5 comments about Winner Takes All: Steve Wynn, Kirk Kerkorian, Gary Loveman, and the Race to Own Las Vegas.

1. Christina Binkley's Winner Takes All book starts her tale of Vegas about ten years ago with the city transcending its role as the place for gamblers to become a travel destination for the world. It's understandable to start there. Binkley started reporting on Vegas for the Wall Street Journal, and a rush of consolidation begins.
   
   For the knowledgeable Vegas fan, it is disorienting. Telling the story of the Rio as being the place identified with gourmet food and wine overlooks that Jean-Louise Palladin (Napa restaurant) and the Rio's expensive wine cellar were part of the Masquerade Village expansion. The Rio did not drop onto the desert in 1997 with Jean-Louis holding bottles of Chateau Petrus. The book talks about Harrah's as not having a decent property in Vegas into the 1990's, only the old Holiday Casino, but Harrah's renamed and renovated the Holiday casino about a decade before the start of the book. Anything and everything that happens before 1997 is treated as a single cotemporaneous event.
   
   It seems to me this book is a good description of four recent events:
   The loss of the Mirage properties by Steve Wynn (the most compelling and best covered story of the four)
   The acquisition of Mirage and Mandalay Bay by MGM
   Harrah's growth based on analytics and the acquisition of Caesars
   The building of Wynn (the casino)
   
   
   Things I like:
   Being a former writer for the Wall Street Journal, the business aspects should be well covered, and they are. Beyond the three featured corporate players, the book also features many other chief officers of the Mirage, MGM, Harrahs and other corporations. There is also a good account of the transformation of Harrah's using customer based competing analytics.
   
   I liked the book's focus on recent (last decade) history of Vegas.
   
   I liked the well documented account of Kerkorian's buyout of Wynn's Mirage Corporation and of Steven Wynn's failures that led to the buyout. This is where the story is most compelling. When Wynn's vision becomes the only vision for the Mirage and there is no questioning or vetting of that vision, the Mirage Corporation flounders. People who disagree are fired (for example, the financial officer). The sycophants are given free range (for example, in Mississippi where a project spins wildly out of control). Wynn's arrogance, extravagance, and misplaced focus (worrying more about creating a new American musical than the over spending of hundreds of millions) drags the business down. Contrast that to Kerkorian who relies upon the skills of the people he hires, and the team beats the individual.
   
   Things I didn't like:
   What is it about Vegas that make journalists go gonzo? At times this book reads like a combination of Hunter Thompson and John Madden doing his color commentary. I do enjoy an informal, conversational, breezy style, but this is, at times, more like a hurricane. Do smart, educated people really need to be referred to as "propeller heads"?
   
   It's always easy to trace a linear trail back from the point of success to recreate the obvious outcome. I would have preferred to see successes juxtaposed with the many failed attempts in Vegas (other than just Wynn's loss of Mirage).
   
   In contradiction to the subtitle of the book, this is a story of the Strip, not Vegas (well, except for the above mentioned Rio). The Maloofs (Palms) and Fretittas (Stations) are barely mentioned. As story of the Strip, it's still not thorough. Sheldon Adelson is described, it seems, more as a disabled Macao casino owner than as a significant Strip casino owner. Donald Trump is more prominent than all the above named combined.
   
   The book is uneven. Some events, many dates and many details are missing, leaving a superficial feeling. Other times, the details are thick. We are told of the attire of individuals at some meetings. We get plenty of details on Steve Wynn's obsession with entertainment and his extravagant failures. Yet, we only get passing mentions of what Steve did with restaurants. The problems that Harrah's had in taking over the Rio are left to just a couple of vague sentences with no conclusion.
   
   Overall:
   A very good addition to the history of Vegas covering the most recent developments. I enjoy reading about Vegas, including the business of Vegas, so I enjoyed the book, and it was worth the purchase. If I'm looking for an even and thorough treatment of Sin City with single consistent point of view, I'm a little disappointed.



2. I was looking for a good biography of Steve Wynn and stumbled upon this book - and was it ever a good find!
   
   I like Binkley's writing style and the fact that she doesn't "dumb it down" too much. Her book takes us through the large scale development and evolution on the Vegas strip over the last 20 years and it's three biggest moguls. We get an inside look at Wynn, Kirk Kerkorian (of MGM Mirage) and, to a lessor degree, Gary Loveman of Harrah's - as well as a number of other executives that came and went along the way.
   
   I definitely recommend it if you're at all into hotel/resort development or investing, Las Vegas history, Steve Wynn, people with money, business profiles or all of the above.



3. This was a very interesting book and the closest thing to reading an autobiography of any of the main three men profiled: Kerkorian, Wynn and Loveman. The writing was easy to follow although, I did feel that the information was not presented in an orderly way. The book didn't begin with a history and move forward and it didn't begin at the present and go back either; the information was rather free-flowing and jumbled. The insight into the three men and how they conduct business was fascinating, especially the interactions/business between Wynn and Kerkorian. It felt, at times, that the author was biased against Wynn as he was presented in a really ... negative light. There really isn't much personal info. about these men in non-fiction - aside from news articles, so if you have an interest in vegas corporate dealings this would be a good choice. I was surprised that Sheldon Adelson (ofthe Venetian) wasn't part of the group of men profiled, and was surprised also to learn that Wynn is basically blind.



4. A great summation of the last 15 years of Las Vegas, the influences that made it what it is, and the big personalities that rule the land. One negative comment I have is the movie is really two stories in one, Wynn/Kerkorian their deal and influence, and how Loveman/Harrahs elbowed its way from a smalltime operator to major player.
   
   The majority of the book is about Wynn and his influence in Las Vegas and how it developed from the Mirage to the Bellagio to the Wynn. And of course the big occurrence is the buyout of Wynn's operation by Kerkorian when he senses the stock weakness caused by Wynn's lack of management skills. A very fascinating story!
   
   After completing the acquisition the book slows down somewhat as it tells the tale of middle market Harrah's and how it busts into the big time by acquiring Ceasar's. This book explores the mathematical focus at Harrah's and how it increases profitablity. While it's interesting reading how a glorified math professor rises to casino president while retaining his old lifestyle, this section is the least interesting at least for me.
   
   In summary this is a fascinating read of a fascinating city. Just a walk down the strip let's anyone see every part of American culture good and bad as Las Vegas is the mecca of most Americans at some point in their lives.



5. Binkley presents an insightful and lively account of some of the players who operate in a world where nothing succeeds like excess. It is a world that the author knows well from her years of having covered the industry as a Wall Street Journal reporter, but, despite being granted unprecedented access to Las Vegas' movers and shakers, she remains a detached observer. From backroom deal-making to outsized egos to glitzy spectaculars, Binkley covers it all with a sprightly writing style, providing insights into what makes men like Steve Wynn, Kirk Kerkorian, and Gary Loveman tick.
   
   It was a world I knew nothing about other than a few business trips to Las Vegas, but I found the book highly entertaining and learned a lot about how about how three very different visionaries plotted a path to success. I will enjoy my next business trip to Sin City much more having read this book. I recommend it highly.

No comments about The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life.

5 comments about God and Man at Yale.

1. It was an honor to read God and Man at Yale, by William Buckley, Jr. In his book, Mr. Buckley writes (in his incredible prose that is unmatched by any other political pundit around) that the 1950s Yale has reached a turning point: it can continue to move towards secularism and socialism, and ultimately work against the public good, or it can choose to proselytize the virtues of individualism and spiritualism (the Christian sort, according to Buckley).
   
   Buckley argues that Yale should stand for something. Skepticism is not a worthy virtue if it does not arrive at a conclusion. Skepticism should be in furtherance of conviction, Buckley argues, rather than skepticism for skepticism sakes. This is a departure from the Socratic method, where the entire purpose is proving how little we know, never arriving at a point or conclusion.
   
   Buckley is perhaps the modern architect of a conversation revolution that has been growing over the last forty years. Some of the theoretical prescriptions that Buckley has outlined have not been proven to be successful over time. Buckley urges Yale alumni to withhold providing support to the university so long as it continues to advance secularism and collectivism. This may well have modified the behavior of the administration at the edges, but it certainly has not changed the foundation of the modern university, let alone Yale. Yale is now at the epicenter of liberalism, spewing as much liberalism as a modern Berkeley classroom. It is arguable that most Yale alumni do not care about the values that Buckley had preached, and if this is so, Buckley is still vindicated since he argued that Yale alumni should simply investigate to determine if the university is furthering values that run counter to their own.
   
   It does make sense, though, that a university should not be a hot bed of crazy ideas simply to allow students the chance to make the right decisions as to what is the public good. Some causes are, simply put, not part of the public good - such as Nazis and socialism. Under Buckley's system, which I would support, the alumni of Yale (and most other universities) should withhold contributing to the university unless they fire communist and socialistic professors, especially those teaching classes such as Marxism, which gives students an unrealistically positive impression of Marx, as well as economics, where modern economic principles are likely to be slammed in favor of socialistic economic principles. This is one of the best books that I have read criticizing the malaise in academia.



2. With all due respect to Mr. Buckley's respect for his religion, Catholicism, the revelation to me is that scholarly steeples at Yale apparently affect persons differently. Some see them as hallowed, others as mere obstacles to hurdle in pursuit of what are often portrayed as lofty ideals within the context of Godly acceptance. For most people those ideals do not easily include pedophilia, but when I once read a "scholarly" paper from the 1960's that defended the practice (though typically moreso in an effort to reconicile the dilemma), it became clear to me that God is not a universal perception at Yale, nor is humankind. Trying to appreciate the scholarship and insightful method of choosing so brave a topic during that period, I still found it hard to accept that anyone - well educated - could justify or minimize the harm done to an innocent. Today, in 2005 my opinions are unchanged, and in fact, perhaps are far more biased for learning of the extent to which Catholicism allowed such acts to become what could only be called a universal norm. The Biblical passage that comes to mind is one well known by most Christian, and the shorted in the Bible, it is said. "Jesus wept." This is the logic most expect from the quality of Yale regardless of how well written or scholarly it is done if Christianity is the objective.



3. What can one say of "God And Man At Yale" that has not already been said? (There must be something, otherwise, why should I start this review?) It is a classic in Conservative thinking, a primer for civilized debate, and a template for structured reasoning. This book came at the forefront of a wave of the new American Conservatism, which seemed like the last dying gasps of the old American conservatism when it initially arrived on the scene in 1951.
   
   Shortly following Buckley's cajoling of Yale, Goldwater ran for President, Phylliss Schlafly battled feminist tyrants and Reagan was swept into office as a result of it all. A whole world of conservative thinkers and pundits found a waiting fan-base, one that Buckley gently "broke in" for all of us.
   
   OK, so that is the history... but what of the book?
   
   Certainly, the names of the then teachers, professors and administrators that Buckley took to task are irrelevant and so is the course load descriptions this far removed from the days of "God and Man Af Yale". But the central argument has, if anything, gotten more acutely realized. That religion, economics and American exceptionalism is anathema to the properly arranged University professor is nearly accepted as axiomatic by everyone on both sides of the issue these days, 50 years after the book was first published. Few argue the point as they attempted to do in the name of "fairness" in Buckley's days at Yale.
   
   But, I will show here a quote from the book that shows Buckley's prescience: "I myself believe that the duel between Christianity and atheism is the most important in the world. I further believe that the struggle between individualism and collectivism is the same struggle reproduced on another level. I believe that if and when the menace of Communism is gone, other vital battles, at present subordinated, will emerge to the foreground."
   
   And that is just where we stand today. Certainly the struggle against Islamofascism is an important one, but we are seeing the University embattled by conservative students and parents more each day in the post Communist world, now that we have the luxury to do so. Communism is on the down turn and we now have the energy to address the sorry state of affairs in American education- as well as the tools with the internet. The building disgust about leftists in the Universities is palpable and growing. We are edging ever more toward "doing something" about it all at long last. Buckley should be excited about the immediate future for the turn around of American education.
   
   Also, this book is a great example on how to structure an argument. Using this book as a template would do any debater well.
   
   Thanks, Mr. Buckley. You have inspired many of us.



4. Implicit in a democracy is the free conversation of ideas. Ideas compete with each other for acceptance by individuals, society as a whole and institutions. One of these institutions is the University. Should the University form the argument or do the professors independently make arguments quite independent what the alumni or University president wants made. Does a University organize around a certain concept or school of thought. Does the University President and trustees form the bases of the argument or do they blindly hire people of a certain criteria and let the pieces fall where they will.
   
   William F. Buckley forms the argument that Yale University of the late 1940's and early 1950's has a school of thought about economics, religion, and society that are not consistent with the values and goals of the alumni of the period the book was written. To be sure the University President claims the values taught at Yale were quite by accident protecting the higher value of academic freedom.
   
   William F. Buckley goes into some detail about how religion and Christianity is expressed by various faculty who teach to the none theological student. One Professor agressively makes theoutdatedness of Christianity with apologetic type arguments, but mostly through characterization. While a Chrisian professor makes some apologetical arguments and careful not to be offensive to the none Christians. The author also goes into some great detail about the social studies department.
   
   William F. Buckley evaluates the economic training at Yale. The role of private enterprize and government in producing and distributing wealth. The author further explains that emphasis on the govermental role and wealth redistribution effect the political thought and occupational goals of the student and recent graduate of the University. He further believes a large portion of the alumni and parents of the student would not be comfortable with what is taught at the University.



5. First of all, I read an older edition of Buckley's book, but I assume the two are very close. In "God and Man at Yale", Buckley concentrates on how Christianity, individualism, and capitalism are looked at by different professors and textbooks. He feels that these beliefs and values are largely either underrepresented or outright attacked. I found Buckley's comments on individual teachers to often be quite interesting though these men are almost certainly retired or dead now. The discussion on economics textbooks was generally drier than the rest of the book, but someone who enjoys the topic may find it very interesting. Buckley's solutions to the problem make me a little uncomfortable though I feel some of those opposed to Buckley's ideals go pretty far themselves. In truth, conservatives will probably enjoy the book while liberals probably wont. I would recommend it to those interested in 1950s education, how students are influenced by what they learn, and probably to William Buckley fans (this is the first book I read by him so I admittedly wouldn't be the best person to judge in that department). Overall, it was an interesting read.

5 comments about Roasting in Hell's Kitchen: Temper Tantrums, F Words, and the Pursuit of Perfection.

1. There's a kind of breathlessness about this wonderful autobiography, a sort of "I gotta tell this story, get it all out, and say it right." that carried me almost non-stop through it. This is no polished work edited to smithereens, it's raw, real, moving, and a lesson in how one climbs over the debris of a rotten childhood one step at a time and makes it thru commitment and hard work and dedication to a chosen profession.
   
   I first saw Ramsay in his "Kitchen Nightmares" on BBC America. Having cut my teeth on Bourdain's "Kitchen Confidential", I had the advantage of not being all that shocked at the ghastly mess some of these professional restaurant kitchens are in and could focus on his approach to trying to help the restaurant of the moment start to get back on its feet. It was his passion and skill and kindness to the youngest employees and selected others of the staff and the frequent humour around his eyes that grabbed me. The cussing and the yelling were just a reflection of his passion, and I could have cared less if they were appropriate.
   
   And "The F-Word" reveals other aspects of his character that start to share a fuller picture of who this man is - the jokester (e.g.,the wine-tasting test with the guy who couldn't even identify his own wines), the boss in his own kitchen, the father of those marvelously smart, funny, giggly, balanced little children, the cook with those wonderfully simple elegant recipes that we can indeed make at home, etc. etc. etc.
   
   So buy the book and settle in for a good read - there's still a lot of Ramsay one can learn about by doing so. He may not particularly care for being an example (I read it as "Quit yer whinin' and dig in and get to work.") but he's stuck with it now. Thanks, Mr. Ramsay.
   
   :)
   
   
   



2. This is a very quick read from Gordon Ramsey. I think the media exaggerates and feeds preconceived ideas into people's minds about what this man is about. The book really hits some high notes about where Gordon Ramsey is coming from. When he appears on tv yelling and pissed off at someone, it is usually because he sees their potential and that is his way of bringing it out of the person. Surprisingly easy to read, the book gives insight on his past and just what makes him the man he is today. Definitely worth a read. I read through it pretty much through 2 sittings and found new respect for this man.



3. The book itself is a breeze to read on the Kindle. It is fairly short but doesn't come across that way on the Kindle. The pictures that he included in his book were definately a nice touch, 95% of them came out perfectly fine. The remaining 5% either came out pretty horribly or didn't come out at all. I am a big fan of his show and have had to explain to people in the past that he is doing some of the things that he does in part because he is looking out for the participants themselves. The only way to learn sometimes is to have a lesson become implanted because their is an unpleasant memory that is attached to it. His own personal history is so rough that I can see where he gets his drive to succeed in life. Anyone can make it in life we just have to not give up. And that lesson is worth infinetly more then the price of this book.



4. This book grabs you from page 1. Anyone who thinks they know Gordon Ramsay -- even after watching him on TV -- will be taken aback by what they read. Here is a climb from despair, through mine fields of restaurant kitchens, to the heights of fame and fortune.



5. I found this book to be well written and entertaining. It gives a different perspective of Gordon Ramsay than what most people think. I found it hard to put down, I wanted to keep finding out more about his journey to become such an outstanding chef.

5 comments about The House of Morgan: An American Banking Dynasty and the Rise of Modern Finance.

1. I work for JPMorgan Funds and I have found some interest facts about how this financial institute all got started.



2. This book is an excellent expose on how the Morgan bank has shaped the United States into what it is today. If you are curious as to how capitalism empowers individuals and allows them to build the economy, read this book.



3. This book took me a long time to read. I started the book and found the first half of the book regarding Pierpont Morgan's life, his family and the bank he built quite interesting. The book drags on with details at points throughout the last half of the book and focuses much of its time on Morgan Stanley, but the author's strong research and writing ability stays constant. The last several chapters were more interesting to me and dealt with the changing face of investment and commercial banking through the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s in contrast to the gentlemen's code of banking that dominated the banking dynasties for more than a century. It's almost a shame that this book was completed in 1989 and missed the growth of JPMorgan Chase as it consumed giants such as Chemical Bank (and Manufacturers Hanover) and eventually became JPMorgan Chase Bank. In the end, this is an amazing piece of work, for any one person to achieve.



4. "The House of Morgan" by Ron Chernow gives full reign to the author's access to never-before seen material and lively prose as he majestically takes the reader on a tale that spans two centuries and intersects global events. Despite being a historian without an insider's knowledge of Wall Street Chernow has sculpted a book that covers not only financial happenings but their political and social contexts. Chernow doesn't flinch as he discusses the larger-than-life John Pierpont Morgan Snr's controversial role in shaping early corporate America (not to mention his penchant for attacking hostile media with his cane), the House of Morgan's role in World War I and II and the movement of Morgan Stanley and its associates into the hostile takeover arena as the clubby world of investment banking gave way to the democritization of capital. The only question left is whether Mr. Chernow may continue the book from 1990 to the present as great changes in the Morgan House have been wrought such as Morgan Stanley's disastrous merger with Dean Witter and subsequent management upheavel as well as JP Morgan re-entering the investment banking game and the buying of Bear Stearns. In short - a classic and a must read especially for those looking to enter into the world of high finance and "do business in a first class way."



5. Ron Chernow is one terrific writer. Hard to put down his books, including the biography of Alexander Hamilton and the House of Morgan.
   His in depth research and writing ability are superb.

5 comments about Good Guys and Bad Guys: Behind the Scenes with the Saints and Scoundrels of American Business (and Everything in Between).

1. 
   Great journalists are renowned for "getting the story" and then telling it well because they are gifted raconteurs whose keen analytical minds focus on who and what are most interesting as well as most significant. They suggest implications that help their readers (and viewers) to gain a greater understanding of what the "story" means. In recent years, my favorite journalists include Ken Auletta, Elizabeth Drew, Thomas Friedman, Hendrick Hertzberg, Jeffrey Toobin...and Joe Nocera. For almost thirty years, Nocera has written articles for a wide range of publications that include The New York Times (for which he writes a Saturday column, "Talking Business") and its Sunday magazine as well Esquire, GQ, Fortune, Money, Slate, and Texas Monthly. What we have in this volume is a collection of articles about various "good guys & bad guys," written over a period from 1982 until 2007.
   
   He divides his material within 14 chapters. The articles of special interest to me are these:
   
   Two articles about Boone Pickens, "It's Time to Make a Deal" in Chapter 1 and "Return of the Raider" in Chapter 14, that serve as "book ends" to all the other articles in between
   
   His profile of Steve Jobs ("Jobs Agonistes") in Chapter 2
   
   His analysis of Charlie Merrill and his dysfunctional relations with members of his family, especially his sons
   
   His profile of Warren Buffett ("Saint Warren of Omaha") in Chapter 8
   
   His explanation of "our love-hate relations with Wal-Mart" in Chapter 13
   
   Obviously, other readers will have different favorites among the 26 articles assembled in this volume. However different the subjects and circumstances may be, however, all of them are exceptionally well-written, informative, and (more often that not) highly entertaining.
   
   Here in Dallas, we have a Farmers Market area near downtown at which several vendors eagerly offer slices of fresh fruit as samples. In that same spirit, I now offer a sequence of three brief excerpts from the profile of Warren Buffett with the hope that they provide at least a "taste" of Nocera's style and perspective.
   
   Why doesn't everyone invest the way Buffett does and, therefore, achieve the same results?
   
   "I think the answer is twofold. First, truly great investing requires a temperament that very few people have. For most of us, it is difficult not to panic when the market tanks, for instance. It is hard not to want to jump on the hot stock, even if we know nothing about the business. The ups and downs of the market are stomach-churning events. The fundamental equanimity required to be a great investor is an extremely rare thing."
   
   "The second reason we don't invest like Buffett is that his methods are far more complicated than they sound. Think about it: When Buffett talks about the `economic prospects' of a potential investment, what he means is that he wants to be able to see where the business will be 10 years from now. If he can see the business remaining dominant for the next decade, he'll consider buying the stock."
   
   "One of the most important reasons for difference [i.e. being able to determine whether or not a business will remain dominant for the next decade] goes almost entirely unacknowledged among those who hope to find in Buffett an easily reproducible investing style. He is a genius when it comes to numbers. `Accounting,' he likes to say,' is the language of business.' It is a language in which his own fluency is unsurpassed, and which gives him an enormous competitive advantage. Usually, all he needs is a quick glance at a balance sheet to know whether he's interested in buying a company or not - because he finds meaning in numbers that the rest of us don't."
   
   I envy those who have read only a few (if any) of the articles (including his Times columns) that Nocera has written for almost 30 years. Now in this single volume, they have some of his best...thus far.
   
   Bravo!



2. Joe Nocera's Good Guys and Bad Guys
   
   
   
   Read dozens of books about heroes and crooks
   
   and I've learned much from both of their styles.
   
   
   
   -Jimmy Buffett
   
   
   
   One of my favorite business books is Mark McCormick's What They Don't Teach You at Harvard Business School.
   
   
   
   The 1986 book had a huge influence on me. McCormick encouraged readers to write letters to people and say what you admire about them.
   
   
   
   I always meant to write to McCormick and never did. I did write to Joe Nocera.
   
   
   
   In 1994, I had reviewed Nocera's book, A Piece of the Action, for the Lexington Herald Leader. I was completely blown away by Nocera's work. He did exhaustive research in the style of David Halberstam or David McCullough. It was combined with writing that flows like Tom Wolfe. I've re-read the book 50 times and still find nuggets of wisdom.
   
   
   
   I wrote and told Joe how much I admired him. He wrote back. We've followed each other's careers since then.
   
   
   
   Joe had been writing for Esquire and GQ when we connected. He went on to be the Executive Editor at Fortune and now a columnist for the New York Times.
   
   
   
   His latest book, Good Guys and Bad Guys, is a collection of writings along Joe's life journey.
   
   
   
   Like the Jimmy Buffett song, Nocera noted that villains of business have good traits and business heroes have flaws.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Those of us in business need heroes. We need a realistic dream where we work hard and become the next Warren. We need to know that Warren has some flaws, (such as bad dietary habits), like we do.
   
   
   
   Nocera looks at business people in a balanced way.
   
   
   
   Movies and television tend to stereotype business people as ego driven and ethically challenged. Businessmen come across as some combination of JR Ewing on Dallas and Michael Douglas character in Wall Street.
   
   
   
   They are really more complicated. Nocera allows us to see the nuance of that complexity.
   
   
   
   Nocera said that in 1982, he was drawn from political journalism into business journalism. He saw the passion and drama of business stories in an era before CNBC and 24 hour business news.
   
   
   
   Nocera has spent time with the great business leaders of this era. His insights into Steven Jobs and Warren Buffett are fascinating but my favorite chapter is one on Michael Milken.
   
   
   
   Sometime in the late 1980's, I became fascinated with Milken and read every book written about him. Depending on the author, you got dramatically different portraits. Some books were intensely critical while others were puff pieces.
   
   
   
   Joe wrote a 1991 article for GQ that nailed the Milken story. It balanced good versus bad.
   
   
   
   Like Nocera does with many famous figures.
   
   
   
   Since the book covers a 25 year spread, Nocera gives a historical perspective to recent events. A good example was the saga of how Rupert Murdoch took over the Wall Street Journal.
   
   
   
   In a chapter called, "How the Bancrofts Blew it" Nocera includes a historic 1998 story in Fortune, when Elisabeth Goth Chelberg, a Kentucky horsewoman, started asking innocent questions about the company's stock price and management.
   
   
   
   She is part of the Bancroft family, which had own the publishing empire for 100 years. Rather than getting the family to" act like an owner," Elisabeth was given the family cold shoulder.
   
   
   If they had listened to Elisabeth in 1998, they could have addressed the long standing problems. 10 years later, it was too late.
   
   
   
   Some might view the Bancroft's as good guys. They put out an award winning newspaper. If you owned WSJ stock, they were bad guys. Management lost billions in businesses they didn't understand and missed numerous opportunities. The company violated their investors trust.
   
   
   
   Joe Nocera has knocked on the door of every business mover and shaker of the past 25 years. This collection inspires and provides a historic reference. Most of all, it captures our attention.
   
   
   
   The characters depicted are the people who have made American business what it is. They encourage and motivate us those of us who seek to follow in their footsteps.
   
   
   
   Sometimes business leaders are good guys and sometimes they are bad guys.
   
   
   
   We can learn much from both of their styles.



3. I have followed Joe Nocera. I love his stories. A sarcastic look at the powers of the corporate world. Very good book.



4. While most of us end up working in business of some sort, little in the way of fiction gets published that's about business. Nocera, who could have been a really compelling sports writer, writes about business in a driven but succinctly intelligent way. His features read like fiction, because he's good at dramatizing and characterization. He gets very close to his subjects too - which is difficult when you're dealing with moguls. Nocera has never been far, the last quarter century, from major figures in business or the dramas that ensnare them, whether Microsoft, Apple or Enron. This is a very enjoyable books.



5. Enjoyed the book; however most of it are reprints of columns from over the years...old news, that is. The book is well written. Read it if you enjoy reading about insights into the personalities of the business world.

5 comments about How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else.

1. I bought this book to read at the beach -- not expecting too much -- but interested by the concept. The biggest problem is that the author seems to be writing at an elementary level. He clearly has an interesting story, but nothing that couldn't be written in a two-page essay. He used to be successful, failed, and realized that people find contentment in low-paying jobs too. The end. I can't understand how a book this poorly written was ever published.



2. This book is one of the worst books I have ever read. Its suppose to be a memoir, but really it just brown-noses Starbucks. I think he wrote this book for ulterior motives. (I think he wanted some executive position and was hoping Starbucks would oblige after reading this book.) As I read the book, I kept thinking it would get better, a plot line would eventually unravel. It never does. He writes this book to feed his ego and the reader gets nothing out of it.



3. This is one of the best books ever written about mid-life career crisis. The story of the advertising executive who ended up cleaning toilets at Starbucks is filled with wonderful anecdotes that can be best appreciated by those who are middle aged and beyond. Young adult readers may not appreciate or understand the life-changing lessons (as seen by some of the one-star ratings from other Amazon reviewers) and some of the book comes across as almost too hard to believe. But the book is never preachy--just a narrative progression through a life that was changed due to corporate downsizing and personal selfishness. It is also very well edited, mixing the author's current progression at the coffee shop with his recollections of knowing Jackie Kennedy, Ernest Hemingway and others. The end result is a lesson in humility and the need for respecting others you would normally consider beneath you. It should be required reading for college career courses.



4. A friend of mine gave me this book so I felt like I HAD to read it.
   It was painful though.
   The fact that the author was an advertising copywriter is way too obvious in this, the longest infomercial I've been through.
   If I could get paid for every time "Starbucks" was mentioned, I would be rich now.
   Way too much focus on Starbucks products.
   Having gone through business school I very much appreciate Starbucks' innovative Human Resource management and I share their views, particularly that one of respect to everyone. In fact, I'd heard about all this in case studies before.
   The book however has blatant product placement. Why do we need to read lists of products, which cakes are carried, etc. No wisdom in any of these.
   I'm sure some naive readers may end up spending a lot more money in Starbucks or getting a job there (nothing wrong with that) but the book should be given away for free as it seems to be a recruitment ad.
   Spare yourself the pain



5. I picked up this book because the premise was intriguing.
   
   The actual writing itself is dull and business-like. The narration has no flow, and the settings are jarring--moving back and forth from nostalgic waspy childhood memories to a present day Starbucks store. I realize those two concepts are supposed to juxtapose his upbringing with his current situation in life, but it's not a smooth delivery.
   
   What I liked least about the book was its author. Michael Gates Gill reminds me of what is wrong with America. He comes across as a completely pompous ignoramus. He spends at least one third of the book advertising himself and his accomplishments at J. Walter Thompson.
   
   I have a hard time conjuring up any sort of pity or appreciation for his life and his story. He made millions during his years working in advertising at JWT. He is in his SIXTIES when he gets laid off, and acts like he is a major victim of corporate America. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you!
   
   What did he do during his previous 30 years of prosperity? Did he save/invest his money like a wise person? No, he floundered it away. Did he work on his marriage? No, he had an affair instead. Did he spend time with his kids? No. He made a series of bad choices that brought him to where he ended up.
   
   As for where he ended up, he does Starbucks no favors by romanticizing an unglamourous job. Most Starbucks stores do not have managers like Crystal. The employees are not always kind and courteous to one another, and the bathrooms are not always lovely and clean. I wonder how Crystal feels about the book. I would be offended to know that someone turned my career--my LIFE--into some sort of year-long anthropological study, and then published all the findings.
   
   Overall, this book was a bum deal. I gave it two stars because I reserve one star ratings for the worst of the worst.

5 comments about Losing My Virginity: How I've Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way.

1. ...of one of the greatest (serial & excentric) entrepreneurs of our time and the creator of the first global brand. Branson bares his soul with very personal stories - sex, business, money and fun fun fun ... Attention! Readers who are employed might feel the surge of entrepreneurship after reading this book! :-)



2. This book chronicles the life of Richard Branson from his starting years to the early 2000s. It goes into intimate details such as his early dealings to his current endeavors. Richard is never shy to explain anything including his mistakes regarding women (and cheating) to his usage of drugs during a business meeting costing him heavily by closing clients.
   
   This book is perhaps the most fun of any auto-biography I've ever read. Richard goes into such great detail that you're left laughing through most of the story, hoping for the next piece of his life to be as exciting as the events that had already passed.
   
   That said, Richard is a very lucky man and I'd assume he's the only person that could pull off being a leader like he describes himself in his book. He is perhaps one of my favorite people in the world and definitely a hero to someone interested in business leadership but his style of leadership would lead most people into bankruptcy. He tends to jump head first into business dealings, doesn't always know much about the businesses he's entering, and he continually breaks every rule in branding ever created. Had it been any other man in his shoes likely Virgin never would have survived.
   
   He's definitely an interesting person, however, and his leadership style does work for him so obviously he knows the secret of getting it to work. And he's also the sort of guy that really has integrity in a time when the business environment and leadership lacks that. Even if I don't think his leadership style is the most solid I would definitely deal with a man of his character if I had the opportunity.
   
   You will enjoy reading this book, I promise you.



3. It was quite the page turner. Wanting to find out what happens next! To think that one can lead a life like this is good to know. I recommend this book to anyone who is a little frustrated with life and its upsetting turns sometimes.



4. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Sir Richard Branson. He is extremely talented, hard working and incredibly successful. I defy anyone reading this book not to be inspired by it. He is living proof that if you really want to be successful at something and you are prepared to put in the work to overcome your obstacles and improve your skills you can do it. He also appears to be very down to earth despite his success which is a very attractive and rare trait these days amongst well known successful entrepreneurs.
   Angela Coldwell - author of 100 Essential Steps to Career Success



5. Few autobiographies have the luxury of encompassing such a fascinating topic as Richard Branson who has led a life filled with unremitting vivacious action. Filled with modesty and a nerve that has him taking near unheard of risks (both personal and in business), Losing My Virginity reads like a roller coaster through all the ups and downs of Branson's life.
   
   Richard Branson has created an empire, but few would be aware of just how close he teetered on the edge of bankruptcy for much of his career due to his unwillingness to accept the status quo. His battles with British Airways are epic, but Branson also fills the book with countless highlights of his illustrious life, most notably his near death experiences attempting hot air balloon records.
   
   Where this book really won me over was regarding Branson's interaction with the Jordan royalty and his insight into the first gulf war. As a result of Branson's charitable efforts, he was privy to a point of view that most would not expect. I will leave it to any reader to discover this on their own, but this typifies the interest one should expect to obtain reading this book.
   
   I highly recommend Branson's book to any enthusiast of adventure or business.

5 comments about The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York.

1. After 40 years of writing biographies, Robert A. Caro deserves an all time winning award in history. In 1974 he wrote the biography of Robert Moses, Big Bob the Builder in New York. It is an incredible biography. By focusing on one person, Caro succeeds in revealing the peculiarities of this particular epoch in New York. It is a detailed account of how power works in New York between 1934 and 1968. The book is about personalities, Robert Moses of course, but also about the Rockefellers, Al Smith (the governor of New York), La Guardia (mayor of NY). And the book is about building. Every student in building ought to read this book. Robert Moses was a genius in obtaining power, preserving it and ruthlessly exercising it. The resuls are dazzling. Nowadays New York shows a multitude of Moses battlefields. The high ways, the parks in and outside New York, the playgrounds, the tall apartment houses. Robert Moses, Big Bob the Builder once was a celebrity in New York,. His fall after so many years of exercising of power could be no surprise,. His legacy is in doubt. Did he neglect the possibilities of mass transport and were his investments exclusively focused on cars? Did he have solid preferences for the middle class and did he try by all means to neglect the needs of the lower class? Every builder, urban planner, politician, municipal employee, developer, student of history shoud read this book. It is a big big six star
   luuk oost
   
   [...]



2. Robert Caro's biography reads like an extraordinary work of investigative journalism - damning, erudite and compelling - that surely would have been appreciated by Robert Moses had he not been the subject.
   
   It is a fascinating study of the evolution of government in New York City and Robert Moses' ability to shape laws as the "best bill drafter in Albany" and to seize upon prevailing trends and work the levers of the City, State and Federal governments to his advantage. It is during the Great Depression when Moses is able to mobilize maximum resources, largely from the Federal government, for some of his most ambitious projects.
   
   While at most times a scathing indictment of Moses and his methods, Caro does credit Moses - New York City's first Parks Commissioner - for his contributions to green spaces in the city and his creation of a premier state park system.
   
   Caro insists that judgment about Moses' legacy is premature and that one can only say New York would be a very different place without Moses. New York was indeed a very different place at the time of publication of the Power Broker; Caro has recently commented that some of Moses projects, such as the Triborough Bridge, have been a boon for city residents. Although he never cared for mass transit, it's a shame Moses couldn't come back to start work on the stalled new Penn Station.



3. I have been waiting to read this book for a very long time, and the wait was well worth it. Mr. Caro presents a massive, well-researched piece on one of New York's most influential (and controversial) public officials. I am a sucker for great detail, and so I enjoyed Caro's painstakingly detailed portrait of how a young, idealistic reformer evolved into the ruler of a huge bureaucratic empire. What Caro makes very clear is how Robert Moses became so corrupted by power (and self-importance) that he failed to grasp how his projects were not always in the public interest. Moreover, Caro paints a vivid picture of Moses' cynicism and shrewdness, and how he parlayed those into greater and greater power. For instance, Moses realized that most state legislators were political hacks who never bothered to read the fine print of the laws that they passed. He played on this to insert such fine print into legislation which made him virtual Tsar of development in both New York State and New York City. In addition, Moses was able to convince most New York politicians that he was indispensable to them, and so had them virtually eating out of his hand (i.e., his tactic of threatening to resign, unless he got 100% of what he wanted). At once fascinating and frightening as to how one man could harness such a degree of power!
   
   While Robert Moses' achievements are the main focus of this book, Mr. Caro also devotes a great deal of attention to the political situation that existed in New York during the era of Moses. In doing this, he gives readers a fine education on how New York and its municipalities were governed at that time (and in many ways, are still governed), along with an in-depth look at other contemporary political figures (i.e., Al Smith and Fiorello LaGuardia). I would equate reading this book with taking a college-level course, as you learn and think so much while reading it.
   
   On a critical note, not all of Mr. Caro's conclusions about Robert Moses are universally accepted. For instance, Mr. Caro accuses Moses of single-handedly wrecking the Bronx with the Cross Bronx Expressway. However, many people have argued that this was only one of many factors that destroyed the Bronx, and not all of these things were brought by Moses. Perhaps Mr. Caro should have given space to opposing viewpoints regarding the Moses legacy. Overall, though, I think that it is a great book: required reading for anyone interested in the development of New York during the 20th century.



4. This book, written by Robert Caro - probably the best living biographer, was his first book. It is a massive, thorough, detailed, engaging study of how one man - Robert Moses - planned, shaped and built - the modern city of New York.
   
   It is about the acquisition of power and its utilization by one man in order to bring his vision of New York City to fruition.
   
   Robert Moses - the primary subject of the book - together with the notion of power, and New York City itself as well as its residents being the other subjects - was trained in urban planning England, was a visionary, a planner, and a "Power Broker" - and thus the title, whose materials where New York City, planned, designed, built modern New York by stamping his vision in the form of new parks, spaces, roads and parkways, new neighborhoods, new subways/rail-lines, new beach and recreational facilities and areas, had an impact on the way millions of New Yorkers as well as visitors to NYC experienced NYC - experienced NYC - for decades. His shape of NYC is still shaping how humans experience reality in such city.
   
   This is a tour de force. This is a good book for those interested in New York City, local and state government politics, the modern bureaucratic / administrative aparatus of government and those who wield the helm. Whether you agree with Robert Moses vision of NYC or not, he had a tremendous impact. The impact was not limited to NYC. Seen as the expert on urban planning, his model, his vision, his views, spread throughout the entire field of modern urban planning. Thus, his impact is not just local or state. It is in fact national and international. Modern cities - the leadership of which visited or modeled their cities on NYC - where shaped by his creations.
   
   A long book. A detailed book. A hard book. But excellent, very interesting, and well worth the effort and time. Probably the prime example of what an excellent biography is and should be. It made Robert Caro, its author, into the preeminent biographer of the last several decades. It set the standard. I don't know if it has or will ever be matched.



5. Robert Caro's The Power Broker, a biography of Robert Moses, contains every attribute of a Shakespearean tragedy. Moses was brilliant, driven, an over-achiever, but possessed a deeply flawed character which aroused feelings of both esteem and disgust. Like all of Shakespeare's tragic protagonists, he was capable of both good and evil. Fully able to redeem himself, he instead moved unheedingly towards his doom. That 30+ years of unquestionable power within New York State's political, corporate, and labor elite forestalled this doom speaks to the measure of the man. Indeed, it took a Rockefeller to push him from the mountaintop.
   
   One of the best biographies I've ever read, The Power Broker's 1,163 pages artfully and suspensefully tell the tale of a man for whom the words great and ignominious qualify as adjectives. Initially an ardent reformer, Moses was increasingly corrupted by power. At the apex of this power, Moses answered to no one and ran a wide reaching web of political commissions and public authorities as his personal empire.
   
   His transition from reformer to elitist provides the backbone of Caro's epic. Once a voice for the common man, Moses eventually attained what can only be described as aristocratic contempt for the mob, the rabble, the lower echelon of economic achievement. The reader may marvel that such a powerful man was heretofore unknown to them, but the reader will certainly grow increasingly disenchanted at such a man's venality.
   
   The Power Broker is a classic deserving the attention of every student of history. Despite it's heft, it remains a page turning pleasure throughout. As such, it most assuredly merits the highest ranking I can give it: 5+ stars. Trite though the term may be, Robert Caro has authored a masterpiece.

5 comments about Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr..

1. No other man in America has ever been as wealthy as John D. Rockefeller, Sr. he could have bought and sold Bill Gates three or four times. He is a very complicated man, you'd have to be the self made wealthiest man in American History. This book gives a fascinating portrait of a man who could be ruthless, but who was incredibly philathropic, the first of the great philanthropists, he didnt give away his entire fortune like his contemporary Carneige, but then again Carneige had no children and Rockefeller was so much wealthier he probably gave away as much money. The book is fair to Rockefeller, neither making him a saint nor a cypher. Rockefeller lived a long life and he instilled in his equally famous son, John D. Rockefeller, Jr. a real since of philanthropy. The Rockefeller family is still very wealthy, no family in American history has ever been richer, but they have also been more philanthropic than any family in history, they gave away more than 90 percent of their wealth, since its apex. Rockefeller was a singular American, and his story is the story of the American Dream stretched to unfathonable extremes, good and bad. This is a very good book, well researched and quite impressive considering the illusive subject.



2. I was very impressed with the skill of Ron Chernow when I read "Alexander Hamilton". After such an impressive work I decided that I would take on "Titan" which deals with the life of John D. Rockefeller. Chernow did not disappoint, and in some ways this may be the better of the biographies.
   
   "Titan" illuminates Rockefeller duplicity as a pious man that showed no quarter in his business dealings. Chernow does an outstanding job (in my opinion) of painting the faults of Rockefeller's business tenacity with overwhelming kindness of charitable dealing. Chernow also illustrates many examples of Rockefeller's frugalness - such as cutting firewood in 12" increments (instead of 14") in order to save resources.... This was from a man that Forbes Magazine rated as the richest EVER!
   
   I have heard complaints that the opening 60 pages reads too slowly, and overly focuses on the life of Rockefeller's (very) eccentric father. However, I find that while tedious, this is an important aspect of how this affected Rockefeller and guided him away from the world of irrational emotion.... My recommendation... bull your way through!
   
   Chernow is not H.W Brands and the writing is relatively devoid of humor. When deciding to read "Titan" approach it as a scholarly selection and do not expect it to be fast paced. In my opinion you will not be disappointed!



3. I have not read the work of a biographer who has the proficiency for presenting as comprehensive an account of another's life as Chernow has given with Titan. There are sections of this narrative that are so detailed that had Rockefeller's life not been over a century ago, one might be inclined to consider Chernow had been along side him during his pursuits. Chernow has conducted extensive research that is exemplified in every chapter of this enthralling biography.
   
   John D Rockefeller has been known by many personas, both positive and negative; billionaire, tycoon, industrialist, predator, and philanthropist. No matter what one's view of him, all generally agree that his business acumen was surpassed by no one in history. Chernow provides a masterful account of Rockefeller's years from his meager beginnings with an unscrupulous father to his near unstoppable empire that forced adversaries to join or be crushed in its wake. Chernow has provided readers with an abundance of pertinent quotations directly from Rockefeller leaving one well equipped to gauge the true mindset of the man.
   
   Many biographies will rate high merely on the appealing nature of the subject. Titan is based on one of history's most intriguing business men combined with an account that is so well written and detailed it is difficult to fully convey in a simple review. I strongly suggest this book as essential reading to anyone with an interest in business biography.



4. Truly a great book from a masterful writer. Some criticisms are apt: Chernow, for obvious reasons, relies heavily on the Inglis interview with Rockefeller. Why not? What better primary source than the words from the reclusive oil Titan himself? Also, Chernow has been criticized as being a bit--but only a bit-- soft on Rockefeller. Almost all biographers begin to identify with their subjects. To some extent Chernow falls into this trap; one cannot spend years researching another human being without beginning to see things from the subject's perspective. Those small quibbles aside, what a great book! Perhaps we can never really know another human being but Chernow gives us key insights into the character of Rockefeller. As Chernow writes in his Introduction, all other biographies on Rockefeller soon revert to the oft told story of the History of Standard Oil, as if the man and the company were one in the same, and Rockefeller seems to disappear from his own biography. But Chernow gives us the man and presents an interesting thesis: the key to Rockefeller was that he was his parents' son. This means that John D. Rockefeller contained the roguish aspects of his father William Avery Rockefeller (a shameless flim-flam man) and the virtuous aspects of his long suffering, pious mother Eliza. It also explains other qualities, e.g., the fetish for secrecy. John D. grew up in a home where his father openly lived with his mistress alongside the wife Eliza. Later William Avery would take a second wife and live as a bigamist. All the while, Eliza bore stoically the humiliation. Hence, John D. grew up to become very, very quiet about his family and its scandals. Doubtless, he heard the whispers and soon he developed a deep distrust of the "crowd." "Let the world wag," was a favorite phrase. He developed a thick skin and learned to be a stoic like his mother. He made it a point for people not to know his personal life or his business. The shattered sensibility of the youth lingered into manhood. The mania for secrecy followed.
   The quote from Betrand Russell that begins the books is telling: Rockefeller is among the men who created the modern world. With $4 a gallon gas, and energy needs growing, we still live with his legacy today.



5. This exhaustive biography of John D. Rockefeller fully explains a misunderstood man. Ron Chernow has caught the essence of the man. Mr. Rockefeller was neither entirely good nor was he the Robber Baron as depicted by Ida Tarbell. He was a man of contradictions . He was deeply religious, however in the business world he would squash his business competition like a bug.
   When you think of Rockefeller you think of Oil as in "Standard Oil". However, as Chernow points out it was Mr. Rockefeller's logistical distribution system which made Standard Oil the titan of the Oil Industry. It was J.D.'s controlling of the Railroads and later the Pipelines which led to his huge monopoly in the Oil Industry.
   This book explains his development of oil cartels and interlocking directorates. As he grew older he became ever so more eccentric and increasingly philantropical. He was indeed both the good cop and the bad cop.
   This is an excellent book. It is well worth the reading of 676 pages. But who's counting!! In the end you"ll find the essence of a true businessman who was misunderstood.