Rating: 
Summary: I agree with the above sentiments::::::::
Review: "Never, never, never, never give up" is the message here. This book does make you realize that there is more than one chance to be all you can be. It is definitely worth reading.
Rating: 
Summary: What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?
Review: According to Stephen Pollan, you are reading "Second Acts" at exactly the right time. If you have been toying with the idea of changing your life, this book will push you into taking the steps to achieve success. This is not a book to sit and read through. Rather, it is a workbook of exercises to perform to help you realize your own second act. Pollan describes himself as a "life coach," but he is really a cheerleader...your best friend who will give you inspiration and solutions on how to finally be what you always wanted to be when you grew up. My one beef with Pollan's system is that he is serious when he presents his examples as though the "common man" can follow the same paths to success as the rich and famous. Most of these examples are writers, actors and politicians who have launched successful second lives from their very successful first lives. However, if you ignore this fluff and use Pollan's system, you can find out how to overcome your doubts about your money, age, education, appearance, lack of connections, or any other perceived roadblocks and make your dream life a reality.
Rating: 
Summary: The Life Coach Speaketh -- And I Listeneth!
Review: I've been a huge fan of Stephen Pollan's books, especially 'Live Rich' and 'Die Broke'. In 'Second Acts,' Mr. Pollan provides a framework to identify and pursue your 'next act.' And since life (at least my life) is about an evolution of next acts, I highly recommend this book! Mr. Pollan coalesces his core thinking into two very useful parts. First, he provides practical exercises and guidance to defining and refining your second act. And second, he gives you the tools to fight the battle to change your life -- a large part of which, as Mr. Pollan points out, rests between your ears! Stephen's advice is not some useless feel-good psychobabble ' his is straightforward and imminently applicable. And it's laced throughout with the humanity, humor, wisdom and grace that defines all of Mr. Pollan's writings.
Rating:
Summary: Well worth your time
Review: I've read probably dozens of "reinvent your life" and/or "find the perfect career" books in the past few years, and this book is definitely in my top 10. If you take the time to complete the exercises, you'll learn a lot about yourself and what you want out of life, and that alone is worth the price of the book. While Pollan's method for identifying what you want isn't unique to him, he gives it some interesting twists, such as asking not only "What do I want?" but "How will I know when I have it?", which forces you to be very specific! His chapters on "opening closed doors" were, I felt, very uneven: some were genuinely helpful (the money chapter), while others (such as the "education and training" chapter) seemed glib and superficial. I was favorably impressed that he didn't focus solely on career changes: one of his examples is a woman who loves her career but misses having a family, so the solution is not for her to change careers but to adopt a child. I like his attitude: he focuses on the present and the future, on what you can do NOW to achieve what you want; this is a real upper for those of us who tend to get bogged down in "I've wasted my life" and "It's too late to change"! He also points out that much of one's work experience -- learning how to negotiate, get along with people, or manage a project -- is transferable to another field, so changing careers doesn't mean starting completely from scratch. On the other hand, as other readers have pointed out, he recounts far too many examples of people who were successful in one career before changing to another. Many people DON'T succeed because they're in the wrong job; but, once they find a career that better suits their interests, abilities, and values, they prosper. It happened to me, and I know I'm not unique, so I think the book would have been more convincing if it included more examples of this type.
Rating:
Summary: This book could change your life
Review: Pollan and Levine have done it again: a bracing, upbeat and utterly contrarian book that opens new doors. Pollan is an evangelist of the possible, and in his latest, he shows you, step by practical step, how to turn dreams into realities-- whether it's a new career, having a baby, taking up a new form of self-expression. Second Act faces up to the usual obstacles --are you too old? unprepared? too broke?-- and then shows you how to surmount them. This is a how-to book in the great American tradition of self-re-invention.
Rating:
Summary: Go Ahead, You Can Do It!
Review: Pollan taps into an almost universal wish -- to be doing something else for a living. His strength here, as in his previous books, is to be a cheerleader. Everyone wants to be told, "go ahead, you can do it," and Pollan tells us just that. Since he defines Second Acts so broadly (a couple who decide to buy a second home in the country, for instance), nearly everyone can be considered a candidate for a Second Act. He outlines the steps you should take before taking the leap. Decide just what it is you want and don't want, determine what financial and family support you will need, etc. By making an orderly exercise out of it, it seems more attainable. Pollan is good at organizing us and putting a positive spin on doing something that is risky and frightening for most of us. I have to disagree with him on one point, and that is asking family members for money. He says that your family wants you to be happy, and if they were planning on leaving you money in their will, for instance, you should tell them you need it now. Or, if you don't have willing and wealthy grandparents, ask siblings or parents for a loan. This sounds like a mistake to me, but maybe Pollan knows better. It would also be nice to have a summary of the steps at the end of the book. If you are thinking of a Second Act (and who isn't), you could probably figure out Pollan's steps on your own, but it's nice to have them organized for you with a friendly mentor cheering you on.
Rating:
Summary: Go Ahead, You Can Do It!
Review: Pollan taps into an almost universal wish -- to be doing something else for a living. His strength here, as in his previous books, is to be a cheerleader. Everyone wants to be told, "go ahead, you can do it," and Pollan tells us just that. Since he defines Second Acts so broadly (a couple who decide to buy a second home in the country, for instance), nearly everyone can be considered a candidate for a Second Act. He outlines the steps you should take before taking the leap. Decide just what it is you want and don't want, determine what financial and family support you will need, etc. By making an orderly exercise out of it, it seems more attainable. Pollan is good at organizing us and putting a positive spin on doing something that is risky and frightening for most of us. I have to disagree with him on one point, and that is asking family members for money. He says that your family wants you to be happy, and if they were planning on leaving you money in their will, for instance, you should tell them you need it now. Or, if you don't have willing and wealthy grandparents, ask siblings or parents for a loan. This sounds like a mistake to me, but maybe Pollan knows better. It would also be nice to have a summary of the steps at the end of the book. If you are thinking of a Second Act (and who isn't), you could probably figure out Pollan's steps on your own, but it's nice to have them organized for you with a friendly mentor cheering you on.
Rating:
Summary: A Real Key To A Better Life?
Review: Self-help book junkies like this reviewer probably like the genre for its own sake. For the most part, we do not expect such books to help us make significant changes in our own lives. The number of us who actually work with them to see if they can upgrade our existence must be very small. Our skepticism runs very deep--yet perhaps one reason we are skeptical is that we have not been ready to try the techniques the books offer. Personal experience suggests that sometimes outstadning results can be achieved through some of these techniques.
Stephen Pollan and Mark Levine's "Second Acts" looks like a
good book, one worth both reading and testing. The book
purports to offer a map to the life of the reader's dreams.
It is not an easy or painless or miraculous road. That is
exactly why, in this reviewer's opinion, it has an above-avera
ge chance to work.
But only if we work it. Life is like that.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent resource for midlife career changers
Review: Stephen Pollan draws on his background as lawyer and financial advisor, once again demonstrating that life is the best preparation for a career as a life coach. His book offers the familiar promise, "It's never too late," but with some surprising twists. The best part of this book is the section on deciding what you want to do with your life. Pollan's exercises are original and would, I believe, help many people to discover their own next step. For instance, Pollan urges readers to review activities that they love -- and also places that draw forth a passionate response. His question, "What need does this passion address?" is extremely helpful and, unfortunately, rarely asked. Implementation sections are helpful but I would encourage readers to seek supplementary guidance. Pollan suggests that a degree from University of Phoenix may be as helpful, in some cases, as a degree from Harvard. I encourage my own clients to talk to alumni from any school. Some doors will be closed to Phoenix alums, including some adjunct teaching options. On the other hand, a fifty-plus career changer who wants to set up shop as a counselor would do as well with a degree from the fastest, lowest-cost school whose courses are recognized by the state in question.
Still, I would be careful. I have heard first-account accounts of degree programs losing acceptability by accrediting bodies. Pollan urges readers to omit dates from a resume. If you're using a back-door method to get a job (as you should!) that strategy will work. However, if your resume goes through a human resource department, it will most likely get tossed or you will be asked to submit traditional resume with dates. Finally, I was disturbed by the grammar errors distributed lavishly through the text. A top publisher should have provided a copy editor! In particular the author writes "I" instead of "me"
("he showed my wife and I...") Despite these qualms and quibbles, if you're a midlife career changer, you'll find this book more helpful than most. If nothing else, the author is a fine role model.
Rating:
Summary: Dreams Can Come True: And This Book Proves It!
Review: This book changed my life. Literally. Stuck in a job rut, unsure of how to make my long held dreams come true, I picked up "Second Acts". Not only do Pollan and Levine carefully lay out a strategy for distilling your dream down to its essence, but they also guide readers through the most common obstacles those trying to change their life encounter, many of which are actually self created. Their advice is simple, straightforward, and easy to understand. If you've always dreamed of making a change in your life, either small or large, but were too afraid or unsure of where to start , then this is the book for you . Buy "Second Acts"-then start yours!
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