CATEGORY

Here is THE book recounting the life and times of one of the most respected men in the world, Warren Buffett. The legendary Omaha investor has never written a memoir, but now he has allowed one writer, Alice Schroeder, unprecedented access to explore directly with him and with those closest to him his work, opinions, struggles, triumphs, follies, and wisdom. The result is the personally revealing and complete biography of the man known everywhere as �The Oracle of Omaha.�

Although the media track him constantly, Buffett himself has never told his full life story. His reality is private, especially by celebrity standards. Indeed, while the homespun persona that the public sees is true as far as it goes, it goes only so far. Warren Buffett is an array of paradoxes. He set out to prove that nice guys can finish first. Over the years he treated his investors as partners, acted as their steward, and championed honesty as an investor, CEO, board member, essayist, and speaker. At the same time he became the world�s richest man, all from the modest Omaha headquarters of his company Berkshire Hathaway. None of this fits the term �simple.�

When Alice Schroeder met Warren Buffett she was an insurance industry analyst and a gifted writer known for her keen perception and business acumen. Her writings on finance impressed him, and as she came to know him she realized that while much had been written on the subject of his investing style, no one had moved beyond that to explore his larger philosophy, which is bound up in a complex personality and the details of his life. Out of this came his decision to cooperate with her on the book about himself that he would never write.

Never before has Buffett spent countless hours responding to a writer�s questions, talking, giving complete access to his wife, children, friends, and business associates�opening his files, recalling his childhood. It was an act of courage, as The Snowball makes immensely clear. Being human, his own life, like most lives, has been a mix of strengths and frailties. Yet notable though his wealth may be, Buffett�s legacy will not be his ranking on the scorecard of wealth; it will be his principles and ideas that have enriched people�s lives. This book tells you why Warren Buffett is the most fascinating American success story of our time.


Review
�This quintessentially American tale about the ultimate self-made man�and in some ways the least changed� [Is] the definitive portrait of a complex man�Should become a Bible for capitalists.��Washington Post

"Mr. Buffett made a smart choice when he chose Alice Schroeder as his Boswell.... A writer able to keep pace with the wild swerves in the Buffett story and the intricacies of Mr. Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway business empire. Ms. Schroeder is as insightful about her subject's precise anticipation of current financial crises as she is about his quirky personal story. And she is a clear explicator of fiscal issues."�New York Times

"The mandatory book to read in these treacherous times of financial crisis."�Forbes

"Timing aside, Schroeder has written a surprisingly good book, 'surprisingly' because even with a surfeit of minutiae about Buffett's private life and one deal after another, she still writes with a deft touch and keeps the narrative moving. While she clearly has Buffett's blessing and cooperation, she manages to be blunt in her assessment of him.......he may not be the easiest person to know personally, but he has lived a life worth studying and in Schroeder has found someone uniquely able to tell his story."�Los Angeles Times