Darcy Andries spent several years teaching English and special education before turning her full attention to research and writing. As a way to motivate her students, Andries began collecting and sharing the stories of well-known individuals who failed at first but who ultimately triumphed.

From the Introduction: "Colin Powell once said 'There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.' You can learn a lot from failure, but that requires you to continue moving forward despite having failed. That is exactly what this book is about - learning that the failures are only potholes on the road to success and not stop signs. Rarely will anyone tell you that the best way to succeed is to fail first. Yet, as this book will illustrate, not everyone succeeds the first time he or she tries - or even the second. Since no one likes to dwell on failures, these events are often overlooked once the person achieves his or her goals."