Robert L. Dilenschneider has hired more than 3,000 successful professionals and advised thousands more. He is founder of the Dilenschneider Group, a corporate strategic counseling and public relations firm based in New York City. Formerly president and CEO of Hill & Knowlton, he is the author of the bestselling books “The Critical First Years of Your Professional Life,” “Power and Influence,” “A Briefing for Leaders,” and “Nailing It: How History’s Awesome Twentysomethings Got It Together.” The latter is an inspiring and encouraging book that provides 25 fascinating and diverse profiles of iconic men and women at or near age 25 and how they built their legacies. (amazon, 2022)

‘Nailing It’ begins with a foreword from U.S. Ambassador Donald Blinken where he writes that Robert L. Dilenschneider focuses on these men and women when they were aged 25 or so, what they did to gain a spot in history, and how they did it. He also mentions that the target demographic is those coming of age right now, but also older people who care about them and want them to succeed. In the Introduction, the author shares that the idea behind the book is to inspire young people and hopes they realize that they can make a difference. In general, he wishes people realize that there are many paths to greatness and not all of them are smooth sailing. The book is made up of twenty three chapters and each focuses on one of these 25 people, including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Albert Einstein, Coco Chanel, Golda Meir, and more. More than just biographies, each chapter reveals where they were in their lives in their mid-twenties and the choices that made them who they are.

At first, seeing a list of history’s greatest might be intimidating but it serves to remember that each one of them encountered and defeated their own difficulties in life. Even if you do not know every one of the people profiled in this book, all their stories are inspiring. Since each chapter is a different person, readers can take their time and even go back and re-read previous ones. With easy to understand language, the author takes readers deep into the lives of each of these individuals and shares the good and the bad in the hopes of inspiring everyone to dream big, but most of all, to put in the effort and work necessary to achieve success. Most importantly, this book is a reminder that it is ‘never too late to make an impact.’ It is hard to choose a favorite profile, but Mary Shelley (Chapter 2) stands out due to her being a notable literary figure, best known for her masterpiece Frankenstein. By the time she was 25, she had already written what could be considered a best-seller, but she had also suffered more than most young women, starting with the death of her mother when she was only ten days old. ‘Nailing It’ by Robert L. Dilenschneider is an inspiring collection of notable historical figures that would make an excellent addition to any personal library. It is recommended for readers who appreciate biographies and books on career advice and self-improvement.

“The world is full of timid souls and idle dreamers who never really go after what they want. Don’t be one of them. Work to stand out and use the lessons you’ve learned from this book. If you take that approach and stick with it, it will change your life for the better.”

*The author received a copy of this book for an honest review. The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to her.