A review by athena56
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
3.0
I will say this: the book takes the incredibly complex and rich history of this man, and ultimately the company that he is synonymous, and breaks it down into easily digestible chunks based on theme, rather than years. While this provides its own set of challenges of trying to figure out what was simultaneously happening, it at least for allows a clear narrative of what you need to know about Mr. Jobs.
What is keeping me from giving this book a higher rating is the proverbial "boner" that Walter Issacson has for Steve Jobs. Yes, he is a creative genius. Yes, he created products that changed the landscape for modern technology. No one is going to argue that one. But it seemed to me that Issacson, while he explains Jobs' foibles and eccentricities -- such as penchant for being a Grade A dick or just a generally rude, inconsiderate person as a side effect of his "genius". The book almost serves as a "Get Out of Jail Free" card for Jobs because Issacson places him on such a pedestal.
"He was mean and coarse, but that caused him to inspire the best in his employees." -- The book reads like that constantly [Above is not a direct quote, but FAR too many sentences echo that.]
While this book might be better than other Steve Jobs' fanfare in the world of publishing, this book, IMO, presents an incredibly strong bias to the man, and allows his "inspiration" to serve as a pass for him to be a shitty human being to pretty much everyone.
What is keeping me from giving this book a higher rating is the proverbial "boner" that Walter Issacson has for Steve Jobs. Yes, he is a creative genius. Yes, he created products that changed the landscape for modern technology. No one is going to argue that one. But it seemed to me that Issacson, while he explains Jobs' foibles and eccentricities -- such as penchant for being a Grade A dick or just a generally rude, inconsiderate person as a side effect of his "genius". The book almost serves as a "Get Out of Jail Free" card for Jobs because Issacson places him on such a pedestal.
"He was mean and coarse, but that caused him to inspire the best in his employees." -- The book reads like that constantly [Above is not a direct quote, but FAR too many sentences echo that.]
While this book might be better than other Steve Jobs' fanfare in the world of publishing, this book, IMO, presents an incredibly strong bias to the man, and allows his "inspiration" to serve as a pass for him to be a shitty human being to pretty much everyone.