Spencer Johnson’s bestselling books contain remarkable insights and methods that have helped tens of millions of people around the world enjoy more success with less stress, at work and in life.
In turbulent times, there has almost always been a book that resonates with millions of people. In 1982, when Americans were looking for ways to deal with their work and life, The One Minute Manager, with over 15 million copies in print, provided a popular prescription for gaining real success with less stress. In 1998, when change began to accelerate at an unprecedented rate, Who Moved My Cheese?, with more than 28 million copies, became one of the biggest and most influential bestsellers of all time. Both books still appear on bestseller lists today.
Now it’s happening again. In 2009, just when many feel the need is the greatest, the author of those two mega bestsellers, Dr. Spencer Johnson, returns with a remarkably timely tale: Peaks and Valleys: Making Good and Bad Times Work for You—At Work and in Life.
Already a New York Times Bestseller, Peaks and Valleys is the story of a young man, in search of answers to life’s dilemmas, who leaves his valley home and scales a nearby peak where he encounters an old man who empathizes with his struggles, and reveals ways to become more peaceful and successful – whether you are up on a Peak or down in a Valley.
“Peaks and valleys are connected,” he finds. “The errors you make in today’s good times create tomorrow’s bad times—and the wise things you do in today’s bad times create tomorrow’s good times.”
Through a series of triumphs, setbacks and encounters with the impact of his own choices, he gradually comes to appreciate the true depth and scope of the old man’s way of dealing with work and life.
“Peaks and Valleys draws on material I have been developing for a couple of decades,” says Johnson. “I believed the time would eventually come when a story like this could help a lot of people.”
Peaks and Valleys weaves a tale of considerable scope, touching on prosperity and economic collapse, life and death, love and rejection, all with the signature simplicity and straightforward narrative style that have made Johnson’s books among the most popular and widely read in the world.
Beyond the reliable principles and practical tools found in the new book, it is also perhaps Dr. Johnson’s most intimate book, based on his own experiences and personal observations.
In these uncertain and difficult times, millions of Spencer Johnson’s readers will most likely welcome his insights and guidance to help them deal with today’s Peaks and Valleys.
The characters in the brief stories deal with many of the same issues most people face in real life. As the stories progress readers find universal truths they can use — things that hold true for practically everyone regardless of age, culture or circumstances.
As readers watch the characters in the stories change their beliefs and behaviors, they discover how they too can do well in both good and bad times.
The author, named The King of Parables by USA Today, has said, “It’s not what’s in the parable that is so valuable. It’s what you personally take out of it and use that is so valuable. The credit goes, not to the author, but to the reader.”
