How to Become Famous
Lost Einsteins, Forgotten Superstars, and How the Beatles Came to Be
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months
Prime members: New to Audible? Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
How to Become Famous
Buy for $17.49
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Tom Beyer
-
By:
-
Cass R. Sunstein
About this listen
It's hard to imagine our world without its stars and celebrity geniuses—they become a part of our culture and history, seeming permanent and preordained. But as Cass Sunstein shows in this startling book, that is far from the case. Focusing on both famous and forgotten (or simply overlooked) artists and luminaries in music, literature, business, science, politics, and other fields, he explores why some individuals become famous and others don't, and offers a new understanding of the role of greatness, luck, and contingency in the achievement of fame.
First, Sunstein examines recent research—on informational cascades, power laws, network effects, and group polarization—to probe the question of how people become famous. He explores what ends up in the history books, in the great religious texts, and in the literary canon—and how that changes radically over time. He delves into the rich and entertaining stories of a diverse cast of famous characters, from John Keats, William Blake, and Jane Austen to Bob Dylan, Ayn Rand, and Stan Lee—as well as John, Paul, George, and Ringo.
How to Become Famous takes you on a fun, captivating, and at times profound journey that will forever change your perspective on the latest celebrity's "fifteen minutes," the nature of memory, success and failure in business, and our enduring fascination with fame.
©2023 Cass R. Sunstein (P)2024 Ascent AudioListeners also enjoyed...
-
Sludge
- What Stops Us from Getting Things Done and What to Do About It
- By: Cass R. Sunstein
- Narrated by: Asa Siegel
- Length: 3 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 16
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 13
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 13
We've all had to fight our way through administrative sludge-filling out complicated online forms, mailing in paperwork, standing in line at the motor vehicle registry. This kind of red tape is a nuisance, but, as Cass Sunstein shows in Sludge, it can also also impair health, reduce growth, entrench poverty, and exacerbate inequality.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Nice annex to Nudge
- By Malte Schümmelfeder on 07-16-24
By: Cass R. Sunstein
-
The First Rule of Mastery
- Stop Worrying About What People Think of You
- By: Michael Gervais, Kevin Lake - contributor
- Narrated by: Michael Gervais
- Length: 5 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 110
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 98
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 98
High-performance psychologist Michael Gervais presents a groundbreaking guide for overcoming what may be the single greatest constrictor of human potential: our fear of people's opinions (FOPO).
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Care only about yourself
- By TJ on 04-17-24
By: Michael Gervais, and others
-
StarTalk
- Everything You Ever Need to Know About Space Travel, Sci-Fi, the Human Race, the Universe, and Beyond
- By: Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Narrated by: Luzma Ortiz, Kevin R. Free, Lauren Fortgang, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 93
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 82
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 80
For decades, beloved astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has interpreted science with a combination of brainpower and charm that resonates with fans everywhere. This pioneering, provocative audiobook brings together the best of StarTalk, his beloved podcast and television show devoted to solving the most confounding mysteries of Earth, space, and what it means to be human.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Nothing new
- By DIY Farmer on 09-21-22
-
The World According to Star Wars
- By: Cass R. Sunstein
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
- Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 202
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 178
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 176
A deeply original celebration of George Lucas' masterpiece as it relates to history, presidential politics, law, economics, fatherhood, and culture by a Harvard legal scholar and former White House advisor.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The title says it all
- By Steve on 06-16-16
By: Cass R. Sunstein
-
Unthinkable
- An Extraordinary Journey Through the World's Strangest Brains
- By: Helen Thomson
- Narrated by: Helen Thomson
- Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 283
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 239
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 236
A prize-winning journalist with a background in neuroscience, Helen Thomson spent years tracking down people who live with the world's most extraordinary neurological disorders - like a man who tried to break his back because his legs no longer felt like his own, and another who believed that he was dead for nine years. Not content to simply read about these cases on paper, Thomson reached out to 10 people with these afflictions, and they agreed to tell her their stories.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Very interesting
- By Ruthi on 07-01-19
By: Helen Thomson
-
Attack from Within
- How Disinformation Is Sabotaging America
- By: Barbara McQuade
- Narrated by: Barbara McQuade
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 375
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 338
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 338
Disinformation is designed to evoke a strong emotional response to push us toward more extreme views, unable to find common ground with others. The false claims that led to the breathtaking attack on our Capitol in 2020 may have been only a dress rehearsal. Attack from Within shows us how to prevent it from happening again, thus preserving our country's hard-won democracy.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Trump bashing
- By joseph clayson on 03-09-24
By: Barbara McQuade
-
Sludge
- What Stops Us from Getting Things Done and What to Do About It
- By: Cass R. Sunstein
- Narrated by: Asa Siegel
- Length: 3 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 16
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 13
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 13
We've all had to fight our way through administrative sludge-filling out complicated online forms, mailing in paperwork, standing in line at the motor vehicle registry. This kind of red tape is a nuisance, but, as Cass Sunstein shows in Sludge, it can also also impair health, reduce growth, entrench poverty, and exacerbate inequality.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Nice annex to Nudge
- By Malte Schümmelfeder on 07-16-24
By: Cass R. Sunstein
-
The First Rule of Mastery
- Stop Worrying About What People Think of You
- By: Michael Gervais, Kevin Lake - contributor
- Narrated by: Michael Gervais
- Length: 5 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 110
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 98
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 98
High-performance psychologist Michael Gervais presents a groundbreaking guide for overcoming what may be the single greatest constrictor of human potential: our fear of people's opinions (FOPO).
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Care only about yourself
- By TJ on 04-17-24
By: Michael Gervais, and others
-
StarTalk
- Everything You Ever Need to Know About Space Travel, Sci-Fi, the Human Race, the Universe, and Beyond
- By: Neil deGrasse Tyson
- Narrated by: Luzma Ortiz, Kevin R. Free, Lauren Fortgang, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 93
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 82
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 80
For decades, beloved astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has interpreted science with a combination of brainpower and charm that resonates with fans everywhere. This pioneering, provocative audiobook brings together the best of StarTalk, his beloved podcast and television show devoted to solving the most confounding mysteries of Earth, space, and what it means to be human.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Nothing new
- By DIY Farmer on 09-21-22
-
The World According to Star Wars
- By: Cass R. Sunstein
- Narrated by: Kaleo Griffith
- Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 202
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 178
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 176
A deeply original celebration of George Lucas' masterpiece as it relates to history, presidential politics, law, economics, fatherhood, and culture by a Harvard legal scholar and former White House advisor.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
The title says it all
- By Steve on 06-16-16
By: Cass R. Sunstein
-
Unthinkable
- An Extraordinary Journey Through the World's Strangest Brains
- By: Helen Thomson
- Narrated by: Helen Thomson
- Length: 7 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 283
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 239
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 236
A prize-winning journalist with a background in neuroscience, Helen Thomson spent years tracking down people who live with the world's most extraordinary neurological disorders - like a man who tried to break his back because his legs no longer felt like his own, and another who believed that he was dead for nine years. Not content to simply read about these cases on paper, Thomson reached out to 10 people with these afflictions, and they agreed to tell her their stories.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Very interesting
- By Ruthi on 07-01-19
By: Helen Thomson
-
Attack from Within
- How Disinformation Is Sabotaging America
- By: Barbara McQuade
- Narrated by: Barbara McQuade
- Length: 10 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 375
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 338
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 338
Disinformation is designed to evoke a strong emotional response to push us toward more extreme views, unable to find common ground with others. The false claims that led to the breathtaking attack on our Capitol in 2020 may have been only a dress rehearsal. Attack from Within shows us how to prevent it from happening again, thus preserving our country's hard-won democracy.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Trump bashing
- By joseph clayson on 03-09-24
By: Barbara McQuade
What listeners say about How to Become Famous
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- GHS in TN
- 06-20-24
Is lasting fame inevitable?
I love Professor Sunstein's books and this latest did not disappoint. Why do some people achieve lasting fame? Why do others with great talent end up in obscurity? Why do some achieve fame that fades after they pass while others only achieve iconic status long after they die? Sunstein explores many factors - including luck - to see if there are common characteristics. The narrative is witty and thought provoking and will make you look at people who have achieved fame in a somewhat different light.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sal Nallig
- 06-05-24
Interesting ideas
What could easily have been a five-star audio book due to the quality of the writing and ideas became less due to the narrator. He should have read it straight without his terrible impersonations of Dylan, McCartney, Lennon and many others.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall2 out of 5 stars
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- Jim S Schuchman
- 05-24-24
Missed the mark.
This book contained a few interesting stories, but for the most part was a pedantic mishmash of what if scenarios taken into their ridiculous extreme.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!