Biography BoOks

Bill Gates : the path to the future

Bill Gates : the path to the future

Author : Gatlin, Jonathan
Imprint : New York : Avon Books, c1999

Review : by Charles
This book is a great book. It is a condensed version of his life... Instead of reading too much into boring details you get the quick fast pace version in a great, easy to read novel. The author has obviously done great research of his subject. Do not listen to these other reviews which are obviously from people who hate Bill Gates. Below you will find my summary and analysis of this book:

Bill Gates is probably one of the smartest and most successful men of our time, maybe of all time. This book is the summary of Bill Gates' path to success and the history of how our society became dependant on computers and of course Microsoft. How did Bill Gates become the richest man ever know? What Challenges did he face? All is revealed about the man behind Microsoft, the company that changed how we live.

Bill Gates is a genius that is probably smarter than anyone you will ever know. Here is the story that will show you his inner workings. Interesting combinations of unique personality characteristics that this man has is what has made him the success he is and is explained to you in this story.

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George Bush : the life of a lone star Yankee

George Bush : the life of a lone star Yankee

Author : Parmet, Herbert S
Imprint : New York, N.Y. : Lisa Drew Book/Scribner, c1997

Review : by Gerrit Ruitinga "gerrit ruitinga"
To me as a non-American it has always been a puzzle why George Bush is generally regarded as mediocre and after reading the thoughtful and very complete biography by mr. Parmet I have not found the answer.

Bush has been a succesful businessman after a distinguisged service in the Air Force during the war. He has served as a Senator, as head of the CIA, as the Ambassador to China in an extremely interesting period in Sino-American relations and, finally, as a Vice-President to a very succesful President. What more can you ask as preparation for the most powerful job on earth? It is true that he failed to get elected twice, but is it not a credit to any man when he overcomes defeat to embark on such an interesting career?

The view which I get from this biography is on a balanced man who understood politics very well and also had the gift of personal integrity unmatched by most of his predecessors and certainly not by his successor.

It is true that he was not the greatest of communicators and PR guys, but there one should not forget that he had a very difficult, if not impossible act to follow. It is to his credit that he did not even try to imitate Reagan, but that he led the country in his own personal style...(more)

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When nothing else matters : Michael Jordan's last comeback

When nothing else matters : Michael Jordan's last comeback

Author : Leahy, Michael
Imprint : New York : Simon & Schuster, 2004

Review : Washington Post reporter Leahy sees the legendary player's sad return to professional basketball as a parable of all that is wrong with an industry that milks players of iconic status. In 2000, the Washington Wizards hired Michael Jordan to be the club's president. Surprise, surprise, writes Leahy: the move was made to capitalize on Jordan's star power; principal owner Abe Pollin hoped to bolster the Wizards' poor performance and, more importantly, to fill seats in the arena. Detailed by the Post to follow this story over the course of a year, the skeptical but evenhanded reporter chronicles Jordan's abortive resurrection and explains what it was all about-essentially, money and entitlement. For the year and a half that Jordan served as a Wizards executive, he was at best an absentee landlord; later, as a player, he displayed the diminishing talents of someone kissing 40: knees in tatters, wrists twisted by tendonitis, loss of cool. Leahy is not out to do a hatchet job, but he won't pretend to be impressed by the emperor's new clothes. He will call Jordan for presumptuousness and uncourtly behavior, for dismissiveness and slighting of fellow players, for bad work habits and general ham-fistedness. He will cut the star a little slack for being a child of the bubble, riding high on his earnings and the absurd media grovelings (degrading evidence of journalists' complicity in making a god out of someone who plays a game), protected to a fare-thee-well. But he will then cut Jordan down to size-a mere six feet, say-for arrogance and "how helpless he seemed to be against the pull of his appetites." The point is that havoc trails upon sport stardom, and Leahy makes it more than well. The self-immolating trajectory of a display of hubris worthy of Aristophanes' contempt, complete with the inevitable fall from grace. (Kirkus Reviews)

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Tiger : a biography of Tiger Woods

Tiger : A Biography of Tiger Woods

Author : Strege, John
Imprint : New York : Broadway Books, c1997
Edition : 1st ed

Review :
What the world is saying about Tiger Woods:

"Certain players, you look at them once and you see something. The first time I saw Jack Nicklaus or Arnold Palmer or Ben Hogan or Sam Snead I saw something special. As soon as I saw Tiger Woods swing, I thought, man, this young guy has got it. 'It' is something indescribable." --Gary Player

"His blissfully sweet swing, mature countenance, and sheer, outrageous ability confirm the arrival, finally, of golf's first black superstar."
--Newsweek

"It is conceivable that in terms of overall impact on the sport--when you figure in media, the dollars on the table for him, his ability to be a role model--that if he succeeds he might be the most important player ever."
--PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem -- Review

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Leonardo da Vinci : a memoir of his childhood

Leonardo da Vinci : a memoir of his childhood

Author : Freud, Sigmund
Imprint : London : Routledge, 2001

(Leonardo da Vinci)
Review : by Anders Rasmussen

This biography is to some extent based on a misinterpretation of language and the conclusions drawn often seem vaguely supported by evidence. However, Freud’s ability to look at the small details and from these build a complete picture is in it self a reason to buy this book. Despite of the small documentation of Leonardo Da Vinci's life Freud is able deduct a detailed picture of Leonardo's psychological development. Reading this book will moreover give the reader an introduction to Freud’s theories which are also very interesting (he basically asserts that all behaviours origin in sexual or aggression motives).

If one seeks only to learn about Leonardo's life and his scientific accomplishments this is perhaps not the book although one do get a shallow overview of his life. On the other hand, if one wants to see the human being in Leonardo Da Vinci and no longer see him as a "superman" then this is the book. After reading this book I have been able to actually relate to Leonardo, and I have even learnt one or two things about myself.

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Autobiography of Charles Darwin

Autobiography of Charles Darwin

This is the autobiography of Mr Charles Darwin (1809-1882). Charles Robert Darwin, the scientist, produced a prolific array of work during his lifetime.

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