BOOK 2 – Business Adventures: Twelve Classic Tales from the World of Wall Street – John Brooks
The second book I listened to was on recommendation by both Bill Gates and Warren Buffet so I instantly thought, ‘WOW, this must be an incredible book.’ After genuinely great first book I was ready to thoroughly enjoy myself again; however, this book was much more of a history book of unique business issues than a how to run a business or become a better corporate leader.
The book focuses on mainly on events in 1950s-60s with some lengthy and detailed pre-war vignettes. Although there are some highlighted takeaways and lessons from the author most of the text comes from the people he interviews which means that it is up to the reader to get their own lessoned learn and value from the book.
By the end I could see why these two titans of industry loved this book for it’s coverage of business and investment strategy over the years; industry and banking has come so far since then but the overall sentiment for success has remained the same.
I write this article after having read seven other books on my list and I wish now that I had added it further down the line. I already feel more professionally mature than I was at the time of reading Business Adventures and the later in this list I had left it the better development value I think I would have gained.
I will revisit this book again in many years when I have matured professionally as I feel there are many potential lessons still to extract from the book.
Overall, it was a worthwhile read but I would only recommend it to those of a more mature professional experience and position. For those like me at the outset of their journey it is a must for your future list, but probably not today’s.