5 comments about Valley Boy: The Education of Tom Perkins.

1. Perhaps I'm the only one, but I found this book to be basically unreadable. (As such, I have only read a small part of it.) Tom Perkins is an impressive person with a successful career by many standards, and I am interested in what he does for a living even, but suffice it to say he is not one of our nation's best writers.



2. The book is a few interesting stories from his life told as if it were over several dinners and several glasses of wine.
   
   I personally like the conversational style and flow of the book and so highly recommend it.
   
   These are just a few vignettes from his life and I'm sure there are many more stories to tell.



3. Tom takes the opportunity to get his view of events in his life on the record. Very doubtful as biography, this book is more of an attempt to sway public interpretation of events in his long career, spanning early years in Hewlett Packard, the formation of the Kleiner Perkins venture capital firm, his sailing exploits, his marriage to Danielle Steele, and how he chose to use his vast wealth to influence events and people he encountered. Right up front he deals with the spying incidents at Hewlett Packard when Pattie Dunn was the chairwoman (very condescending), as well as his relationship with Carly Fiorina (very confrontational and rocky), but most of it comes off as self-serving and slanted to his view. Yet, the book is interesting as an peek into the restless and eclectic mind of the ultimate bootstrapper, a man who leveraged his times and opportunites into one of the most successful careers on record. Despite this, it also serves as a warning to those who believe great wealth is matched with great wisdom, since clearly, his wealth was poured into his world class collection of toys and houses. Take heed.



4. this book has more substance than is typical for the genre, and i was hooked on every page; wish there were more pages and illustrations :-)



5. One of the icons of Silicon Valley tells his story. It's great for an outsider looking in.

5 comments about The Turnaround Kid: What I Learned Rescuing America's Most Troubled Companies.

1. Very interesting read--both the business as well as personal. I felt as though the author was speaking to me on a one to one.



2. THE TURNAROUND KID: WHAT I LEARNED RESCUING AMERICA'S MOST TROUBLED COMPANIES recounts the high points of the author's career rescuing American business disasters - and in the process offers college-level business libraries the opportunity to understand the evolution of a business genius. Blending business management concepts with a memoir, THE TURNAROUND KID shows how the author turned around his own life as well as businesses, reshaping and restructuring the very foundations of big business procedures in the process. An inspiring, enlightening account.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



3. I expected more. An exciting book that would provide insight on financial workouts. Well I didn't get, I wanted to close the book several times, but I hate leaving a book half read. If you are looking for a interesteing read, this isn't it.



4. Mr. Miller comes across as a hard-working, pragmatic, unaffected and down to earth guy who sees the big picture and cares about people in it. We can only hope that there are more executives like him at the top of F500 companies. I would recommend this book to any MBA programme as a supplement to their business ethics programme or anybody who has ever struggled to calibrate his/her own moral compass under pressures from various constituencies.



5. This is a thoroughly enjoyable autobiography of Steve Miller, a rising Ford executive who became the go to guy for companies in crisis over more than two decades. At Chrysler, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Olympia & York, Morrison Knudsen, Federal Mogul, Waste Management, Reliance Group Holdings, Bethlehem Steel, Aetna and Delphi, he parachuted into companies on the brink of failure and tried to come up with the best solution. Sometimes the outcome is a roaring success, other times he has to settle for the best of a series of unpleasant choices, and other times he is ineffective.
   
   This book is more Miller's autobiography than a how-to guide to fixing broken companies. The book is only 230 pages long and each company's situation is only covered at a high level. Miller's strength as a businessman is his ability to take a fresh, hard look at the companies, face up to the cold reality and work with all parties to come up with the best possible solution. His book has many on the same strengths; he offers what appears to be an honest (sometimes brutally so) assessment of his own successes and failures, as well as those of the other parties in the drama.
   
   What emerges is the story of a leader who enjoys the excitement of trying to solve complex problems while trying, and succeeding, to do the right thing for his family and the people and companies that depend on him.

3 comments about Creative Capital: Georges Doriot and the Birth of Venture Capital.

1. I was in the General's class at HBS in 1961. When he discovered that I was an active duty military officer, he took an obvious personal interest in me (although he did not call me "Bernie", as he called Samuel Bodman "Sammy"). Nevertheless, I will never forget the inspiring interactions with him and his varied guests from many walks in life, including Jackie Cochran, pioneer aviator. The author has done a first-rate job of pulling together details that shed light on a great man, as well as his wife. I finished the book in record time.



2. I was General Doriot's student at Harvard in 1960. He and his views had a profound impact on my life, both in business and personally. His emphasis on ethics, patience, creativity and freedom led me, in my various roles in life, to pass on these same qualities to all my associates.
   The book is well written and provides a useful insight on the private man. It's too bad that this information was not available in 1960.



3. Americans always talk of saving France during WWII, yet at the same time, here was an intriguing French immigrant who rose to be a top professor of entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School, a founder of the venture capital industry, founder of INSEAD the European business school and to top it all off- played a critical role in saving countless American lives in WWII by leading the innovation and production of quality military equipment and supplies.
   
   Ante's portrait is one of a driven maverick, visionary and Renaissance man who made an astonishing contribution to the war effort and modern business culture, and yet he seems very human and at times poignant. I was especially moved by Doriot's tireless passion in helping American soldiers as well has his 48-year marriage to his wife Edna and how they spent their last years together.
   
   I loved this book because it's such an unusual and valuable contribution to our understanding of the 20th century. Doriot has been an unsung hero in many ways, and by bringing his life into focus, Ante weaves people and international events in a way that makes us see our world as ever more fascinating, multi-faceted and interconnected.

5 comments about Personal History.

1. Absolutely perfect biography. Graham's book is frank in ways few would care to be. Her leadership of the Washington Post has been much talked about, and I'm a big fan of the paper, so it was a fascinating story. When she took over the Post in the 1960s, women could not be found in too many positions of power. She honestly discusses her difficulties, self doubts, and mistakes in ways one is not likely to find in many other places. Since I find politics interesting, I appreciated Graham's insights into the development of media over the twentieth century and her candid insider thoughts on some of the most important and powerful leaders of the 20th century.



2. It is long (642 pages), and the print is small. Why would anyone want to read it? Because every page has something of interest in it. And because this is not only the personal history of Katharine Graham, but a view of the United States from a woman reluctantly thrust into power by the death of her Washington Post husband. The time covered is from the early 1900s, when her parents met, through the early 1990s. Think of how life changed during that time.
   
   Mrs. Graham was raised by nannies in New York while her parents were busy helping out in Washington. She showed her independence by attending the radical University of Chicago and working before she married. When Katherine's father stepped down from management of the Washington Post, her husband, Phil, took his place. When Phil became ill and died, it was she who became president of the Washington Post Company.
   
   Constantly during this sweep through politics, labor relations, corporate management, the rise of feminism, the importance of communications, and much more, Graham weaves her personal growing consciousness of where she and other women stand in relationship to it all. She writes of the help she received and downplays her own acumen in becoming the only woman in the Fortune 500. Never does she flaunt who she was, who she became, and the power she held.
   
   Every page brings not only her personal insights about the (mostly) maturing of America, but also explains how she gains confidence while remaining concerned with and involved in her own family as well. An excellent read, but don't expect to finish it in one reading.
   
   by Judith Helburn
   for StorycircleBookReviews
   www.storycirclebookreviewsorg
   reviewing books by, for, and about women



3. This is a great book about a great woman! Interesting to see how even the privileged have difficult experiences in life and how it all only depend on us. We are very capable of achieving our goals and this book shows that even though it might not be easy, in the end, it can be very rewarding. This book shows a great insight in the history of newspaper business and politics.



4. My only regret is that I did not pay more attention to Katharine Graham and the Washington Post while she was alive. Through unveiling her own insecurities and illustrating how she moved into one of the most powerful women in the world, I learned US History and the trials of a CEO woman in the 1960s and forward.
   
   Ms. Graham reveals much about "inside Washington" and does a particularly good job of making the "players" come to life. I really hated to see the book end. Yet, Ms. Graham did what she set out to do -- documented a time in our history. Kathy Condon Executive Coach



5. Fantastic, gripping book, though it bogged down for me near the end with the minutia of labor/management disputes at the Washington Post. Still recommend highly.

5 comments about iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It.

1. As an early adopter of the TRS-80 (1978) and later Apple II I have been an avid reader of much history of this period. There are great nuggets of inside events in this book but a little too much of Woz's philosophy and not as much new as I had hoped. The tech info was great though some of it a bit hard to follow which might be understandable of a proven genius telling his story.



2. I enjoyed reading this book but like others, I found it annoying at times. It is an autobiography. Most of the book is about boring details of Steve Wozniak's life. His account of how Apple Computer started and how the Apple I and II where created is very interesting, unfortunately it is a very small part of the book. It was very annoying reading his constant bragging about how humble he is.
   
   The book gave me a better understanding of early PC history and the history of Apple. I also wanted to learn more about a guy I consider a hero. I did learn more about Woz but I must say that based on what I learned from this book I respect him a lot less than before.



3. I'm a mac user, and I always wanted to know how Woz lived all Apple's building process.
   It's a great biography and really enjoyable to read. All is written in a very friendly way.
   I really recommend it. It's a piece of computer history, I think, all geeks should know.



4. This was an outstanding autobiography that gave me real insight into Steve Wozniak's life journey and thought process. Most interesting and prevelant was the invention of the first PC, but the book goes beyond that.
   
   As a tech person myself, I really liked how he would stop and describe how things worked as it related to how it shaped his life. Some of it was interesting and easy to understand (e.g., why twisted pair wire is twisted) while others were interesting but mostly went over my head (e.g., the intricacies of a complex circuit board). But I even enjoyed the stuff that went over my head.
   
   Some of the other reviews trashed this book because they thought he was too full of himself or they thought the book was written "at a 6th grade level". #1 - it's an autobiography - what do you want him to talk about? #2 - he invented the first personal computer - if anything I think he downplays his role too much (it's not like the PC has any impact on modern life, right?). #3 - the book's style is just about perfect if you ask me. If you want an autobiography that reads like a high-brow novel, then read one about a novelist. For me, this was perfectly what an autobiography should be: a behind-the-eyes look at someone truly interesting and impactful on everyone's lives, written in his own words.



5. Steve Wozniak spends a lot of this book detailing so many examples of his relentlessly positive attitude, his relentlessly great time growing up, and his relentless enthusiasm for all thing electronic. He does a good job in some early sections explaining movements of electrons along currents at their both basic level, which is appreciated by non-engineers. I was put off by his side story of opening/running the Mayfair theater in a "low-income" area of Silicon Valley and having to paint the bathroom black to stop the graffetii. I grew up in what he probably thinks are "low-income" areas of Silicon Valley, i e your house is under $2 million bucks, and I was pretty offended. Wow! We weren't super-rich and I never graffettied anything! This typifies the snotty elitist attitude of people in that area and reminds me why I high-tailed it for Sin City. Too bad that one of the men who built and contributed so much has this attitude as well. Stop playing to both sides of the fence, Woz. Your products are great, but your book needs some de-bugging!

5 comments about Sam Walton: Made In America.

1. Sam Walton was one of the worst things to happen to America. It's a monopoly. It destroys communities.



2. I have worked in retail and competed with Wal Mart. Although I don't shop at Wal Mart often, Sam Walton's story is a unique American story of a man that went from poverty to wealth. His stores have always been competitive with most of the other discount stores in our area. This book is the story of his rise to success through the discount store concept. This book is written in Sam's folksy style. He explains his concepts on management and business through this book.
   
   Sam shows his workaholic style created a unique American corporation. I doubt few companies expect as much as Wal Mart. Long hours, weekend work, and holidays are expected. I wonder how much time Sam spent with his family during this time when Wal Mart expanded. The respect for the value of a dollar, small town America, and work all resonate in this book.
   
   There are some things I don't completely agree with. Unions have protected the working people in this country, but Sam has strongly resisted there representation in his stores. Sam's associates are for the most part low paid workers struggling to get by. Perhaps some have made it rich, but most haven't.
   
   This is a unique story of one man's success in the discount store business. Walton revolutionized this industry. His ideas created value to both shoppers, shareholders, and stakeholders.



3. An excellent, honest account of how a business grew from nothing to being the world's largest retailer. How it grew so successful that it helped shape America - for good or for bad. Walton's view on that is hard to dispute: customers wanted low prices, and that's what Wal-Mart was able to provide them. His take on labour policy (such as the notoriously low wages at Wal-Mart) was quite disarmingly frank, from a person who was unashamedly frugal by nature. An honourable man who never let the extreme wealth go to his head. Quite inspirational. JK



4. Excellent book on Sam Walton. I don't believe that WalMart has the same ideals today, but it sure started off on the right foot... Congrats Sam on an excellent business plan and visionary management style.



5. It is hard to write an autobiography without displaying your bias. Sam Walton has done an outstanding job. Made in America is interesting and educational. Walton does an excellent job of peppering Walmart's story with some of his own childhood and background information which make the story more fun to read.
   
   No matter what your views on Walmart and its effect on US economy, this is a very important book to read. Furthermore the way he tells his story can appeal to a wide range of audience. One of the best autobiographies I've read!

No comments about The First Billion Is the Hardest: Reflections on a Life of Comebacks and America's Energy Future.

5 comments about The Wolf of Wall Street.

1. It felt like I was reading fiction, and bad fiction at that.
   
   I was not interested in learning about your drug habits Jordan, but rather your supposed knack of the market. I think I am stupider for having read that book.



2. I was really disapointed because after reading it I felt like many other readers. I thought the book was a complete waste of paper and money. Well, Because it starts out VERY interesting, I thought it was going to be a book about a young man's rise to power, and THEN his downfall. (i mean, i sat in barnes and nobles and read the book jacket as well as 2 whole chapters before I decided to buy the darn thing!) Anyway, it was not what I expected when i got home. It was just a story spanning a few hectic years of his life. Who Cares? Okay, maybe I would not be so upset if I did not feel so mislead at the begining.
   The book had some interesting, but more boring parts in it, some were pure insanity, and his obsessions with everything including his own wife! I really do not think that this is the whole story, without giving away too much, i just don't, so much does not fit, or make any sense.
   I title my review "not surprising" because as I read the book, I realized that he is a con artist, a liar, cheater, scum bag sales man, so OF COURSE he sold me this book!! LOL!!! that is the only reason it even got 2 stars! Bravo! Jordan, another triumph for you!



3. Poor Chandler and Carter. Not only are their parents divorced, and their father is a drug addict and a convicted felon. One of them saw daddy push mommy down the stairs. And regardless of what he says (Jordan Belfort has the self-awareness of a bug), their father came out of jail being the same pathetic jerk he was going in.
   
   He devotes zero pages of the book to the effect his actions had on others, and he seems to consider breaking the law wrong simply because he got caught. And he now lurks on Amazon.com, attacking the many reviewers who didn't like his book, calling them "morons" and even, in one case suggesting the reviewer resign his job - simply because he hated the book. Let me repeat: this is a guy who thinks someone who doesn't like his book should give up his day job. That's how much of a jerk Jordan Belfort is, and it shows in every page of his tedious book.
   
   I feel sorry for his children. I bet they'll be in rehab or jail before they turn twenty-one.



4. It's hard to believe this is Belfort's first book. It is exceptionally well written and grips you from the first page. The book details Belfort's rise and fall as a financial tycoon. He was a self made multi-millionare who managed to risk it all thru risky trading schemes. But what's more astounding is what he put his body through along the way, abusing every drug imaginable and engaging in wreckless behavior. It's a candid story of his rise, fall, and recovery. In the end, you're left astounded that he managed to survive and tell the tale.



5. I couldn't finish this book, even when I decided to flip a few pages whenever the mention of "The Duchess" came up.
   
   As interesting as his story is, he didn't tell him. Instead, this book is wrapped up in too much fluff. I gave up on this book and haven't picked it back up once since I bought it.

5 comments about Reminiscences of a Stock Operator Illustrated (A Marketplace Book).

1. Reminiscences of Stock Operator is a classical works that testifies that the psychological and technical aspects that moves the market has not changed even to this present day... The beauty of the fictional story based on the greatest of minds that traded in the market and made millions and lost fortunes speaks very vividly to us today from their wisdom and experience... I have found the book to be full of wisdom, education and guidance that the financial markets is not a game to be played on the hopes of getting rich for nothing...To be successful requires the greatest discipline on our ourselves..And in the game of speculation this book let us know that the financial markets owes us nothing and that we can't force our hands...



2. As I read this book I wondered if it was written recently, as most books written in the last couple decades seem to have the same info, including the 'newly discovered' psychology of trading. Save a ton of money and buy this book first. Then you may not want any of the others. It's well written, though the author's whole intent is to prove no one can 'beat' the market, which is a little discouraging. I mean, after all, I think I will. Everyone interested in trading should read this early in their career, if not first.



3. As useful in the mad 1920's and 30's as it is today! Every trader should read it... at least twice. If you're into Hedge funds, Private Equity or Asset Management, you should probably read it not less than 3 times - in between the lines!



4. If you believe Market Analysis,you ought to choose Jesse Livermore.If you believe Company Analysis,you ought to choose Warren Buffett.If you believe Country Analysis,you ought to choose Jim Rogers.Good lucky!



5. Picture this; it's the early 1900's, the dawn of the Roaring 20's. Gatsby like characters abound and are romanticized in the Saturday Evening Post, Horatio Alger rags to riches stories are all the rave. Along comes Jesse Livermore, a ballsy, throw caution to the wind and risk it all by leveraging it up to the hilt and letting it ride type of guy. It's a time when the market is on fire and behaves something like the late 90's but the regulators are nowhere to be seen. Charles Ponzi takes Boston by storm with his promises of 50% in 45 days with his Ponzi Notes and creates an all out frenzy engulfing what seems like half of the City.
   
   I read this book in 1990 when I first entered the securities business, and promptly bough 10 copies to give to friends. Over the years I have either given as a gift or recommended this book to everyone entering the business (Wall St. and the investing business in general).
   
   In this edition the illustrations from the 1920's Post are worth every penny, however the market insight is invaluable. Just think about what you can learn from a guy that was day trading and scalping eights 70 years before it was in vogue!
   
   I enjoyed the ride of the market throughout the 90's as a Wall Street broker and then moved on to real estate in 2001. I would recommend this book to anyone just starting out on Wall Street and for those that are Street veterans and have not read it yet, shame on you.
   
   By Kevin Kingston, author of: A 20,000% Gain in Real Estate: A True Story About the Ups and Downs From Wall Street to Real Estate Leading to Phenomenal Returns
   
   Blog: bloglines.com/blog/KevinKingston

5 comments about Extraordinary Circumstances: The Journey of a Corporate Whistleblower.

1. Cynthia Cooper was a true corporate whistleblower. She became famous, not by choice, but because of the WorldCom financial statement fraud valued at $11 billion. She was the Vice President of Internal Audit at WorldCom, a position that was not easily obtained. She almost single-handedly created the internal audit department at WorldCom, and her book Extraordinary Circumstances: The Journey of a Corporate Whistleblower details the struggle to get management to take internal audit seriously.
   
   Things started going wrong at WorldCom very early. The company went on an acquisition spree, and the merging of many small companies, managers, and accounting systems was a disaster waiting to happen. Cynthia says that WorldCom was much better at acquiring companies than integrating them, and that is clear.
   
   From an accounting perspective, it was next to impossible to create a properly controlled system. There were too many small systems being pieced together, and it was easy for numbers and authorizations to get lost in the shuffle. This struggle is well-documented by Cynthia, who no doubt painstakingly researched the various acquisitions in order to give such a complete history.
   
   At times the book seems to get a little off-topic as Cynthia goes through each player's background briefly. Honestly, that information isn't really relevant to the story and, while it was probably intended to make these characters relatable human beings, it really just serves to make the book longer than necessary. It prolongs the process of getting to the real heart of the story.
   
   I was drawn into the parts detailing the background of Bernie Ebbers and his early entrepreneurial ventures. I don't think Cynthia came right out and said that Ebbers wasn't equipped to run WorldCom, but that's exactly how it appears when you're done reading.
   
   Where this book is so good is in detailing the fraud and how it happened. I don't think most consumers know how and where WorldCom's fraud started: all in the "line costs." You don't need an accounting background to understand the details of the fraud once Cynthia explains how things went down. Earnings were too low and management was, quite simply, looking for a place to reduce expenses.
   
   When management realized they were paying too much for capacity that they weren't selling to customers, it became clear. Take some of those "line costs" and capitalize them, which essentially amounts to moving them off the profit and loss statement (decreasing expenses and increasing profits) and onto the balance sheet (increasing assets).
   
   WorldCom moved those line costs into something that the executives called "prepaid capacity." The company's financials instantly looked better, and CFO Scott Sullivan found that this was an easy way to rehabilitate the financial statements each quarter. Wall Street wanted lots of growth, and that's exactly what the executives delivered by the time the fraudulent accounting entries were completed.
   
   Yet the process of uncovering this fraud, as Cynthia and her team would soon find out, was grueling. Their investigation into the accounting shenanigans was long because the accounting entries behind this manipulation of the financial statements were complex. Hundreds of entries were made to a variety of accounts in order to confuse anyone who might later look at them. And the investigation was hard because management didn't want Cynthia and her people looking into the entries, for obvious reasons.
   
   After the fraud became clear to Cynthia and her team, there was a long fight over whether something should or could be done about it. Scott Sullivan was determined to find an accounting rule to justify the fraudulent accounting entries. It is no surprise that there is not an accounting rule that backs up what was done, because it wasn't done with the accounting rules in mind. It was done with only Wall Street in mind.
   
   And WorldCom's audit committee wasn't completely behind the internal auditors' investigation or results. The audit committee should be the independent group of individuals to whom an employee can voice concerns and be taken seriously. Yet Cynthia didn't seem to be given as much consideration as she should have been, and she relates this struggle nicely in the book.
   
   The story of the investigation comes to life through Cynthia's words. I found myself drawn into the story, and I could feel myself sitting there as the internal auditors were going through entry after entry, always watching their backs because the executives didn't want them investigating.
   
   Lots of clichés and heartwarming stories of family interactions are woven into the book. Again, these things aren't really all that relevant to the story and merely provided a distraction from the business at hand: the collapse of WorldCom.
   
   These minor criticisms don't take away from the book as a whole. It is a detailed account of what happened, and digs much deeper into the WorldCom fraud than I ever expected. The detail behind how the fraud occurred is told in a fascinating manner, and I found myself able to picture WorldCom executives sitting around and comparing the company's financial results to the expectations of Wall Street ... and making fraudulent accounting entries to meet those expectations.
   
   Congratulations, Cynthia, on a successful first book. And many thanks for being willing to stand up for the truth and fight to expose the WorldCom fraud.



2. COMPELLING ACCOUNT OF UNCONTROLLED GROWTH AND GREED, AND HOW A DOWN HOME GIRL WITH EXCEPTIONAL UP-BRINGING FOUND HERSELF IN A SITUATION THAT WENT AGAINST ALL HER STANDARDS.
   A VERY EASY READ.



3. This book tells the story of WorldCom's rise and fail from both a human and business perspective. Cynthia does a great job capturing her emotional journey to rise to the top of WorldCom's internal audit, while at the same time explaining the events that led to her teams discovery of one of the nations largest frauds. The second half of the book is a real page turner, not unlike another famous author from Mississippi. I especially appreciate her ability to capture the human side of the story. It is easy to dismiss Bernie Ebbers and Scott Sullivan as greedy corporate titans, but the story seems to go deeper. She also captures the conflict felt by the lower-level employees who were co-opted into the fraud. Finally, she provide insight into the emotions of a whistle-blower confronted with such a significant ethical challenge.



4. Cynthia Cooper is right on the mark. Being a former WorldCom Manager myself, she does a good job setting the scene for those who didn't live through it. Even if you haven't worked in telecom, you will find this interesting as to how a mega-corporation could have risen so high and fallen so low. You may wonder at times if the personalities could have possibly been that eccentric--trust me they were and then some! Great READ.



5. Not a bad book, I enjoyed reading it. Sometimes she could go off on tangents and her language was at times over-simple, but her point of view and experiences were interesting to read about. Was good to read from an insider's perspective, specifically a "whistleblower's" (although she doesn't like the term), rather than what the media or directors of the company put out.