The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life [ROUGH-CUT EDGE] (Hardcover)

by Alice Schroeder

By Larry Hardee  (Natchez, MS USA)  

Very in depth material about Warren Buffett. Since we may very well be coming to an end of an era in the stock market, both the Greenspan book and this book are giving us a history lesson of the market and business world we have experienced. Since times have been very good in the market since 1982, and some would argue even before; there is a huge audience for this book at this time. Those who don't read it and are interested in investments will miss a great history lesson on what they have been investing in. Not to mention what could be in our future.
Much written here about Buffett is definitely true, eventhough very little is known about him, simply because the amount of detail could not be gotten without the cooperation of the whole Buffett family. You could say this book is like living the life of Warren and his family, because every detail is so laid out, you feel like you are there. In fact I found myself developing opinions, and wanted to tell this one or that one to act differently or compliment them on their life choices depending on their story, especially Warren and his wife Susie. But the most important story of the book is the story of Berkshire Hathaway, GEICO, Salomon Brothers, Long Term Capital Management, and labor strikes at the Buffalo and Washington Post papers, the annual meeting at Coca Cola. These stories show that what happened in the past is not all that different from what is happening today. I don't think I could do the book justice to try and bottom line it. All I can say is you just have to read the book and then you can decide for yourself. I thought I knew a lot, but soon found that even in this day and age, that the J.P. Morgan's and Warren Buffett are essential to the functioning of our economy. This is far from the idea I matured on, of a computer on every desktop, with the self reliance for everyone that would bring to us all. I came of age with that dream and am only a few years younger than Bill Gates. This book may well be best read by someone who is in their 20s and 30s, and hoping and dreaming of hitting it big in the business world and through their investments.
A real history lesson, don't miss it.