Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

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Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson


                When I begin reading a biography there are a few things I am looking for right off the back: authenticity because the book needs to be well researched, a sense of depth because I ultimately want to understand and appreciate the people I am reading about and (most importantly) an unbiased author. Steve Jobs nailed every single one of these on the head. After years of research, interviews with not only Steve Jobs himself, but his family, colleagues and even Bill Gates, Steve Jobs feels like a completed and honest biography about a man who revolutionized the way we use technology.
                Based on this biography I can easily conclude that Steve Jobs was an extremely complicated man and the few things that I knew about him before reading this book, paled in comparison to the truth. Isaacson covered Jobs abandonment issues from being adopted, his awareness of being smarter than his parents at a young age and how that affected his mentality while growing up and creating relationships. Isaacson discussed in detail throughout the biography how Jobs pervaded a reality distortion field around him and how he could convince people to do the impossible by making these crazy and completely unrealistic timelines or expectations simply because he believed that it could be done. (More than likely it was done because he demanded it be done.) Isaacson didn’t hold back in discussing Jobs temper, his outburst, his need to sometime hurt and belittle, or his painful honesty. But Isaacson also showed Jobs as the business man and how even though he wasn’t the engineer behind the parts, he was the visionary behind the merger of technology and art, which is something he prided himself on. Isaacson also touched on with grace and respect Jobs battle with cancer.

                I can only summarize Steve Jobs to show the tip of an iceberg that was a man who lived an incredible life. There is a reason why this biography was over 500 pages, there was a lot of story to tell. Isaacson did an amazing job with this biography. From the very beginning Isaacson was able to entice me and hold my interest. He looked at every possible angle of Jobs and his life. The interviews that he conducted with people, and the sources he used just gave so much depth to Jobs life. This biography never felt one sided. It always felt complete. Everyone weighed in and was honest about this man, his integrity, lack of, his genius, his attitude, his delusions and his strength. This gets 5 out of 5 stars from me. At the end of this book I honestly felt moved and happy that I am able to at least have some understanding of such a passionate and complicated person. This is definitely a biography I can stand behind and recommend. 

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