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by Jordan Belfort (Get the Book)
Belfort's memoir (his recollection of events with some changed names and reconstructed dialogue) was written after serving almost two years in prison for securities fraud. The author recounts his meteoric rise on Wall Street, where he built one of the largest brokerage firms by age 27. He reflects upon his remarkable journey, explaining his core skill of training salesmen, especially stupid or naive young people, showing them how they can become rich. This is the story of a scam artist who enjoyed a lifestyle of parties, hookers, and drug dealing until the FBI took him away in handcuffs at age 36. It tells of his cooperation with the government and his life as an informant. In recounting what he acknowledges was his dysfunctional life, his apparent devotion to his children is a bright light. This sordid saga will either become popular as a cautionary tale of greed and treachery or it will become romanticized as glamorous excess and celebrity. --Booklist
by Edwin E. Catmull (Get the Book)
Finding Nemo. Toy Story. The Incredibles. These wildly successful, award-winning films are all part of the outstanding canon Pixar Animation Studios has produced since its inception in 1986. Pixar co-founder and president Catmull takes us inside the company and its evolution from unprofitable hardware company to creative powerhouse. Along the way, he addresses the challenge of building an effective and enduring creative culture. Punctuated with surprising tales of how the company's films were developed and the company's financial struggles, Catmull shares insights about harnessing talent, creating teams, protecting the creative process, candid communications, organizational structures, alignment, and the importance of storytelling. His own storytelling power is evident as he narrates the company's precarious journey to profitability. Written in an earnest and introspective tone, with the help of Wallace, the book will delight and inspire creative individuals and their managers, as well as anyone who wants to work "in an environment that fosters creativity and problem solving." Catmull's voice and choice of topics reveals him to be a caring, committed, philosophical leader who loves his work, respects his creative colleagues, and remains committed to the advancement of computer animation and great filmmaking. --Publishers Weekly
by Michael Gross (Get the Book)
Fifteen Central Park West is the New Gilded Age address of a new generation of moguls enjoying the costliest real estate in an enclave of international wealth from the worlds of finance, technology, information, and entertainment. Gross, chronicler of the wealthy in 740 Park (2005) and Unreal Estate (2011), looks beyond the list of notable tenants (Sting, Denzel Washington, top executives from Goldman Sachs, Google, and Yahoo) to explore the changes in the architectural and social landscape of elite Manhattan. Gone are the days of snobbish cooperative boards declining the declasse, gone are the old assumptions of the good buildings. Gross details the ego-bruising battles to get into 15 CPW and the campaigns to snag just the right tenants for the tycoon-stuffed building. Gross offers historical perspective on the real-estate market in Manhattan, on the rise and fall of trendy buildings and their owners and tenants up to the latest shift in real-estate and financial markets, which has broadened the upper crust to include the newly wealthy, foreigners, and more ethnic Americans. Drawing on interviews with real-estate titans and power brokers, Gross provides a deliciously detailed and completely engaging look at how the 0.1 percent live in one building. --Boooklist
by Carmine Gallo (Get the Book)
TED Talks have earned an enviable reputation for public speaking that likely only increases the jitters for most people called on to make presentations. But after analyzing 500 presentations, Gallo, author of The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs (2009), identifies the common elements that make TED Talks so successful. He offers nine secrets, including mastering the art of storytelling, being passionate about the subject matter, speaking conversationally, using humor, delivering jaw-dropping moments, and keeping presentations to 18 minutes. Gallo divides the lessons into three parts, focusing on the emotional, novel, and memorable. Drawing on research by psychologists and communication experts, Gallo provides detailed analysis of TED Talks. The book is most fascinating, however, when Gallo recalls interviews with some of the most successful TED speakers, offering recollections of their processes in preparing for the talk. Gallo's references to particular TED speakers are sure to send readers to the TED website to check on the talks themselves. This is sound advice and encouragement for those who need to make presentations and an enjoyable resource for fans of TED Talks. --Booklist
by Itamar Simonson (Get the Book)
According to Simonson (Sebastian S. Kresge Professor, marketing, Graduate Sch. of Business, Stanford Univ.) and Rosen (The Anatomy of Buzz), what draws consumers to products in an age of readily available information is their "absolute value," or ultimate quality. The authors argue that the ease of finding immediate evaluations from strangers, friends, and experts about any given item with the click of a button has stripped away most marketing dogma. Gone are the days when positioning or brand loyalty influenced what people bought. Many products are at the mercy of aggregation tools and review websites, with the report from a buyer about their experience determining its success or failure. The book identifies the shift from relative value to absolute; the new changes in marketing, given the way people respond to the rapid spread of accessible information about new products; and the introduction of an "Influence Matrix" that helps managers determine where their product falls in this new framework. -Simonson and Rosen offer suggestions for how to navigate successfully the new environment and quickly respond to the opportunities it affords. VERDICT The authors' approach to thriving in the new climate of consumerism is a worthwhile addition to any business section. --Library Journal
