A Reading-for-Empowerment project used a critical social science approach. Phase I of the project was an in-depth study of successful lives to discern the critical factors which lead to success. Four graduate counselor trainees at South Carolina State University examined the autobiographies of Maya Angelou, Zora Neal Hurston, John H. Johnson, and Malcolm X. Six essential factors or "common fibers" were identified and developed into the Success "Fibers" Model of Development. Participants in Phase II of the project read an autobiography of a famous person, analyzed the person's life, reconstructed the person's life, and applied lessons learned about success factors to their own life. Participants completed an open-ended survey and reported development of a sense of empowerment in 4 categories: (1) increased insight; (2) increased encouragement; (3) new awareness of possibilities for personal success; and (4) actual behavior changes and plan for behavior changes to create personal success. Phase III of the project will involve pretests, the project experience and posttest to determine the impact of the project in helping students reach their potential. (Contains five tables and a figure that presents aspects of the project and comments from participants. Appendixes presents a program produced as a result of Phase II of the project, and sample worksheets from Phase III of the project.) (RS)