be a baby and ACT AS IF you can not fail!

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Great message!

The 12 disciplines at the end of the book was a suprise. I love when a book provides activities for the reader to practice in order to obtain the full effect of the message.

Reader was great! The free version of this book on YouTube is horrible. Spend your money on this, it is well worth it!

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Life principles --no matter the era

wonderful life principles and philosophical discussion. only reason I didn't give it five stars, is because the content is a little dated, though much of it still applies in today's modern world. I definitely had a few ah-ha moments and inspirations.

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  • AM
  • 09-27-16

Why is a man reading a woman's story?

Are there no women to read a woman's story? Mismatched and sterile and boring. I'm disappointed.

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A Classic...

I'm not a big fan of Hillary Hawkins narration, but the text is a classic of the Law of Attraction genre.

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1 person found this helpful