Simon & Schuster, October 2011
Walter Isaacson (Einstein: His Life and Universe, Benjamin Franklin: An American Life) has struck gold with his comprehensive, compelling biography of Steve Jobs. It seems that everything is here, warts and all. It is not a hagiography as one might expect when the subject has personally solicited the writer. Indeed, Jobs pursued Isaacson for nearly a decade before he finally relented and undertook the task. Jobs fulfilled his promise to give Isaacson complete access to whomever he wished to talk with. To encourage them to tell the truth, and to have no say in what was ultimately published. Jobs said that he would read it only after publication. Sadly, death intervened.
A commentator on National Public Radio said there were three apples that changed the course of history: Eve's, Newton's, and Jobs'. The statement is not hyperbole. Steve Jobs had a vision of what the computer could become, what it would be able to do, and even what it should look like. While he did not have the complete ability to design and program, he knew the questions to ask and ask and ask again. He challenged, berated, and harangued his people. He could be incredibly generous and just as mean-spirited. Isaacson makes it clear that Jobs was not warm and fuzzy, that he could be petulant. Above all, Jobs wanted perfection, and he wanted it now.
Walter Isaacson (Einstein: His Life and Universe, Benjamin Franklin: An American Life) has struck gold with his comprehensive, compelling biography of Steve Jobs. It seems that everything is here, warts and all. It is not a hagiography as one might expect when the subject has personally solicited the writer. Indeed, Jobs pursued Isaacson for nearly a decade before he finally relented and undertook the task. Jobs fulfilled his promise to give Isaacson complete access to whomever he wished to talk with. To encourage them to tell the truth, and to have no say in what was ultimately published. Jobs said that he would read it only after publication. Sadly, death intervened.
A commentator on National Public Radio said there were three apples that changed the course of history: Eve's, Newton's, and Jobs'. The statement is not hyperbole. Steve Jobs had a vision of what the computer could become, what it would be able to do, and even what it should look like. While he did not have the complete ability to design and program, he knew the questions to ask and ask and ask again. He challenged, berated, and harangued his people. He could be incredibly generous and just as mean-spirited. Isaacson makes it clear that Jobs was not warm and fuzzy, that he could be petulant. Above all, Jobs wanted perfection, and he wanted it now.
Isaacson seems to have talked with everyone who was significant in Jobs' life. There were over forty interviews with Jobs, plus talks with family members, colleagues, friends, and adversaries. Isaacson writes that Jobs was a fitting successor to his biographies of Benjamin Franklin and Albert Einstein. "Each of them had an intuitive genius, a creative imagination, an ability to think differently, and the type of magical mind that it takes to be an innovator. They weren't merely smart, they were imaginative and creative."
This biography of Steve Jobs contains the proper mix of tech talk and personal anecdotes. The anecdotes reveal who Jobs was. For example, he always seemed to have a feeling of abandonment although his adoptive parents always told him he was chosen. Even into his last years, Jobs talked about a fence his father had built, one where even the back side was made with the same care as the visible, "public" part. Jobs always insisted that every aspect of an Apple computer be elegant and perfectly made even if that part was buried deep, unseen within the chassis.
This biography of Steve Jobs contains the proper mix of tech talk and personal anecdotes. The anecdotes reveal who Jobs was. For example, he always seemed to have a feeling of abandonment although his adoptive parents always told him he was chosen. Even into his last years, Jobs talked about a fence his father had built, one where even the back side was made with the same care as the visible, "public" part. Jobs always insisted that every aspect of an Apple computer be elegant and perfectly made even if that part was buried deep, unseen within the chassis.
Isaacson sums up the biography in his introduction: "This is a book about the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing... He was not a model boss or human being, tidily packaged for emulation. Driven by demons, he could drive those around him to fury and despair... His tale is thus both instructive and cautionary, filled with lessons about innovation, character, leadership, and values."
Walter Isaacson has written the best biography of the year. Steve Jobs is revealed in all his glory and with all his shortcomings. It is balanced and it is beautifully written. As Jobs said to Isaacson, I want you to write my biography because "I think you're good at getting people to talk." Even Jobs, with his mania for perfection, would have been pleased.
Walter Isaacson has written the best biography of the year. Steve Jobs is revealed in all his glory and with all his shortcomings. It is balanced and it is beautifully written. As Jobs said to Isaacson, I want you to write my biography because "I think you're good at getting people to talk." Even Jobs, with his mania for perfection, would have been pleased.
Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
