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John Brown
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Why Not? Conquering The Road Less Traveled Kindle Edition

by John Brown (Author), Donna Brown (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 29 ratings
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Don’t Be Afraid of Failing, in Failing There is Learning.

Cerebral Palsy, a developmental disease impacting motor coordination, affects 3 out of 1,000 births. While medical intervention such as physical or speech therapy, ambulatory aides like wheelchairs or braces, help a child achieve a productive life, John Brown was determined that he would leave his mark on the world.
Born in the early 50’s with a type of spastic CP impacting his gait and balance, but leaving his speech intact, John and his strong willed mother fought against the times’ conventional wisdom and doctors’ predictions that he would never walk. After an early childhood of repeated muscle lengthening surgeries and body braces, he insisted upon leaving a special education school to be mainstreamed in the Philadelphia Catholic, then public, school systems, and went on to play Catholic grade school football and developed a keen interest in high school wrestling and football. After completing a degree in broadcast journalism, he embarked on a 44 year career as an award winning Philadelphia radio disc jockey, traffic reporter and meteorologist, retiring in October 2013. From the childhood specialists who viewed him as just another special needs child, to his first radio program director who called him a diamond in the rough, John was determined to be the best in his field and demonstrate that hard work, perseverance and, some luck, can help one trump the odds no matter the obstacles.
John’s is a story of the American spirit, how tears, determination and true grit can get you to the top.
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  1. Print length
    178 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    November 6, 2014
  5. File size
    6092 KB
  6. Page Flip
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  7. Word Wise
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Despite John's Cerebral Palsy, he enjoyed a 44 year radio career in Philadelphia and Chicago. Recipient of Variety Club's Lifetime Achievement award, he was named Philly's Best Traffic Reporter four times and Best Weathercaster twice. His wife, Donna, a 35+ year benefits professional, currently serves as Director, Global Benefits/Unisys Corporation. They live in Rosemont, PA with their dog, Angus, and cat, Hobbes, and spend weekends at their retreat in the Pocono Mountains.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00PCD9TYS
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Outskirts Press, Inc. (November 6, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 6, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 6092 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 178 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.9 4.9 out of 5 stars 29 ratings

About the author

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John Brown

John Brown

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Despite my Cerebral Palsy, I enjoyed a 44 year radio career in Philadelphia and Chicago. Recipient of the Variety Club Lifetime Achievement Award, I was also named Philadelphia's Best Traffic Reporter four times and Best Weathercaster twice. I was also awarded the Philadelphia Milestone in Radio award for my 30 plus years of contributions to the radio arts in Philadelphia.

I enjoy Revolutionary War and Civil War history. My 5th great grandfather, Abraham Brown, fought in the Revolution with Capt. Robert Gibson's Plumstead Bucks County, Pa. Militia. My GG uncle, Benjamin Brown, and his son, John, were privates in the 6th Pa.. Cavalry known as Rush's Lancers My 3rd great grandfather, Pvt. Benjamin Brown, fought in the war of 1812. I'm a member of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Sons of the American Revolution, Society of Sons of the American Colonists and Order of Washington. I enjoy all things Celtic, history, music and kilt wearing. My father is Scottish/English My wife, Donna, and I have taken many trips to England and Scotland. Our favorite city is Edinburgh.

Nominated for an EVVY award, sponsored by the Colorado Independent Publishers Association. Finalist for Book of the Year 2015 with the Independent Author Network.Readers' Favorite Award Winner and received their 5 Star Rating.

Donna and I now live in the Poconos in the Pennsylvania mountains with Skye, our German Shepherd and three cats Hammish, Wallace and Argyll.

Customer reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars
4.9 out of 5
29 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

kevin quinn
5.0 out of 5 stars Get The Book, It's Worth It
Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2015
Verified Purchase
I just finished ready John Brown's book and it was a terrific read, enjoyable and inspiring. I met John around 1972 at WTYL, the Bucks County Community College radio station. And yes, other than him walking a little funny, the issue of John's disability almost never came up. John had a golden voice and delivery and had already attended broadcasting school so we knew he had a great shot at making it in the field. And he did just that, working his way through several Phila. area radio stations and then to traffic reporting where he became the biggest name in town. You couldn't be in a car driving around Philly with out hearing John's reports, many times sprinkled with laughter and joking that made getting through traffic jams much easier. I really enjoyed John's recounting of his days growing up in the Germantown section of Philly, his Catholic school days and the life impact influence of his favorite nun, whose grounding words stuck with him throughout his life as things got much more complicated. John's honesty in revealing his feelings as he dealt with many tough medical challenges was something you don't hear often. John's story is one of
perseverance, loyalty and survival under conditions that most of us could not handle. Get the book. It's a quick read and one that you most certainly will enjoy and share with others.
3 people found this helpful
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Videodog
5.0 out of 5 stars More than just an inspirational title; of wider interest than some other reviews may imply
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2018
Verified Purchase
Very compelling, sometimes almost raw, first-person account of someone who saw only possibilities where others saw only limitations. As a parent of a young adult special needs child, I particularly appreciated John sharing his inner thoughts as he faced life's challenges. I would encourage parents of young special needs children to read this book to gain a better understanding of their children's inner life.

As someone not from the Philly area, I can attest that you do not need to know John Brown the media personality in order to enjoy this story of John Brown the person.

Readers will be surprised by the Rashomon effect that pops up when both John and his wife Donna give their retellings of a critical life event. Anyone who has been married for a long time will especially appreciate (even enjoy) this internal dialogue between spouses and the love for each other that the dialogue reveals. This makes Why Not? not only an inspirational title but a love story as well.

Definitely five-stars, even as the book could have benefited from some additional editing and that the last part of the book almost descends to the hagiographic (although "radiocynic" makes a good point about this last part). I would say that I cannot wait until the movie version comes out, but this is the type of story that "Hollywood" usually fails to treat honestly, but, from John, one learns to always be positive, so perhaps I shouldn't be so negative!
2 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars NO FEAR OF FAILING!
Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2017
Verified Purchase
Congrats John! I finally read your book. Wow! Well done!

Our paths crossed during the early 90's on the Metro Softball team and again in the late 90's during the Kent Voss / Scrapplefest era. Not once, did I notice or did it ever register with me that you had your condition. Not just because I was dense (which is true!!) but because you never showed it or let it stop you. You were always just as active (well, more than active!) than than most of us. And you always had a positive and upbeat attitude about life (more-so than most of us).

Years later, a mutual friend let me know about your condition and I was like, wow, I never even noticed it or even thought about it. Your book is very inspirational and funny and is a great story about just growing up in our area of the world. You overcame a great deal and all of it with class and hard work and, of course, no fear of failing.

Donna's chapter was one of the best chapters in the book, IMO. That was a great idea to let her tell that story.

Thanks for letting us into your life - with no filters. I hope both of you enjoy your well earned retirement!

Marc Arot
2 people found this helpful
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michael j bernhardt
5.0 out of 5 stars John Brown's Book is a Great Read
Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2014
Verified Purchase
I thoroughly enjoyed reading John Brown's book. Following his life adventures from growing up in Philadelphia and Andalusia to finding his niche in radio broadcasting was really interesting, especially considering John's challenges as a result of being born with cerebral palsy. John refused to be defined by CP, and his enthusiasm and work ethic was an inspiration to all who he met. I loved the excerpts written by John's wife, Donna, which allowed an intimate look into the challenges caused by John's health issues and how she kept him positive and was his "rock" through the tough times. I also enjoyed the many stories about John's friends and how other radio personalities viewed him. Reading this book gave me insight into how John met life head-on and made me feel like I was sitting down with a cup of coffee and an old friend. Thanks for the memories John!
3 people found this helpful
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