Get Back Up: From the Streets to Microsoft Suites

by George A. Santino

Amazon Bestseller An Inspiring and Often Humorous Rags-to-Riches Story With rare humor and the instincts of a born storyteller, George A. Santino describes his rise from rags to riches through a series of adventures that begin in Philadelphia’s violent Tasker Street projects where he dodges his alcoholic father’s fits of temper, fishes for rats, and sells tomatoes from the back of a truck. His escapades continue as he opens a sports bar with no walls in North Tampa, curses out a drill sergeant in Fort Jackson, and battles a hiring manager to get a job in Menlo Park that he fully intends to turn down. Santino’s adventures culminate when he enjoys a long, successful career with Microsoft, builds a family, loses (and regains) a small fortune along the way, and triumphs over a freak spinal injury that doctors predicted would prevent him from ever working again before his thirtieth birthday. Throughout, Santino shares his perspectives on business and mentorship and stresses, by example, his central No matter what life throws at you, get back up.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir

343 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 14, 2016

Reviews

[Lakshmypriya Sankaran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for a QA engineer

An impromptu buy ! I saw this book at our QA directors desk ! With no book reviews or recommendations or idea about the author , I thought to buy the book from Amazon and read it . Reading the title , I assumed the book was about leadership.


What do I say - this book is a thorough guide on navigating your path as a QA . For me , this was more of an inspiration and reassurance that perseverance and hardwork will pay off at the end of.

I love the attitude of the author . I wish him good health and hope he finds a cure for his back . If I had any connections with him , I would recommend an Indian Ayurvedic therapy which I am sure will help him out

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining

It was a very interesting and entertaining read. A great way to kill a few hours. It can also be seen as inspirational.

[Joan Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

From bottom to top

A true story about how a kid from the projects achieved his dream. I received this book from Goodreads for free.

[Robert Coronado · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would recommend this book. The story of George A. Santino Get Back Up is very inspirational and you find yourself drawn into the time period with him.
While I was reading Get Back Up I found myself to be right there with Mr. Santino, walking with him by his side as he endured all the changes throughout his life. As i could relate to most of these changes.
I believe that our youth today need to read Mr. Santino's book and realize that you can accomplish anything if life if you have the drive and determination.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a give away on this site. The story was very inspirational. Shows you that it doesn't matter where you come from when you start life......YOU can make yours dreams happen. It did lose me a little around chapter 21 with the tech talk & some paragraphs were a little repetitive, but over all I'm glad I read it

[LaKisha Mosley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book about troubles but ultimately get over it and being victorious. This books details the struggles of a man determined to make it and how hard he fought to do so. Moving, inspirational and a must read for anyone that wants to read a book they can definitely relate to.

[Laura Luzzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great title for this man who just kept getting back up. I'm sure through all his experiences, he must be a very good motivational speaker. He deserves the good life he has made for himself.

[Martha Brindley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told with great humour and a very inspirational read. A story of one man's determination to succeed. I would recommend this book. Thank you Net Galley for my copy.

[Susan Bissell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say this has been one of the better books I have read in a long time as a motivational book. I found this book inspiring for me when life can be hard and even downright plain mean to Get Back Up, that is what we all need to do and keep on going even if you don't feel like it. George has so many setbacks in his life as a kid growing up in the projects with an abusive alcoholic father, fishing for rats and running from the other gangs in his neighborhood to selling tomatoes from the back of a truck as a kid as a way to make money even if he did have to split half of whatever he made with his father. George seems to always find a way to turn things around no matter how tough things got for him. He went into business several times and lost everything, but didn't stop George from finding another venture to go into until his wife Suzie became pregnant with their first child, then George knew he better find a good job in a company he could move up in and make the kind of money he needed to support his family. One thing about George he did not take "NO" for an answer, that is how he finally got to work for Microsoft, he was determined and didn't take any rejections he got from them, plus George wanted to turn Microsoft down after they turned down his whole team he trained from another company he worked for. George proved to many companies he worked for you don't always need a college degree to do certain jobs just a lot of determination and hard work! One of the most amazing things about George is through all the years he worked he had a spinal injury that should have kept him from working he should have been living on disability, but that was not for George he overcame his pain and injury went back to work each and every time he had a setback with his spinal injury. Even as he worked for Mircosoft he faced several challenges with his spinal injury and he still made it work for him. I think his work at Microsoft, helped make it the company that it is today. George's story here is never boring and very motivational. He shows you how to keep on going and how to make an opportunity out of every situation we find ourselves in and turn it into triumph.

[GrnEyed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get Back Up by George Santino is so much more than the story of someone going from rags to riches. Obviously the basis of the book is exactly that. George Santino starts off very poor in Philadelphia with his parents and siblings. They understand government assistance on such a level that no one should ever understand. Santino, along with coming from a poor family, also has a father who is a disabled, violent alcoholic. To compound the challenges of his home life is the fact he lives in an extremely rough neighborhood.
Regardless of how bad things are, Santino finds a way to make the most of incredibly bad situations. He learns to have fun fishing for rats and he learns to make his own money doing whatever he can, including selling tomatoes. When he does make money he is forced to give half of it to his father. At one point, George and his family get a taste of the good life when his father gains a sum of money from a settlement that allows them to move from the Philadelphia to Florida. For a time things are good but life has other plans for George and his family.
Following a major loss of a family member, George does what is necessary to attempt to improve his life. He finishes high school, works, and along with his good friend Johnson, decides to join the military. What starts out as a great decision ends up with George being thrown for a curve and he ends up once again as a civilian. George doesn’t allow that to keep him down. He tries over and over again to find his place in life working at fast food restaurants, attempting to flip houses, working in shoe repair and more.
Along the way George has his wife Suzie in his corner supporting him in every respect. He also has a handful of good friends and a mentor or two that help him never quit. The fact that George never gave up, no matter what life threw at him, and life handed him some horrific cards, his wife never gave up on him and he never gave up on himself. He pushed through everything and never stopped pushing. Even when he finally managed to get a job with Microsoft, he continued to push and strive for even more out of his life.
I found myself cheering for George as I read this book. I found myself amazed and impressed with how he kept getting back up and pushing for what he wanted no matter how hard it was and no matter the toll it took on his health. In the end all of his hard work, struggles, and pain paid off in unimaginable ways. I’m inspired by his story, a story that shows no matter where you come from if you truly work hard and never give up, you can achieve great things.