Product Description

Stories from Idols and Their Fans for Everyone Who Believes in a Dream. . .

With stories from Carrie Underwood, Clay Aiken,

Jordin Sparks, Ruben Studdard,

Melinda Doolittle, Blake Lewis, Sanjaya Malakar,

and many other top Idols from every season!

Do you love the thrill of seeing people's dreams come true? Do you enjoy the excitement of rooting for your favorite contestant ? Has your spirit ever soared from watching a performance on American Idol ? For anyone who has watched America 's best loved television show, here's a collection of captivating stories that take you into the hearts, minds and souls of the Idols, the fans, and the team that makes the show possible.

These are the stories the television cameras don't see—true, uplifting, and entertaining tales told with humor and candor that will leave you laughing, crying, and feeling inspired, whether you are a die-hard Idol watcher or an occasional fan . Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul is the perfect marriage of the #1 show in television history and the #1 non-fiction book series in publishing history—both dedicated to celebrating the triumph of spirit over adversity, the fulfillment of dreams coming true, and the power of love.

In Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul , those closest to the heart of American Idol — from the executive producers to the stylists, from the fans to the judges, from the top finalists to the behind-the-scenes crew —share their moving stories of obstacles overcome, love and support shared, lessons learned and lives touched and changed forever. This is truly the stuff that dreams are made of—and why almost 60 million people faithfully tune in week after week, year after year.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23306 in Books
• Published on: 2007-11-15
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

About the Author
Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen are the co-creators of the bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen are the co-creators of the bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul series.

Debra Poneman is an award-winning speaker, seminar leader and author. Recognized as one of the pioneers in the field of personal growth, Debra is a popular talk show guest and has appeared on radio and TV from coast to coast.

As founder and president of Yes to Success, Inc., her breakthrough methods for creating success, prosperity and lasting happiness have helped transform the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the world.

In her most recent book, Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul, the principles Debra has taught for over two decades such as utilizing the power of the Law of Attraction, welcoming obstacles as opportunities and pursuing your passion all come alive in the lives of the American Idols.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Now There's Enough for Everybody

Ruben Studdard
American Idol, Season 2

My whole life, I never wanted to do anything but be a singer. But before Idol, it just didn't seem to work my way.

In the fall of 1999, I left college during my junior year to pursue a career in music. This was not welcomed by my mother because both my parents are educators. There were four of us friends in different colleges in the South, and we all decided to leave school. I promised my mom if I didn't make it in five years, I'd go back.
Our group was called God's Gift, and we practiced every day. We practiced, practiced, practiced, but we never seemed to get anywhere. We shopped demos, went out to find deals—we tried just about everything.

Sometimes, it got us down. I remember a minister saying, 'Everything happens in God's time, so be patient.' I was pretty much the only guy in the group who had already been doing this for years, so my thought was, How much more patient can I be?

Eventually, the group gave up because it just wasn't happening. I joined a jazz band called Just a Few Cats. By that point, I wasn't even concerned with making it; I just wanted to have fun. Soon, we became the most popular group in Birmingham. We started playing 500–600 seat venues that sold out almost immediately.
One day, a background singer in our band said she was going to try out for American Idol and asked me to go with her. 'I'm not doing that,' I said.

I thought I was everything the American Idol wasn't. I mean, I wasn't exactly Kelly Clarkson. I was this big guy in a jazz band who in college had been pursuing a degree in operatic performance. I just envisioned going up there and embarrassing myself on national television. All the odds were against me.

But I told my friend I'd go to give her support and to cheer when she made it through. We drove to Nashville and spent all night waiting outside. Fortunately, she brought pillows and blankets because we had to sleep on the ground.

In the morning, one of the producers woke us and asked if we were there to audition. 'Yeah,' I said, still half-asleep. Maybe I meant, 'Yeah,' as in, 'Yeah, she's here to audition and I'm with her,' but next thing I knew, I was singing in front of the assistant producers. I made it through, and my friend didn't.
From that moment on, I had to believe there was a master plan because it all just flowed, one thing after the other.

I was told to come back the following day for the next audition, but I sure didn't want to sleep outside again. Then I found out a friend was in Nashville for an engineering conference and just happened to have an extra hotel room.

When I met the show's producer, Nigel Lythgoe, he said, 'You don't look like an American Idol, but I bet you can sing.'
I sang Stevie Wonder's 'Ribbon in the Sky,' and Nigel said, 'Man, you are going on.'

I was flying high when I went home to Birmingham, but I had to return to Nashville the next week to sing for Randy, Simon, and Paula. I didn't know what to do because my car wouldn't make it.

My brother Kevin offered to take me. This was really something because I always drove him nuts when I sang. He would beg me to stop singing, please. When we were kids and walked to the store, he punched me out for singing all the way down the street. But now he was driving me to Nashville?

When I sang for the judges, all three said, 'Absolutely, yes!'
I just knew something great was going to happen. I didn't think I was going to win the show by any means, but I did feel like it just might give me the opportunity to somehow live my dreams.

American Idol helped me accomplish more than I could have dreamed in a million years on my own. I sang at the American Music Awards. I was nominated for a Grammy®. I went to South Africa and sang in soccer stadiums. I've done concerts for hundreds of thousands of people. I've had a platinum album and Billboard #1 songs. I never would have imagined that I'd sing for the President, but I did that, too—twice. I've done so much since Idol—and I would have been happy just making one album!

When people ask me for advice, I'm always willing to share it: always be prepared. I know that might sound funny since I sure didn't seem prepared for the audition that morning in Nashville, but I can honestly say I've studied my craft since I was ten years old. I went to school to be a classical musician. I took every class I could on music theory. If your opportunity shows up and you're not prepared, you might lose it . . . and it might not come back again.

Last weekend, I sang at Ella Fitzgerald's ninetieth Birthday Benefit with Natalie Cole, Quincy Jones, and Nancy Wilson. When I do a gig, I'm always prepared. I tell people, 'Don't wing it.' You know when someone's winging it, and it's not going to get you where you want to go.

And the other advice I give is to always have a pleasing attitude. The one thing everyone always says about me is I have a good attitude. I believe that will take you further than a great voice or loads of talent.

Needless to say, my life has changed since Idol. But I'm the same guy, the same Ruben—the same son, the same friend, the same brother. Kevin and I still love—and fight with—each other. When people ask if we still fight over the last sandwich in the refrigerator, like I talked about on the show, I tell them that's another thing that's changed since Idol: now there's always enough of everything for all of us.

And don't think I'm not grateful. I'm one of those people who lives life based on gratitude. I believe the more grateful you are, the more good things will come to you. I will always be grateful to American Idol—I will never forget what it has done to help me make my dreams come true.

©2007. Ruben Studdard. All rights reserved. Reprinted from Chicken Soup for the American Idol Soul by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Debra Poneman. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the written permission of the publisher. Publisher: Health Communications, Inc., 3201 SW 15th Street , Deerfield Beach , FL 33442.

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Customer Reviews

Great Book
This is the best book ever because it tells the stories of real people that went on American Idol like Jordan Sparks! Also, it tells all the good and bad things they had to go through to get on the show. In one of the people's story, it said that both parents were deaf and whenever that person sang in front of people the parents only saw how excited they were for that person. That is how they could tell she was good. Some stories are so sad that they will actually make you cry, I did. Also, I think this book is cool because it's all true.

loved this book!!!
My friend and I traded books and I couldn't put this one down!!! I have never seen American Idol and Chicken Soup for the American Idol soul helped me learn a little bit about it. I was inspired by each story to do my very best, even after I fail. Some of the people in this book failed several times before they finally made it past even one round or became an Idol. If you fail you can sulk around for like the next month or you can get back up on your feet and try again like some of the Idols did. So I learned to try until you succeed even though I've heard this like 5 millon times this really hit home.

Still remembers the original purity of the show
Y'know, while I like to occassionally read from the random Chicken Soup book, I must admit it's been awhile. This book was simply a result of a cheap price and my less-than-a-year fandom of American Idol. Goodness knows I did not expect to see the two combined. But apparently millions of people consider the show to be the return of the classic American Dream, and I can see why via this great collection of stories from all human sectors of Idol. And yes, the stories were interesting to read. While some fans left me wondering if they were truly touched or just ridiculously obsessed, there were more than a few stories that brought tears to my eyes. I also liked the assortment: Idols, stage staff, fans, everyone. I had no idea how much this show affected people! This book will be appreciated by all American Idol fans.