Book Summaries and Project Management
Tag: Bios & Memoirs
If you like biographies and the entertainment industry, I recommend reading, or listening to, Will by Will Smith. Will did the narration for the audiobook and he did an outstanding job. This is one of my favorite books that I've read in the last year. He shares his humanity and weaknesses as equally as his successes and strengths.
In writing this memoir, Obama said that his first and foremost goal for the book is "...to provide an honest rendering of my time in office. To offer readers a glimpse at what it's like to be the president of the United States." I think he did a good job of giving a glimpse at what it was like to be the president. He included a variety of details small and big, from how his clothes were neatly pressed and folded every night by the staff, to the processes behind making strategic decisions about the economy, troop deployments, and many other critical areas.
This is Gordon Ramsay's autobiography. The audio version is narrated by Gordon himself, which makes the book even more insightful and personal. What stood out to me the most was this. There were so many times that he left a good position at, or near, the top spot in a restaurant to go somewhere else to learn and develop his skills as a chef. He kept giving up his title, comfort, and pay in order to start at the bottom working under a new chef. He constantly pursued opportunities to work with the best chefs and at the best restaurants in the world.
ou may know Joe Bastianich from watching him on television as a judge on Masterchef or as an investor on Restaurant Startup. His biography is both entertaining and interesting. If you like watching cooking shows, eating at fine dining restaurants, or have an interest in wine, I think you will enjoy this book.
This was a good biography, and Benjamin Franklin is an interesting person to read about. He had such a diversity of interests. If you enjoy this book I also recommend reading Walter Isaacson's biography of Leonardo da Vinci.
These are my general notes and lessons learned more than a full summary like I normally write. The book is well written and easy to follow, it kept me interested the entire time. If you are interested in learning about Genghis Khan I definitely recommend this book.
Built from Scratch is the story of the founding and growth of The Home Depot. I really enjoyed this book and it is written in a similar style to Sam Walton Made in America. It covers topics of customer service, developing people, leadership, management, growth and more.
The most important message of the book according to the author, Guy Spier. Nothing matters as much as bringing the right people into your life. They will teach you everything you need to know.
There is a lot to like about this book. It has good storytelling and gives a broad overview of various types of investing and investing philosophies. The overarching theme is learning not to lose money, and having a written plan in place before investing.
The culture and management of Disney have fascinated me for years. The Ride of a Lifetime is part autobiography with an inside look at the highlights of Bob Iger's tenure as CEO of Disney. I really like the details covering the negotiations and purchases of Pixar, Marvel, and Star Wars.