How They Choked : Failures, Flops, and Flaws of the Awfully Famous

Everyone makes mistakes. Sometimes, epic failures even lead to super successes . . . sometimes they become deep dark secrets. But remember-to fail is human, to laugh about our shortcomings divine. From Montezuma II's mistaking a conqueror for a god to Isaac Newton turning from science to alchemy to J. Bruce Ismay's jumping the lifeboat line on the Titanic, How They Choked knocks fourteen famous achievers off their pedestals to reveal the human side of history.

Successful “failures” include:
Marco Polo Queen Isabella of Spain Montezuma II Ferdinand Magellan Anne Boleyn Isaac Newton Benedict Arnold Susan B. Anthony George Armstrong Custer Thomas Alva Edison Vincent Van Gogh J. Bruce Ismay “Shoeless Joe” Jackson Amelia M. Earhart

GEORGIA BRAGG is the author of How They Croaked as well as Matisse on the Loose, a middle-grade novel. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, two children, and two cats.
www.georgiabragg.com

KEVIN O'MALLEY is the co-author and illustrator of the popular Miss Malarkey series, as well as the New York Times bestseller Gimme Cracked Corn and I Will Share and many other books for children. He lives in Maryland.
www.booksbyomalley.com