http://www.thelastlecture.com/aboutbk.htm
Let me first thank Khyati for the amazing gift just before I embark on a new journey in my life. Thanks a lot - this has been one very good read in recent times!
The book is about "The Last Lecture" delivered by Randy Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon professor, who is suffering from terminal cancer. He says that life is all about "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" - which he details out in the later chapters.
The book is anything but preachy - he sets out the agenda in such a simple manner that it hardly feels that he is delivering a sermon. His anecdotes are intelligent and humorous. Actually, I just cant summarize anything from book because its so crisp that one needs to actually read the book.
Thumbs up to this book!! A must read for everyone at every stage of the life!! A great gift!!!
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
The Wolf of Wall Street
http://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Wall-Street-Jordan-Belfort/dp/0553805460
I picked up the book thinking it would be a wonderful book giving me insights to "Wall Street". But sadly, it was a huge disappointment. The start of the book was okay. It did give chapters on how to motivate and lead and most importantly how to get unquestioned loyalty.
But as the book progressed, its a totally book about, as Jordan Belfort says, "The Lives of Rich and Dysfunctional". Nothing worth learning. Agreed, its a racy thriller and how he got into alcohol, drug abuse and prostituition and to leave it again for his family and then became a cocaine addict and paranoid and finally imprisoned for all his crimes. Also includes his very private affairs with wife (including making love in a store) - I just could not help but wonder about what kind of man can go into such details. Weird! Very Weird indeed!!!
Some things though keep you at edge of seat - like how he managed to smuggle money out of US and how the Swiss Banks work and you can make the money laundering look perfectly legal (Master Forger). Also how "ratholes" function and how loyalists can get backstab you if the money in play crosses eight digits (Steve Madden). And how you can kill a person's happines just by your connections and he will not ever suspect (Chinaman).
I was looking for more details on his business perspective and how he built his Stratton Oakmount empire. How he made money on penny stocks and he built his company just by selling and his charm. But this books starts where he has already built the empire and how he his wantoness destroyed it. Very disaapointing read! Not worth the money if you are looking out for a business biography. Pick it up if you are in mood to read a racy novel.
I picked up the book thinking it would be a wonderful book giving me insights to "Wall Street". But sadly, it was a huge disappointment. The start of the book was okay. It did give chapters on how to motivate and lead and most importantly how to get unquestioned loyalty.
But as the book progressed, its a totally book about, as Jordan Belfort says, "The Lives of Rich and Dysfunctional". Nothing worth learning. Agreed, its a racy thriller and how he got into alcohol, drug abuse and prostituition and to leave it again for his family and then became a cocaine addict and paranoid and finally imprisoned for all his crimes. Also includes his very private affairs with wife (including making love in a store) - I just could not help but wonder about what kind of man can go into such details. Weird! Very Weird indeed!!!
Some things though keep you at edge of seat - like how he managed to smuggle money out of US and how the Swiss Banks work and you can make the money laundering look perfectly legal (Master Forger). Also how "ratholes" function and how loyalists can get backstab you if the money in play crosses eight digits (Steve Madden). And how you can kill a person's happines just by your connections and he will not ever suspect (Chinaman).
I was looking for more details on his business perspective and how he built his Stratton Oakmount empire. How he made money on penny stocks and he built his company just by selling and his charm. But this books starts where he has already built the empire and how he his wantoness destroyed it. Very disaapointing read! Not worth the money if you are looking out for a business biography. Pick it up if you are in mood to read a racy novel.
Book Reviews
Although I am an avid reader, I must confess that I have never remembered half the books I have read early in my life. All those business biographies I read during BMS years have just evaporated from my small brain. Those were the days when my library card was a permanently with the librarian and I had befriended a peon to show me the books which were not easily accesible to others... I think I would have read atleast 8-10 books an year... But when I go back in time, I cant even recollect the names of books which I have read.
So going forward, I am going to write book reviews on this blog... book reviews from my perspective.. what i liked and what i dint.. what i learnt.. key takeaways.. everything.. waiting for your comments..
So going forward, I am going to write book reviews on this blog... book reviews from my perspective.. what i liked and what i dint.. what i learnt.. key takeaways.. everything.. waiting for your comments..
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