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The Escape Artists book cover
The Escape Artists
True Stories of People Who Turned Their Obsessions Into Professions
2007
First Published
2.90
Average Rating
263
Number of Pages
What do a stand-up comedian, an extreme skier, a Navy SEAL, a minor league pitcher, a wilderness doctor, and a circus clown have in common? They are Escape Artists! For nine years, New York Times bestselling author Joshua Piven has been tracking down and interviewing alligator wrestlers, race car drivers, giant octopus hunters, animal trackers, and treasure hunters. What drives these escape artists to make job choices that are extraordinary, dangerous, or just plain wacky? They don't “drop out”; they embrace self-fulfillment and personal freedom as they craft a life on the road less traveled-and show all of us how to pursue our own dreams…if we dare. By following their journeys, you'll learn how you might be able to become an escape artist yourself-and leave the cubicle behind. You'll see how these intrepid adventurers avoided the trap of a job they hated; navigated the issues of money, security, and safety nets; and knew when to make the crucial leap to a better and more enjoyable career.
Avg Rating
2.90
Number of Ratings
40
5 STARS
10%
4 STARS
18%
3 STARS
35%
2 STARS
28%
1 STARS
10%
goodreads

Author

Joshua Piven
Joshua Piven
Author · 23 books

Josh Piven is a television writer and producer, speechwriter, playwright, and the author or co-author of more than twenty non-fiction and humor books, including the worldwide best-selling The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook series. He wrote the teleplay and serves as producer of Don The Beekeeper, a half-hour children’s TV show about honeybees and urban beekeeping. His most recent stage play, a holiday farce called No Reservations, had its world premiere in November-December, 2013, to great success and critical acclaim. More information. His next play is Muddled. Josh likes to refer to himself in the third person. Piven is perhaps best known for his famously tongue-in-cheek worst-case books, books that offer readers real-world (though often hilarious) advice on surviving worst-case situations that they might—but hopefully won’t—encounter: everything from “how to fend off a shark” and “how to wrestle an alligator” to “how to avoid the Freshman 15” and “how to determine if your date is an axe murderer.” Piven is an honors graduate of the University of Pennsylvania—and living proof that English majors aren't necessarily failures.

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