Whenever I go into a success guide/ self help book I keep in mind that a lot of what I’m about to read can be “common sense” or known advice. That being said, I love when guides can put things into new perspectives. Not being familiar with the rest of Napoleon’s works, this was the perfect introduction to what I should expect reading more of his collection.

For me, I find a guide book to be well written when I catch myself highlighting a lot of what I read or bookmarking whole chapters. That’s what I did with this book. It’s a book you’ll find yourself reaching for to remind yourself of what you are aiming for.

That they were timed pieces is noted in a few chapters more than others. In some chapters, the advice was very male oriented. While it applied to men and women, mentions of women and their success was never mentioned. Again, understandable given the time in which these pieces were written. It was my own personal feelings of exclusion that took away from what was written.

My favorite thing taken away from this read was how Napoleon’s words reflected a lot of my own beliefs for success. I found missing keys and new perspectives on how to move forward with my own progress and achievements. That is important for me.

Huge thank you to St. Martin’s Publishing for the ARC via NetGalley.

3/5

Dream Big is a collection of different advice from the author’s previous works. Most of which was written a long time ago and therefore, some of his advice seems a bit simplistic as compared to books in the same subject that are being written now. I feel like a lot of the advice was akin to the “pull yourself up by the bootstrap” mentality that is a bit obsolete. Overall, I liked his messaging and I appreciate the advice was written for a specific time period, but I don’t think I’d want to read more of his books in the future.

a Great follow up to his original think and grow rich. Easy to read, helpful hints, something that you will go back to for its insights

6.5/10

Dream Big is a series of excerpts from Napoleons writing. He is a legend when it comes to personal growth and motivational speaking. He was selling millions of books before Tony Robbins’ parents were even born.

Napoleon wrote most of his thoughts in the early 20th century, shortly after the Great Depression. They are good thoughts as far as personal growth (focus on what you want, make a plan, remind yourself of it every day, etc). They are just not as advanced as the personal/leadership growth conversations that are happening now.

I wouldn’t want to read a full Napoleon Hill book as I think it will feel well outdated, but I have appreciation for him and how he birthed an entire industry on personal growth / success-mindedness. He was a thinker well ahead of his time.


UPDATED REVIEW: I just learned a lot more about Napoleon Hill and as it turns out he was a huge con man and compulsive liar. Instead of reading any of his books, read the biography on him. It’s insane.

#netgalley #dreambig

A moderate collection of Hill's writing and speeches in an approachable format. Hill is a bit dated at this point, but it is a matter of pricing and store audience as to whether or not this is a good pick.