Steve Jobs: The Biography

I just completed reading Walter Isaacson's  biography of Steve Jobs and the one word that comes to my mind when I think about the book is roller-coaster. The book captures the essence of Jobs' character impressively well - a commendable achievement given that the person he was writing about had a rather complex personality. As you appreciate the extensive research that serves as the foundation for the book, it reminds you that bringing tidbits of information about Jobs is almost like picking up pieces of history (in this case the computer industry) and recreating a story for the rest of us. My opinion about the book wavered everyday but what is also important is that the book got me to chuckle a little bit in the end. It finished with a line that had a unique combination of spirituality, humor, and philosophy wrapped well with one of Job's strong beliefs in product design. I particularly liked the line. The book also talked about a side of Jobs that was devoted to his family, something that people know little about. It provides the much needed balance to the otherwise aggressive and supremely focused portrayal of the executive.

If there was anything about the book I would change it would be the order of events - I would make them more chronological. I think it draws a more complete image in the reader's mind of a  personality. More things in life make sense when the whys and whens are also known as part of the story and eliminates emotions and reactions from being treated as an one-off knee jerk reaction. Not being chronological almost makes it "fragmented" - a theory that Jobs rallied against all his life. If I had to be picky and push for perfection I would also correct the typo on page five hundred and sixty five on the line that talks about the Macintosh. I would do it as a small symbolic tribute to Steve Jobs :)

But then again, Steve Jobs chose Walter Isaacson for his biography and overall I think its a good read!