New World Library announces the July publication of the paperback version of The Ten Things I Learned from Bill Porter: The Inspiring True Story of the Door-to-Door Salesman Who Changed Lives by Shelly Brady. If you’re like most folks, you probably pick up household supplies and sundries at the local supermarket, perhaps even on your way home from a harried day at the office. After hearing Bill Porter’s story you may rethink these and other aspects of your life — aspects that many of us take for granted.
When introducing a segment on Bill Porter’s life, ABC’s 20/20 host Hugh Downs said, “this is a simple story about a simply remarkable man.” Born with cerebral palsy, Bill was told by many that he was unemployable. With the continual support of a dedicated mother and the indomitable spirit that is his trademark, Bill Porter has supported himself for decades selling household products door to door for the Watkins Company. Bill has refused to let cerebral palsy stop him from supporting himself financially or rob him of his dignity.
Ten Things I Learned from Bill Porter is written by a woman who first worked for Bill as a typist and driver to deliver his orders and who later became a friend and co-speaker with him. Through simple yet moving life lessons, Shelly Brady tells the story of Bill’s life and the valuable lessons she learned from him. The lessons may seem simple, but told through the life and experiences of a man who authorities would have sent to an institution and who could have lived on disability all his life, they become powerful beacons to those of us with fewer obstacles and with a resistance to living fully.
About the Author Shelly Brady first worked for Bill Porter as a teenager, typing up orders and delivering the products in her family’s car because Bill cannot obtain a driver’s license. When she began raising a family of her own, she again came into contact with Bill and resumed a relationship, this time as an all around helper, shopping and running errands for him and making him a part of her own family. Her own dream to be on stage was realized when she and Bill began telling his story at conventions and to corporations, first inspiring other Watkins salespeople and eventually speaking to organizations such as Amway, Calloway (golf clubs), Disney, Homebase, Franklin Covey, Million Dollar Roundtable, and Nike. Bill supported Shelly completely in the writing of this book and has spoken with her on its behalf, either in person or via satellite and video. Shelly lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and six children.
Ten Things I Learned from Bill Porter • By Shelly Brady
July 15, 2004 • Personal Growth/Inspiration • Trade paper
Price: $12.95 • 192 pages • 5” x 7.25” • ISBN: 1-57731-459-X
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