“What a fun read! I worked for George nearly 20 years ago at Microsoft (Chris introduced me), and he had better career advice than any other managers I had in roughly 25 years at Microsoft. It is great to see much of his approach reflected in this book. It is always like George to leverage strengths in multiple ways. If you have to write an autobiography, why not make it pleasant and fun and informative and helpful and useful too? Fantastic.
One thing this book does particularly well is speak to managers and employees at all levels. No matter where you find yourself, you can always apply intelligence, dedication, and hard work to make your life and those around you better. It would make an equally excellent ‘gift’ for any manager or lead that needs inspiration as it would to someone who is down on their luck who needs to know they are not the only one to struggle.
Come to think of it, when we did hire a couple people he made sure they had resumes…”
“This book is an inspiring rags to riches story that happened in my lifetime. He had to fight for the right to be given a chance and there is no doubt that he and his family worked very hard to prove that he deserved the chance and every promotion he got after that. It is an example of how networking is a valuable resource as you build your career. It is an example of how hard work pays off. It is an example of how you can and need to increase your skills in order to stay relevant and move up. If you are a hard worker who is doing a good job, this book will inspire you to be your own advocate. I highly recommend this book!”
“Remarkable journey by a remarkable man and his family. I truly enjoyed their travels through success and adversity. This saga provides insight into perseverance and support that his wife provided him during his malfunctioning back issues and decision making events. Both are to be commended! I highly suggest that this is a worthy read about a motivational escapade. Anyone who wishes to be exposed to how life sometime works needs to read this saga.”
“This is a great book! From beginning to end it keeps your interest. The hard knock life growing up was not something that kept George from persevering. He explains all his ups and downs and life lessons throughout the book. And while at times it seems like he’ll never get a break, he is presented with opportunities that are mind blowing to say the least! An excellent story for anyone!”
“I received this book as a gift. I really enjoyed reading this book, I read it in one day I couldn’t put it down. George chronicles his life from growing up in the projects in Philly to his career growth at Microsoft. He encountered many set backs (physically and monetarily) but always got back on his feet and persevered. It’s a very compelling personal story of how to get through life when the chips are down and turn it around, despite the odds being stacked against you. A truly American dream story. Highly recommend.”
“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.”
“George A. Santino is many things, as you will see if you read this book. What stands out most for me, however, is the simple humanity, integrity, and loyalty of the man. Sure, he heroically puts up with pain that would have put me down on my knees. Sure, he overcomes the odds of his upbringing and even gives up half of everything he makes starting at an early age to his deadbeat dad. Sure, he hustles and learns that selling anything means finding the keyhole to yes even when his offerings are rejected. But what really stands out is his refusal to toss aside any fellow being, even when it’s deserved. He continued to stand by his father, with all of his failings and extremely poor judgment and neglect of his family. When employees under him weren’t up to par in their performances, he supported them with training and encouragement. He didn’t simply tell them that they weren’t working out and let them go. But if they had to go, he helped them land on their feet. He mentored and applauded those around him. The guy was awesome! Some of his personal life, however, seemed a bit shortchanged as he was so focused on succeeding at work. He was going to make it no matter what. Yet, his support system deserves a lot of acknowledgement. With all the ups and terrifying downs of their financial life, his wife never gave up on him. Then there were the health issues that threatened to pull the rug out from under him for good. His wife’s family, while very unimpressed in the early going, gave them a place to stay until he gathered himself up for another go. (This is so important because in this world, it doesn’t take much to end up out on the street.) And did he ever do his part to justify their ongoing support. It just keeps coming back to the fact that no one is truly independent of others. So, sure, you can read this book and come away thinking, “Never give up!, Strive and conquer! Get back up!,” but you’ll overlook the other lessons of a truly successful human being: he helped those around him meet and even exceed their own standards of success as he was also helped and encouraged by those closest to him. I can’t think of a better tribute than that.”
“George’s story is quite inspiring. He, like many out there, took some knocks along in life. His drive be an entrepreneur, desire for knowledge, persistence took him from hustling side jobs on the street to working for the largest software company in the world. Sure, it sounds like a dream come true, but he shared the honest ups and downs that led him there. I am impressed that he did not focus on his failures when an attempt didn’t go as planned, but he looked at why it did not succeed and used that information to move forward. He is a great storyteller who kept my attention from the very beginning. I liked that he credited his wife for being supportive through all the ventures. I 100% recommend this book!”
“There are times where all of us have wanted to give up and walk away from things, life, situations, etc. For me, that’s even truer as I walk through a rough point of adulthood. I think that’s why I was able to connect with this book more than I would have at another time. I found the author’s journey inspiring. His ability to overcome such huge obstacles to go on and lead a bigger and better life makes the reader feel as though anything is possible. He shows that he could go from simple beginnings to even bigger and better ones through the power of dedication and focus. I really felt connected to his struggle and success because it’s not only believable but achievable. This is fabulous read that inspires hope for a more positive outlook and outcome.”
“When I saw the words ‘From the streets to Microsoft Suites’ I was interested but sure I would be reading about someone who was of course smart, hard working and obviously very computer savvy earn his fortune at Microsoft. There would be lots computer talk I would understand little of (Not so! he explains everything in a very understandable way)This book is so much more than that. George’s story is remarkable because he was not college educated. He succeeded because he has an unshakeable work ethic, he’s tenacious and not afraid to take risks to achieve his goals. George realizes that his family and trusted friends are one of his most valuable assets. His story demonstrates that if many of us just appreciated our gifts and wanted to dig a little deeper, we too could accomplish so much more.”
“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 Microsoft 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.”
“Santino has experienced more than his share of hardships. It tells you how people growing up in the projects drinking powdered milk don’t have a lot of choices. After a number of moves and changing schools more times than a kid would prefer, he left high school side-by-side with his best friend, Johnson, both of whom graduated with honors. Enlisting in the Army through the buddy system, they had big plans to do their three years together and then attend college by way of the GI Bill. Sadly he is injured and this ends his Army career. He returns to what he “knows” only to find he wants more. Santino knew what to do and he made it happen. This book takes you on that journey! It is hard to keep someone reading a memoir type book usually, that is not the case here. You are kept enthralled throughout each story and you keep wanting to read what happens next. This is an inspiring story that more youth should read. Hard work and determination are what get you the things you want in life no matter what curve balls are tossed your way. Truly could be anyone in his position so I definitely recommend reading!”
“I really, really enjoyed this book. Mr. Santino tells his life story about how he started with nothing as a poor child living in the projects in Philadelphia and ended up working in a top position for Microsoft Corporation. He details many of his career mistakes on the way to Microsoft, and how he learned lesson after lesson with each mistake. He struck out many times and had several business ventures that failed, but always got back up to try again. Although not a failed business adventure, an example of the “Get Back Up” attitude was when the Mr. Santino applied for a job with Microsoft. He was turned down three times before he was hired. He kept calling to ask why he wasn’t hired and would ask why he didn’t get the job. Then he would ask for another interview. He says people tell him that most people would have given up, but he says “that’s not the way I was built. I always wanted to know things, and I was never afraid of asking. That way if a situation didn’t go my way I could look back knowing that I’d gotten everything I possibly could from the experience , and the information I’d gleaned might help me next time.” Fortunately he has a wife who also has a stick-with-it attitude as she stuck with him through four children “real estates and restaurants and surgeries and narcotics detox and cross-country moves and one bankruptcy.” Additionally, I like his management philosophy and recommend the book just to learn about his style. He says his job as a manager is to “learn how to get the best out of each one (worker), as well as to pull them together as a team and get them all playing together.” I recommend this book for encouragement, management ideas, and just a good read.”
“Sometimes rags to riches stories are inspiring and empowering. And sometimes aren’t they just depressing? If you’re like me, you feel inadequate that all you’ve ever gotten are the rags, no matter how hard you seem to be working. Fortunately, this book is an inspiring story. That enjoyment of reading came directly from the author’s knack for storytelling. From the opening words of the book I was hooked. The way the author sets up a tale, delivers just the right amount of foreshadowing, then delivers the conclusion and left the door open for the next story made me want to keep reading. It’s not easy to do this. Especially when you’re talking about a memoir form. If you don’t connect with your audience it’s just pointless.
From his hard-knock early life to success, then to a back injury that derails it all, Santino has experienced more than his share of hardships. It tells you how people growing up in the projects drinking powdered milk don’t have a lot of choices. But the mental strength and the determination to take a path that leads out of that is something that many people want but not everyone knows how to do. Santino knew what do to and he made it. In retirement, he found a way to do the things in life that really mattered to him and made him happy. If there’s any advice that we can all take from this, it’s “Get Back Up.” No matter what happens in life, if you let the “event” make your future decisions for you, then you have lost the battle and the war.”
“George Santino shares his life journey starting with growing up in the projects in Philadelphia. Despite his early childhood ignorance of what his welfare-dependent family’s lifestyle was like, as time passed, he became more exposed to facets of life that suited him better. After a number of moves and changing schools more times than a kid would prefer, he left high school side-by-side with his best friend, Johnson, both of whom graduated with honors. Enlisting in the Army through the buddy system, they had big plans to do their three years together and then attend college by way of the GI Bill. In a short time into basic training, George is injured and his military career ends quickly. Once a civilian again, he relies on what he knows: restaurant work. Despite a series of successes in various roles in the fast food industry, he is eager for a more comfortable lifestyle. This story takes you through just that. Santino delivers his story through easy-to-follow prose with ample descriptions that allows the reader to imaging each situation as if s/he were a fly on the wall. I found the story to be a little slow-moving at times, but I definitely feel as though it is worth reading the life lessons and tidbits throughout.”
“O my goodness I really enjoyed this book. It makes me feel dumb for complaining about simple things in my everyday life. George, the author, went through so much his entire life. He could not seem to catch a break at all but his mindset never changed. He was not going to let anything get him down and if he got knocked then he made sure to get back up. He then got married to someone who was able to stick through the tough times with him and to support him and his children. I do understand the back injury and going through it for a while as that is what happened to me and I missed out on work because I literally could not stand/walk. I feel for those who suffer like George but hope that they keep their head up and keep working through it. I know that this encouraged me. I would definitely recommend this book!”
“Candid, informative, exceptional, and consistently engaging, with “Get Back Up” Santino (with the help of M. J. Beaufrand) presents an inherently fascinating and compelling autobiography that is unreservedly recommended, especially for community and academic library Contemporary American Biography collections.”
“‘Get Back Up’ is an absolutely fantastic read, and is highly recommended. Inspiring in so many ways, this is a great story of overcoming many struggles (both physical & financial) and how dedication and determination can help a person rise to the top of their game. From humble beginnings on the streets of Philadelphia to the polished platinum offices of Microsoft, George A. Santino weaves a tale of great expectations with debilitating setbacks, small victories, new challenges, and an ultimate climb to the pinnacle of the corporate ladder. An incredible ‘can-do’ story if ever there was one.”
“Exceptionally well written with wit, wisdom and insight, “Get Back Up: From the Streets to Microsoft Suites” is an inherently fascinating and consistently compelling autobiography that is unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library American Biography collections. “
“In June 2016, I invited George to one of team managers’ meetings at Facebook’s Seattle office as an Inspirational Speaker. Prior to that, I had my team read his recent book, “Get back up”. I highly recommend reading the book. Except myself, no one in my team had any prior knowledge of George’s accomplishments. Within first 5 minutes, my leads were actively engaged in George’s talk about his journey and passion for Quality. It was a very memorable, inspiring, and engaging talk my team ever had. George was amazing in relating his experience to current situations and how one can be a great QA Engineer and a Manager. If you are building a team and looking for an inspirational speaker, I highly recommend George A. Santino. George, thank you for coming and sharing your wisdom. It has made a significant impact to all my team members. Wishing you the best.”
“When I first heard recording artist and author George A. Santino’s song GET BACK UP I was inspired by the message. What made it even more impactful, however, was knowing that they weren’t just words for him. He had done exactly what he was sharing with others through the inspirational anthem. Now in the book GET BACK UP he peels the layers of his life back for us to be able to see how a boy coming from humble beginnings was able to overcome extreme challenges, hardships and setbacks to finding success in his professional and personal life. I was able to get an advanced copy of the book before it was launched, and going through George A. Santino’s journey from learning the benefits of working hard early on to not giving up when faced with adversity reminds us all of what is possible. True not all of us will be an executive at a big corporation or even own our own business, but we can all give the best of ourselves to what we want and realize that the sacrifices we make will be well worth it in the long run. Santino wouldn’t be able to share this message of not staying down when you stumble and fall if he hadn’t lived it first. Because of him we have a real-life example of what is possible. Because of GET BACK UP you can realize that where you are now is not where you have to stay. You can keep moving forward, and it all begins right now with the decision to do so.”
“We have all faced obstacles in our lives whether personal or business. We choose to either get back up or just give up. In his book, which is inspirational as well as motivational, he had many valid reasons to give up, but persevered on both a personal and business level. Being a former manager of a business I was particularly intrigued by his managerial style and skills. Being a mentor, motivator, and having a positive approach to his employees, building a team, and being successful not only on each task assigned but being so innovative, that he forged ahead a company to be even more efficient and successful. From a business standpoint I believe there are some valuable lessons in this portion of the book that could benefit any business or corporation..so get back up or give up….I choose to get back up!”
“This book is filled with stories that I feel can touch each of us, maybe in different ways, but the up and down experiences of Mr. Santino and his resilience and perseverance were an inspiration to me. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.”
“Truly inspirational story of a man with a singular focus. Too many times people give up easily when faced with adversity or hear a “no.” They blame their luck or blame others, and all too quickly abandon their dreams. In an engaging, enjoyable, and easy to read book that you can’t put down, you will see that with persistence and hard work, your dreams are within reach. This book should be on everyone’s summer must-read list.”
“As a book reviewer, sometimes the promotion for the book is actually better than the actual book. Oops, did I just say that? Well sometimes it is. Occasionally the author hires a really good PR company and they write an amazing synopsis of the book and you think, I really need to read that! Then you get the book and you are really disappointed. Like disappointed to where you can barely get through the first couple of chapters without falling asleep. Well this is one of those times that the PR company hit the nail on the head! This is a great book! It really is a humorous story! I love how the author isn’t stuck on himself, is brutally honest and shares their story of how he literally had no place to live and ends up on top. If you are looking for a great motivational beach read that touches your heart and mind, then I highly recommend this book! I don’t think you will be disappointed!”
“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.”
“I had the pleasure of interviewing George A Santino on my radio program and I found the story he relates, in his book Get Back Up, to be an inspirational tale of turning turmoil into triumph. His story is proof that the American dream is alive and well.”
“This book, Get Back Up, is a modern classic – a story of grit, determination and the true American spirit. George A Santino narrates a story that can inspire anyone who has been knocked down or pushed back. Building a successful career or life starts as a dream we can all pursue. Read this book!”
“I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting George A. Santino in person, but after experiencing his talent through his music and now reading his book GET BACK UP I feel a connection with him through his journey. He shows that no matter where you start or what you have experienced the only thing that is truly limiting you is You. GET BACK UP is the kind of book that will motivate, inspire and propel you towards your goals and dreams, if you are willing to do the work.”