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Title: Passion to Win by Sumner Redstone, Peter Knobler ISBN: 0-684-86225-5 Publisher: Touchstone Books Pub. Date: February, 2004 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.86 (22 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: From His Perspective
Comment: Several other reviewers seem to have attached little (if any) importance to the fact that the information Redstone provides (especially the opinions) are from his perspective. They challenge the accuracy of his comments about various negotiations, lawsuits, personnel decisions, etc. No doubt he employs selective memory. No doubt he frequently bends the truth to suit what are often his self-serving purposes. No doubt in several instances he is flat-out wrong. So what? I rate this book so highly because it provides access to Redstone which would otherwise be denied, at least to me. No one can question the nature and extent of his achievements in business. No one can deny that he is among the most controversial of media empire CEOs. The person he himself describes is not someone I would wish to be closely associated with. I do not plan to invite him over for Sunday dinner (although he may well be delightful company in that situation) and I have not included him on my holiday greeting card mailing list. Again, so what? In his own words, he shares with me and other readers his "take" on his life and career thus far. We have his version of volatile relationships with others such as Barry Diller who also bears little resemblance to Mr. Rogers. Thank you, Mr. Redstone, for explaining why you think you have a passion to win; also, what you think the impact of that passion has had in your life.
Rating: 2
Summary: A Blockbuster title...with no late fees
Comment: This is a lightweight tome about an unusual man.
Like him or loathe him, Sumner Redstone is a character and in this book what you read is about Sumner Redstone, a man of steel.
There is much to be admired about Mr. Redstone but not his writing skills. This unabashed self-promoting autobiography is not a bad read but it really does not get to the essence of the man and his business dealings.
One is reminded of Shakespeare's withering description "but Caesar is an honourable man" which served to cast doubt on the character of Caesar. I am not saying that there is anything bad with Sumner Redstone but the reader is left with the impression of our hero marching into battle at the head of a small, timid, lacking in confidence army. Granted he is a survivor and granted that he has got good business acumen but where, as they say, is the beef?
This is a story of Sumner first and foremost, a larger than life character while the other figures he interacts with are merely shadows in comparison.
Lest anyone get me wrong I have the utmost respect for this gentleman and believe that you do not get to run one of the biggest media corporations in the world by mere accident. But this book is not a fitting testament to the man. The world does not need the soft focus version of Sumner Redstone. What we do need is a no holds barred, warts and all unauthorised biography of the Viacom titan.
This is not the greates business book in the world. You can tell that by the fact that Blockbuster stores were required to sell it alongside their movie rentals before ultimately was taken from the shelves. Unlike a lot of the things you get from Blockbuster there are no late fees attached to this book. Says it all really.
Rating: 4
Summary: Why Retire When You are Having Fun
Comment: The story that is being told is five stars, but perhaps the written book as a piece of literature is four stars. In any case it is a very interesting read.
There is an expression that goes to the effect as follows: if you brag but if you can do it you are not boasting. That pretty well sums up this book.
Here is a guy that came from a competitive neighborhood in Boston. Went to Boston Latin and excelled, then went to Harvard and excelled. It is an upward success story. After the war and his law degree he joins his father and never looks back. Step by step they expanded and expanded from humble movie drive in theatres to chairman of Viacom. He has a sense for business, how to negotiate, who to trust, when to cut, when to litigate, and when to take a chance. Like him or not one must admire what his tenacity and his business smarts have accomplished.
Some people will be critical, but does it matter? He did what he wanted to do and he is a media giant and he accomplished his goals. One cannot deny that fact. It all makes for a fascinating and inspirational story.
Good read Four stars.
Jack in Toronto
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Title: MURDOCH: REVISED AND UPDATED by William Shawcross ISBN: 0684830159 Publisher: Touchstone Books Pub. Date: 02 July, 1997 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: Ted Turner: It Ain't As Easy as It Looks: A Biography by Porter Bibb ISBN: 155566203X Publisher: Johnson Books Pub. Date: September, 1997 List Price(USD): $20.00 |
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Title: Cable Cowboy: John Malone and the Rise of the Modern Cable Business by Mark Robichaux ISBN: 047123639X Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Pub. Date: 18 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
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Title: The Barry Diller Story : The Life and Times of America's Greatest Entertainment Mogul by George Mair ISBN: 0471299480 Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Pub. Date: 24 April, 1998 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: The Last Mogul: Lew Wasserman, McA, and the Hidden History of Hollywood by Dennis McDougal ISBN: 0306810506 Publisher: HarperCollins Pub. Date: 10 April, 2001 List Price(USD): $20.00 |
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