The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life
By: Schroeder, Alice
My Dad gave us three “kids” this book for Christmas; said it was “an important book” for our times. I have now–2 months later–completed the book. All 800+ pages of text plus some of the footnotes. Thanks Dad! While I agree Warren Buffett is an important man, I must (respectfully, of course) disagree that *this* is an important biography. For all but the most detail-minded, this book is skimmable or excerptable. Dip in to a chapter here and a chapter there. My favorites and somewhat representational of the whole would be: one from the early years, one of the chapters on Buffett’s relationship with Kay Graham of the Washington Post, one on Mrs. B. and one on Geicko, and one or two on Buffett’s ongoing relationship with Bill Gates. Or browse the index for topics and, and read selectively. Then call it done.
Why, you may ask? On p.478, the author–who had complete access to Warren Buffett for years– wrote: “Buffett had the energy and enthusiasm of a restless teenager; he seemed to remember every fact and figure he had ever read…” With few exceptions, the endless repetition of those details in the book, to the point that it seems the author is reciting from Buffett’s calendar, do not make a good biography. Telling us over and over, year by year, what Buffett had for lunch at each meeting – or more annoyingly what he would NOT eat – or reciting entire lists of attendees of each meeting and dinner, do not for the most part add to our knowledge of Buffett as a person or how he thought and made decisions. It does not make for interesting reading. In short, an important man, a skimmable and exhausting book.
Reviewer: Shel
