Book summary

In this book, the quest of avoiding humiliation a second time (THE X Factor), is discussed in a hilarious and informative fashion, leading from the locker room to the boardroom, with many strange stops in between. The author corners superstars like Bill Russell and Billie Jean King, famous coaches, the chairman of American Express, sports doctors, and mergers and acquisitions king Henry Kravis, and puts the same question to all of them: what is it that allows an individual, or a team, to outperform competitors who are no less gifted, mentally and physically? Their answers run the gamut from motivational rage to new-age meditation.

Media reviews

"...where Mr. Plimpton draws upon his X factor is in his prose style, in his unfailing ability to find the perfectly funny word or phrase."