Snowball by Alice Schroeder
Release date/ Length: 2008 / 8 CDs
Synopsis (from back cover): 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.
Review: I was really looking forward to reading this — even though I’m not that interested in Warren Buffett — because it was getting so much buzz, plus I figured that the richest man in the world would probably be fascinating!
Well, I must admit I was a bit disappointed. I expected to read about someone who followed his bliss, chased his passion, and ended up making a boatload of money. And this was all true; however, Buffett’s passion was, well, making money. And I kept waiting for the realization that money is simply paper that can be converted into happiness, freedom, chasing our dreams, etc… But Buffett really worked all the time in order to make… money. Now, at the end he does become the tremendous philanthropist that we all are familiar with — but only after hundreds of pages.
The biography also was a bit too technical for my tastes, since it was about… making money. I loved how specific Steve Martin was in his memoir – humor is fascinating! But making money as an end in itself just didn’t grab me.
Honestly, I think I would prefer to read the biography of Susie, Buffett’s wife. She seemed quite fascinating and had a tremendously philantrophic nature, right from the beginning. Plus, she surpassed so many traditional expectations for women all throughout her life — and she truly followed her dreams… of helping others, raising a family, pursuing a music career, etc. But Buffett’s passion for stocks just didn’t grab me.
So, while I do not recommend Snowball, (2 1/2 bookmarks) I would love to hear other opinions! In fact, I’ll even start by sharing this link to Micheal Lewis’s review of Snowball from The New Republic as well as this response to Lewis’s review. I loved Moneyball and Blind Side, so I was curious about Lewis’s take — and was humbled to say the least. (I have a way to go as a reviewer!) Both of the above links are worth a look.
And if you have read this already, what did you think — and why do YOU think it has garnered so much attention?
