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The Snowball

Warren Buffett and the Business of Life

By Alice Schroeder, Richard Mcgonagle (Reader)

(30)

| Others | 9780739334065

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Book Description

Here is THE audiobook recounting the life and times of one of the most respected men in the world, Warren Buffett. The legendary Omaha investor has never written a memoir, but now he has allowed one writer, Alice Schroeder, unprecedented access to explore directly with him and with those closest to him his work, opinions, struggles, triumphs, follies, and wisdom. The result is the personally revealing and complete biography of the man known everywhere as “The Oracle of Omaha.”

Although the media track him constantly, Buffett himself has never told his full life story. His reality is private, especially by celebrity standards. Indeed, while the homespun persona that the public sees is true as far as it goes, it goes only so far. Warren Buffett is an array of paradoxes. He set out to prove that nice guys can finish first. Over the years he treated his investors as partners, acted as their steward, and championed honesty as an investor, CEO, board member, essayist, and speaker. At the same time he became the world’s richest man, all from the modest Omaha headquarters of his company Berkshire Hathaway. None of this fits the term “simple.”

When Alice Schroeder met Warren Buffett she was an insurance industry analyst and a gifted writer known for her keen perception and business acumen. Her writings on finance impressed him, and as she came to know him she realized that while much had been written on the subject of his investing style, no one had moved beyond that to explore his larger philosophy, which is bound up in a complex personality and the details of his life. Out of this came his decision to cooperate with her on the book about himself that he would never write.

Never before has Buffett spent countless hours responding to a writer’s questions, talking, giving complete access to his wife, children, friends, and business associates—opening his files, recalling his childhood. It was an act of courage, as The Snowball makes immensely clear. Being human, his own life, like most lives, has been a mix of strengths and frailties. Yet notable though his wealth may be, Buffett’s legacy will not be his ranking on the scorecard of wealth; it will be his principles and ideas that have enriched people’s lives. This audiobook tells you why Warren Buffett is the most fascinating American success story of our time.

Critics

Inside the mind of a colossus

There are two immediately obvious problems with this book on Warren Buffett, the greatest investor in the world: first, it is enormously long, and second, it is an authorised biography, so it might not dish the dirt. Don't let either objection put yo ... (read full critics)

guardian.co.uk published on Fri, 24 Sep 2010

The Snowball by Alice Shroeder

As recently as 2008, Warren Buffett was estimated to be the richest man in the world. He gives away nearly all his fortune to charitable causes and calls those born into money "members of the lucky sperm club". What's not to like? Quite a lot, actual ... (read full critics)

guardian.co.uk published on Fri, 24 Sep 2010

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2 Reviews

No wonder why it is authorized

It is like an "ode to Warren" kind of book. I read the first chapter, and decided to give up. The author was so scared of loosing her job (she works for him) that she only wrote good things and forgot the humanity of the character.

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ariadna73 said on May 16, 2010 | Add your feedback

A very detailed account of the life of the richest man on earth.
But if you are more interested in his investment strategies, go straight to Buffett's annual letters to his shareholders.
I also strongly recommend his letters announcing his decisions to donate almost all his wealth to th ... (continue)

A very detailed account of the life of the richest man on earth.
But if you are more interested in his investment strategies, go straight to Buffett's annual letters to his shareholders.
I also strongly recommend his letters announcing his decisions to donate almost all his wealth to the charitable causes of Bill Gates and of his children. Typical Buffett- exemplary clarity of thoughts and actions; and the few pieces of advice therein are good for giving money away as well as other endeavours in life.

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KK said on Nov 23, 2009 about the Hardcover edition | Add your feedback