"I'm a fruitarian and I will only eat leaves picked by virgins in the moonlight."
- Walter Isaacson, Steve Jobs
Review by Chase
Book Synopsis:
Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conduced over two years - as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues - Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.
At a time when America is seeking ways to sustain its innovative edge, Jobs stands as the ultimate icon of inventiveness and appliedimagination. He knew that the best way to create value in the twenty-first century was to connect creativity with technology. He built a company where leaps of the imagination were combined with remarkable feats of engineering.
Although Jobs cooperated with this book, he asked for no control over what was written nor even the right to read it before it was publishhed. He put nothing off-limits. He encouraged the people he knew to speak honestly. And jobs speaks candidly, sometimes brutally so, about the people he worked with and compete against. His friends, foes, and colleagues provide an unvarnished view of the passions, perfectionism, obsessions, artistry, devilry, and compulsion for control that shape his approach to business and the innovative products that resulted.
Driven by demons, Jobs could drive those around him to fury and despair. But his personality and products were interrelated, just as Apple's hardware and software tended to be, as if part of an integrated system. His tale is instructive and cautionary, filled with lessons about innovation, character,
leadership, and value.
General Review:
Now, anyone that knows me knows that I have an unhealthy obsession with Steve Jobs. He has been one of the most influential individuals in my life. So, naturally, I was very happy to have an official biography of his. I pretty much knew everything that the biography had to offer, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. Steve Jobs was a complicated individual, and his trials in life are really highlighted in the book and it's easier to appreciate him for who he was.
Accuracy:
One of the things I admire about Isaacson is that he isn't afraid to show the more evil side of Jobs. Anyone who is familiar with Steve knows that he was not always the easiest man to please and in biographies, the authors often times water-down the more negative aspects of their subject. Isaacson, however, did not. He presented Jobs exactly like he was: a complicated person.
Writing:
One of the hardest things about reading a biography is reading a book with a preset structure. It's not always easy to read a very straightforward narrative of someone's life but this book tried to add elements to make it more interesting. When Isaacson reached the slower parts of the novel, he would revert back to a story that relates to the current topic, which adds a more entertaining element. Overall, the biography was very easy to read and only dragged in a couple of places.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this biography. It is one of the best biographies that I have read. (I may be biased since I love Steve so much) Whether you love Steve Jobs or you hate him, reading this biography will give you a great insight into the complicated person that he was and the dreams that he set out to make realities.
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