
The Steps (large Print)
A Memoir
HarperCollins · Print & ebook · September 29, 2026
A gritty, inspiring, heart-wrenching memoir by the Academy Award-winning legend and icon Sylvester Stallone, about his unlikely path to stardom and the creation of the greatest underdog story ever told.
We earn from qualifying purchases.
- Who it’s for
- Stallone traces his journey from New York in 1969 to Rocky’s 1977 Academy Awards triumph.
- Themes
- Resilience, Overcoming adversity, Persistence and hard work
- Pacing
- Fast
Nearest books
Matched by what the books are about, then ordered by what their readers also loved.
The Book of JoseFAT JOE, Shaheem Reid54% match
Shoe DogPhil Knight53% match
Roll the CallsAri Emanuel53% matchShares Lives in Entertainment
Semi-well-adjusted Despite Literally EverythingAlyson Stoner, Macmillan Audio52% matchShares Lives in Entertainment
UnboundSteph Jagger51% matchShares Personal Memoirs
GreenlightsMatthew McConaughey51% matchShares Lives in Entertainment and Personal Memoirs
Legends and SolesSonny Vaccaro, Armen Keteyian51% match
Just TyrusTyrus51% matchShares Lives in Entertainment
For younger readers: Bad Boy, Dream Big, A Quantum Life (adapted for Young Adults)
Start with three books, and this one can be the first.
Members get a new edition every morning: a route out from their books to essays, research and talks, with the reason for each.
Start with this bookAbout this book
A gritty, inspiring, heart-wrenching memoir by the Academy Award-winning legend and icon Sylvester Stallone, about his unlikely path to stardom and the creation of the greatest underdog story ever told. In the fifty years since Sylvester Stallone ran up the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum, he and those steps have become symbols of resilience and determination, and have inspired millions from all over the world to pursue their dreams.
Continue reading
In The Steps, Stallone recounts how he pursued his own dreams. A culmination of decades of reflection, Stallone shares where he came from—a difficult birth, an even more difficult childhood, years of struggle in school being misunderstood—and he explains how the real story of a successful life is built by facing, embracing, and ultimately overcoming our challenges. It’s found in the distances we are willing to go and the steps we must take to get from where we are to where we want to go. In a narrative framed between his arrival in New York City in 1969 and the triumph of Rocky at the 1977 Academy Awards, Stallone weaves a vivid and propulsive portrait of struggle, subsistence, and ultimately success. He writes of his early days and later years, too, and the persistence, creativity, and resilience that led not only to the creation of Rocky but to a career filled with remarkably iconic roles. The Steps is a testament to Stallone’s extraordinary life and a profound meditation on the importance of vision and willpower and hard work.
Stallone’s Steps
Stallone traces his journey from New York in 1969 to Rocky’s 1977 Academy Awards triumph.
Come here for
- Stallone’s difficult childhood and early struggles
- The creation of Rocky and his path to stardom
Expect
- Early days, later years, and the roles that shaped his career
- Reflections on persistence, creativity, and resilience
Where it sits
| Personal Memoirs | 63% |
|---|---|
| Lives in Entertainment | 56% |
| Film & Cinema | 41% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Lives in Entertainment
- Lives of the Rich & Famous
- Personal Memoirs
- Getting Motivated
- Authors
- Sylvester Stallone
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Published
- September 29, 2026
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Resilience · Overcoming adversity · Persistence and hard work
- Reading lane
- Lives in Entertainment