The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of LifeProduct Description
Here is THE book recounting the life and times of one of the most respected men in the world, Warren Buffett. The legendary Omaha investor has never written a memoir, but now he has allowed one writer, Alice Schroeder, unprecedented access to explore directly with him and with those closest to him his work, opinions, struggles, triumphs, follies, and wisdom. The result is the personally revealing and complete biography of the man known everywhere as The Oracle of Omaha.
Although the media track him constantly, Buffett himself has never told his full life story. His reality is private, especially by celebrity standards. Indeed, while the homespun persona that the public sees is true as far as it goes, it goes only so far. Warren Buffett is an array of paradoxes. He set out to prove that nice guys can finish first. Over the years he treated his investors as partners, acted as their steward, and championed honesty as an investor, CEO, board member, essayist, and speaker. At the same time he became the worlds richest man, all from the modest Omaha headquarters of his company Berkshire Hathaway. None of this fits the term simple.
When Alice Schroeder met Warren Buffett she was an insurance industry analyst and a gifted writer known for her keen perception and business acumen. Her writings on finance impressed him, and as she came to know him she realized that while much had been written on the subject of his investing style, no one had moved beyond that to explore his larger philosophy, which is bound up in a complex personality and the details of his life. Out of this came his decision to cooperate with her on the book about himself that he would never write.
Never before has Buffett spent countless hours responding to a writers questions, talking, giving complete access to his wife, children, friends, and business associatesopening his files, recalling his childhood. It was an act of courage, as
The Snowball makes immensely clear. Being human, his own life, like most lives, has been a mix of strengths and frailties. Yet notable though his wealth may be, Buffetts legacy will not be his ranking on the scorecard of wealth it will be his principles and ideas that have enriched peoples lives. This book tells you why Warren Buffett is the most fascinating American success story of our time.
From the Hardcover edition.Rate Points :4.5
Binding :Hardcover
Label :Bantam
Manufacturer :Bantam
ProductGroup :Book
Studio :Bantam
Publisher :Bantam
EAN :9780553805093
Price :$35.00USD
Lowest Price :$18.00USD
Customer ReviewsVery Good Book Rating Point :5 Helpful Point :2 This book was amazing. even though it was a little on the long side for my taste, it was absolutely beautifully written and tells the story of one of the smartest business men in history.
Should have been more selective Rating Point :1 Helpful Point :0 I dont like the book. Its too long, full of superficial insides. You will not learn nothing for your business or your investments.
Exhaustive and definitive Rating Point :4 Helpful Point :3 Clearly the definitive Buffett bio, the insight into the personal life vs business life is the most fascinating piece of this work. Everything is here and well-written.
My only criticism is that this book needs some editing. There are pages of deep, detailed minutia that could have been struck from the book. At times the writing about the business dealings becomes very academic and I dont think people are reading this bio for lessons in stock ownership.
Overall, a great work of research and structure by the author about a fascinating figure.
Wired differently? Yes, indeed. But terrific parents? Rating Point :5 Helpful Point :2 The growth of the famous multi-billion dollar fortune is traced step by step in great detail and Warren Buffetts personality is laid out. His unrelenting focus on doing what he loves, making money, is fascinating and instructive (most of us dont have the necessary wiring and should stick to low-cost index funds). All the 830 pages are not, however, narrowly focused on Mr. Buffett. Many mini-biographies of relatives, friends, partners and associates who influenced Warren Buffet are included and richly expand the scope of this book. In interviews on television Warren Buffett routinely states that he is wired differently. There is proof for that statement in almost every chapter. But usually he also says that he had terrific parents. This is a misleading but a kind thing to say, because various chapters document the fact that one parent, his mother, subjected Warren Buffet, as a child, to terrible verbal abuse (could that have affected the wiring? the author is not psychiatrist and does not speculate). But she was his mother not an investment, icy cold judgment and honesty would make no sense, kindness does. But obviously "terrific parents" are not a requirement for becoming a billionaire. The "wiring" seems to be the key.
Snow ball Rating Point :4 Helpful Point :1 I believe that the authors of this book needed to do alot of research with the parties involved and the technical nature of the businesses, which shows a good deal of credibility for such a book. Most books are written with alot less research and actual fact. This is the type of book I will buy again and again.
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