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The Icarus Deception: How High Will You Fly? Hardcover – Illustrated, December 31, 2012

by Seth Godin (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 817 ratings
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In Seth Godin’s most inspiring book, he challenges readers to find the courage to treat their work as a form of art

Everyone knows that Icarus’s father made him wings and told him not to fly too close to the sun; he ignored the warning and plunged to his doom. The lesson: Play it safe. Listen to the experts. It was the perfect propaganda for the industrial economy. What boss wouldn’t want employees to believe that obedience and conformity are the keys to success?

But we tend to forget that Icarus was also warned not to fly too low, because seawater would ruin the lift in his wings. Flying too low is even more dangerous than flying too high, because it feels deceptively safe.

The safety zone has moved. Conformity no longer leads to comfort. But the good news is that creativity is scarce and more valuable than ever. So is choosing to do something unpredictable and brave: Make art. Being an artist isn’t a genetic disposition or a specific talent. It’s an attitude we can all adopt. It’s a hunger to seize new ground, make connections, and work without a map. If you do those things you’re an artist, no matter what it says on your business card.

Godin shows us how it’s possible and convinces us why it’s essential.

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Previous page
  1. Print length
    256 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Portfolio
  4. Publication date
    December 31, 2012
  5. Dimensions
    5.8 x 0.9 x 8.6 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1591846072
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1591846079
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Seth Godin is the author of more than a dozen bestsellers that have changed the way people think about marketing, leadership, and change, including Permission Marketing, Purple Cow, All Marketers Are Liars, Small is the New Big, The Dip, Tribes, Linchpin, and Poke the Box. He is also the founder and CEO of Squidoo.com and a very popular lecturer. He writes one of the most influential business blogs in the world at SethGodin.com.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Portfolio; Illustrated edition (December 31, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1591846072
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1591846079
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.8 x 0.9 x 8.6 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 817 ratings

About the author

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Seth Godin

Seth Godin

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Seth Godin is the author of 20 international bestsellers that have been translated into over 38 languages, and have changed the way people think about marketing and work. For a long time, Unleashing the Ideavirus was the most popular ebook ever published, and Purple Cow is the bestselling marketing book of the decade.

He worked as a year as the volunteer founding editor of The Carbon Almanac, and his recent bestsellers also include The Practice and This is Marketing.

He's a recent inductee to the Marketing Hall of Fame, and also a member of the Direct Marketing Hall of Fame and (go figure), the Guerrilla Marketing Hall of Fame.

His book, Tribes, was a nationwide bestseller, appearing on the Amazon, New York Times, BusinessWeek and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. It's about the most powerful form of marketing--leadership--and how anyone can now become a leader, creating movements that matter.

His book Linchpin came out in 2008 and was the fastest-selling book of his career. Linchpin challenges you to stand up, do work that matters and race to the top instead of the bottom. More than that, though, the book outlines a massive change in our economy, a fundamental shift in what it means to have a job.

In addition to his writing and speaking, Seth was founder and CEO of Squidoo.com,. His blog (find it by typing "seth" into Google) is the most popular marketing blog in the world. Before his work as a writer and blogger, Godin was Vice President of Direct Marketing at Yahoo!, a job he got after selling them his pioneering 1990s online startup, Yoyodyne.

He's known as a pioneer in online education, and was the founder of the altMBA.

You can find every single possible detail that anyone could ever want to know at sethgodin.com

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
817 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

PTR
5.0 out of 5 stars A pep talk, not a how-to
Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2013
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This book is full of inspiring quotes, anecdotes and pep talks for people looking to do something different, something daring, something outside of the box. Anyone buying this book looking for a how-to manual will be sorely disappointed... because, as Godin points out frequently, following directions is what has trapped so many Americans in a dependency upon Corporate America for their livelihood. The recent financial crash and ensuing job losses, he posits, should illustrate to anyone and everyone with a clear sense of cause and effect the very real dangers of putting your livelihood in the hands of faceless entities who do not have your best interests at heart.

The title is rooted in the legend of Icarus, which many people typically understand to illustrate the dangers of flying too high, lest you get burned and come crashing back to earth. What Godin points out, is the full story of Icarus also contains a warning against flying too low, lest the water ruin the lift in the wings. Ultimately, the point of this snippet (in the very beginning of the book) is that flying low seems safe, but really isn't.

The entire book is spent amping you up to dare more, to reach for more. The "how" is left entirely up to you, because there really isn't any blueprint for this sort of thing. He insists that taking bigger risks is more essential than ever, now that the previously considered "safe route" of getting a good job is exposed as being not nearly as safe as we've been led to believe all our lives.

As I read the book, I found myself nodding with sour amusement recalling my parents' admonitions regarding my occasionally mentioned desires to follow a career in, say, music: "What about a *real* job?" Of course, their generation had been raised and conditioned to believe that the safe, secure bet was the traditional degree-job-house-family progression. I wish I'd been more the rebellious sort, because youth is the best time for daring the sort of risks Godin touts. Having said that, it's never too late to dream big and reach big; it's just a hell of a lot easier for younger folks.

If you feel you need a kick in the backside to make some serious changes in your life, this book just might do it. On the down side, you may need to thumb through it again from time to time to keep the enthusiasm fresh. That's the nature of self-help books, after all. Why I really like this one, is that Godin does an excellent job of amping me up for making changes, while readily admitting he doesn't have all the answers.
6 people found this helpful
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Gene Morphis
5.0 out of 5 stars Godin's Best So Far
Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2013
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I've read several of Seth Godin's books. For example, I read Purple Cow, which I thought was OK. I found Poke the Box much more interesting and thought-provking and thoroughly enjoyed it. The Icarus Deception is different. It is better - much better. For me, anyway, there is something about it that is more personal from Mr. Godin and more insightful.
Mr. Godin, in my view, is a motivational writer. The theme of Poke the Box, again as an example, was the need to make something happen- to stir the reader to action. And it is good at it. The Icarus Deception continues and builds on that concept, but in a more penetrating and thoughtful way.
He begins with an elucidation on the Icarus myth, and I'll admit I had not seen that before; that is, Icarus was instructed not only too not fly too high, but also not to fly too low close to the sea. Mr. Godin encourages us to fly higher, bolder, and closer to the sun.
Mr. Godin riffs on a theme that he has explored before: that the Internet has created a unique opportunity for individuals to connect commercially, but in a personal way, everywhere. And that this presents an equally unique opportunity for the bold to strike out and create something. His metaphor is art, that is, one can become an artist, attempting the new and unique, and, with a potential audience of billions, find sufficient individuals to support ongoing artwork. He labels the new environment "The Connection Economy" and describes that well. He emphasizes making a personal, human connection, not just a vacuous online connection, as a key to making art.
He contrasts that with traditional corporate jobs with assumed safety and stability, but frequently accompanied by boredom, repetition and sameness; generating more of the same with modest improvements or lower cost. The artist creates; in industrialist modifies. He adds some commentary on the mass production/large company culture, noting that only a few are selected for development, recognition and promotion. As an artist, one creates one's own - seizing opportunities and authority to do something. His admonition: "No one is going to pick you. Pick yourself".
As an aside, as a successful author, Mr. Godin deserves some credit as an artist too; the inside cover of the book is artwork. While that may have been done before, I haven't seen it. Nice touch.
Recommended.
5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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jlopez90
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Refreshing
Reviewed in Mexico on July 19, 2022
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I found this book to be very inspiring, especially for people looking to become entrepreneurs, artists, etc.
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Eluard Moraes
5.0 out of 5 stars Best of Seth Godin
Reviewed in Brazil on October 5, 2020
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This is the best one. For sure.
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SL
5.0 out of 5 stars Seth Godin hit the sweet spot with this one!
Reviewed in Canada on August 13, 2017
Verified Purchase
This book is exceptional! In the sense that anyone who felt enslaved by the system, upon reading it, would harness the courage to break out and embark on a journey, in an upward trajectory, that would positively define their next phase of career(and life). Key ingredient = Grit. Without it, you won't make the cut.
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Ashish
5.0 out of 5 stars Don't follow Old sayings blindly!!
Reviewed in India on July 28, 2018
Verified Purchase
a great book to change you old mindset about you aspirations and your limitation in life!!!
One person found this helpful
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Peggi Liebisch
5.0 out of 5 stars Sich selbst pushen
Reviewed in Germany on April 25, 2014
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Für einen Motivationsschub in die Staaten zu reisen ist im Moment leider nicht drin, also lese ich Seth Godins Buch. Ich lese auch regelmäßig seinen Blog. Respekt! der Mann schreibt wirklich fast jeden Tag etwas zu den klassischen amerikanischen Themen wie „Du kannst es!“, „Wovor hast du Angst?“, „Sei mutig!“ und „Mach'dein Ding!“.

So auch in Icarus Deception: Die Ikarus Lüge besteht darin, dass wir immer nur einen bestimmten Teil der Sage erzählen – den, wo Ikarus entgegen seines Vaters Rat zu nah an die Sonne fliegt, das Wachs aus den Flügeln schmilzt und Ikarus tot ins Meer stürzt. Die Lektion aus der Geschichte: Gehorche deinem Vater (König, Boss) oder du stürzt ab. Dass der Vater auch den Rat gibt, wegen der Wellen nicht zu tief zu fliegen, wird meistens unterschlagen. Zu tief zu fliegen ist aber viel gefährlicher als zu hoch, denn man fühlt sich sicher. In unserem kollektiven Bewusstsein besteht die Ikarus Sage aus der Warnung „Fliege nicht zu hoch!“

Seth Godin formuliert daraus die Aufforderung „How high will you fly?“. Er motiviert die Leser/innen sich aus der Bodenhaftung zu lösen, abzuheben, erst einmal hoch, weit hoch und bei der Sonne sind wir dann noch lange nicht.

Wofür brauchen wir diesen Anschubser? Geht es um wichtige Lebensentscheidungen? In der Tat: Es geht Seth Godin darum, guten Ideen und vor allem den Menschen, die sie haben, eine Chance zu geben: hauptsächlich im Beruf, generell aber für eine möglichst große Übereinstimmung der persönlichen Komfortzone und der gefühlten Sicherheitszone. Sich selbst verwirklichen. Authentisch sein. Schräg sein. Sich Peinliches getrauen. Dem eigenen Witz vertrauen. Auf seinen Bauch hören. Godin nennt es Kunst, weil Kunst immer die Möglichkeit bietet, subversiv, authentisch, schräg, peinlich und witzig zu sein. Und weil wir „den Künstler in uns“ nicht mal eben so aus dem Ärmel schütteln, brauchen wir Starthilfen.

Ich mag die Art von Leichtigkeit, wie Seth Godin das gelingt. Wie er Duke Ellington, Ray Bradbury, James Joyce, Keith Richards und Krishnamurti zitiert. Ohne Leuchtmarker in der Hand braucht niemand dieses Buch zu lesen, anstreichen! markieren! Wem das Pathos darin nicht gefällt, hat wahrscheinlich von vornherein die Hände davon gelassen, denn das Cover leuchtet in neongrün mit neongelb. Mir gefällt`s und ich empfehle es allen, die sich selbst Mut machen wollen.
7 people found this helpful
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