Book Review of "Steve Jobs"

Regardless of whether you an Apple fanboy or not, regardless of what you think about Steve Jobs' legendary management techniques, the autobiography by Walter Isaacson is a superb read. It is thoroughly researched, meticulously crafted and above all brutally honest. There is some sugarcoating no doubt. After all it is an autobiography, so a little leeway is to be expected. 

"Was he smart? No, not exceptionally. Instead, he was a genius. His imaginative leaps were instinctive, unexpected and at times magical."

It has excerpts from more than hundreds of interviews of people that closely worked with him - his colleagues, his bosses and also his not-so-well wishers. Walter Isaacson has done a good job of providing a detailed account of everything and yet maintain an excellent narrative pace with cohesive storytelling.

There are numerous aspects of his work-life that you a glimpse into. His negotiation techniques, his ability to judge a person correctly almost always and willingness to do anything to "get things done" (including crying & wailing in meetings). Despite philosophical differences that you might or might not have, it is fascinating to read about his life story. Especially Steve Jobs' handling of Pixar and the reverse acquisition saga of Disney is mind boggling and you can not help but admire his amazing business acumen.

"When he hurt people, it was not because he was lacking in emotional awareness. Quite the contrary: He could size people up, understand their inner thoughts, and know how to relate to them, cajole them, or hurt them at will."

I am not big on reading autobiographies. But glad I made an exception for this. A definite 5/5 IMO.

"Emotional outpourings are too often reserved for the deaths of drug numbed rock stars and troubled princesses. It was refreshing to see an entrepreneur celebrated"

Book Review of "Good Economics for Hard Times"

There were 2 reasons why I started reading "Good Economics for Hard Times". First - the obvious one - the authors (Dr Abhijit Banerjee & Dr Esther Duflo) have won the 2019 Nobel Prize for Economics with a piquing title "experimental approach to alleviating global poverty". The second reason was the more than usual brouhaha in the Indian News media about this economist couple (apparently at one point, Dr Banerjee had almost campaigned for an Indian Political party and also the fact that he is fairly vocal about his Indian heritage viz. wearing traditional Bengali attire for the ceremonies etc).

Despite being insightful with quite a few "aha, this is interesting!" moments, the book is a mixed bag of goodies and left me with a sense of looking at a half baked product.

The first half deals with very relevant and real problems, "Immigration", "Trade" & "Growth" - taking into detailed consideration the impact of Trump politics post-2016. This makes the first half a perfect balance of analytical commentary (backed by real data from experiments) coupled with presenting the crux of their thinking in an easy-to-understand-but-not-exactly-dumbed-down manner.

The second half, however derails and IMO just rambles on at an abstract level using economic concepts that would baffle someone with no formal economics background. At one point, I had to actually google stuff and had to go back and read a few pages multiple times. To their credit, the authors do have a 2 page "warning" where they come clean about the second half being more abstruse and theoretical. Maybe I should have listened to that warning and stopped.

Anyhoo, I do recommend the first few chapters of the book - especially the ones about Immigration, Trade & Growth. The online literature around such contentious topics is usually highly partisan, so its a welcome change to look at data-backed conclusions. For the rest of the book though, go/no-go based on your liking/comfort with abstract economic discussions. 

Book Review of "Death Comes As the End"

Ok, so this is an adequately fun book. It's another Agatha Christie novel, so there's mystery, there's murder, there's a few interesting characters, some twist and of course an antagonist at the end. What sets this book apart from other Agatha Christie novels - is the setting - the story takes place in Ancient Egypt. A solid 4/5. Recommend if you are looking for a relaxing read after a hectic day. 

Book Review of "And Thereby Hangs a Tale"

Short, sweet, breezy & entertaining. Jeffrey Archer rarely disappoints. I wouldn't call this his best work, but its decent and a fun book. A couple of stories are fantastic, one or two are very predictable and the rest are somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. A solid 3.5/5.

Book Review of "Bad Blood: Secret & Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup"

Holy mother of god, the story of Theranos is crazy! I thought having followed the Theranos debacle in the news would soften the blow for me, but boy was I wrong! This is the story of one of the most gruesome frauds in recent history and the levels to which its founders stooped to justify their actions. 

You might have heard about Theranos before and you might have watched the couple of documentaries out there about it. But trust me, you should still read this. It has first hand accounts of hundreds of employees. Excruciating details about downright bullying and unconscionable acts of playing with terminal cancer patients' hopes.

Oh and if you are one of those few untainted souls who have not heard of Theranos before, then brace yourselves, you are in for a ride. 

I never thought a book about rise and fall of a biotech company would be as nail biting and exciting as a mystery novel. It certainly helps that the writer is the investigative journalist himself who first broke the news about Theranos's wrongdoings. 

That being said, the book itself is not without its flaws. It introduces too many characters too quickly and changes tracks suddenly more than a few times. But I think I understand where this comes from. The details are so twisted and the writer so eager to make sure nothing is missed that it does make an impact on the narrative as a whole. 

Whether you work in Tech or not, whether you are a star crossed silicon valley fanboy or not, the story of Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes is eye-opening. The following lines in the book sum it well - 

"She didn’t initially set out to defraud investors and put patients in harm’s way. By all accounts, she had a vision that she genuinely believed in and threw herself into realizing. But in her all-consuming quest and amid the gold rush of the “unicorn” boom, there came a point when she stopped listening to sound advice and began to cut corners. Her ambition was voracious and it brooked no interference. If there was collateral damage on her way to riches and fame, so be it."