Come Up Big

Charles “Chuck” Wardell III has lived an interesting life in extraordinary times – in fact he wasn’t supposed to live at all, but he did...

He was regularly counted out. Even at the hospital where he was born prematurely, the doctor didn’t think he would make it. But Chuck counted himself in and did more than survive. He rose to the top, through Vietnam, Harvard, the White House, the State Department and beyond. He went on to work at the highest levels of many international companies and he retired as the CEO of a major executive search firm. But "retire" is the wrong word, for Chuck is not stopping anytime soon.

This life story, intersecting with major events in American history over the past 80 years, is told with raw honesty and self-effacing humor. Is an inspiration to all who have been counted out. Over and over, Chuck was cut out, flunked out, and simply underestimated. In his early years, he struggled even to finish his homework on account of his dyslexia. But with grit, determination, creativity and a tireless sense of humor, Chuck worked his way through it all, and as he says, he come up big.

This book is for anyone who has ever been counted out: read it to find out how to Come Up Big.