The Snowball：Warren Buffett and the Business of Life

HereisTHEbookrecountingthelifeandtimesofoneofthemostrespectedmenintheworld,WarrenBuffett.ThelegendaryOmahainvestorhasneverwrittenamemoir,butnowhehasallowedonewriter,AliceSchroeder,unprecedentedaccesstoexploredirectlywithhimandwiththoseclosesttohimhiswork,opinions,struggles,triumphs,follies,andwisdom.Theresultisthepersonallyrevealingandcompletebiographyofthemanknowneverywhereas“TheOracleofOmaha.”Althoughthemediatrackhimconstantly,Buffetthimselfhasnevertoldhisfulllifestory.Hisrealityisprivate,especiallybycelebritystandards.Indeed,whilethehomespunpersonathatthepublicseesistrueasfarasitgoes,itgoesonlysofar.WarrenBuffettisanarrayofparadoxes.Hesetouttoprovethatniceguyscanfinishfirst.Overtheyearshetreatedhisinvestorsaspartners,actedastheirsteward,andchampionedhonestyasaninvestor,CEO,boardmember,essayist,andspeaker.Atthesametimehebecametheworld’srichestman,allfromthemodestOmahaheadquartersofhiscompanyBerkshireHathaway.Noneofthisfitstheterm“simple.”WhenAliceSchroedermetWarrenBuffettshewasaninsuranceindustryanalystandagiftedwriterknownforherkeenperceptionandbusinessacumen.Herwritingsonfinanceimpressedhim,andasshecametoknowhimsherealizedthatwhilemuchhadbeenwrittenonthesubjectofhisinvestingstyle,noonehadmovedbeyondthattoexplorehislargerphilosophy,whichisboundupinacomplexpersonalityandthedetailsofhislife.Outofthiscamehisdecisiontocooperatewithheronthebookabouthimselfthathewouldneverwrite.NeverbeforehasBuffettspentcountlesshoursrespondingtoawriter’squestions,talking,givingcompleteaccesstohiswife,children,friends,andbusinessassociates—openinghisfiles,recallinghischildhood.Itwasanactofcourage,asTheSnowballmakesimmenselyclear.Beinghuman,hisownlife,likemostlives,hasbeenamixofstrengthsandfrailties.Yetnotablethoughhiswealthmaybe,Buffett’slegacywillnotbehisrankingonthescorecardofwealth;itwillbehisprinciplesandideasthathaveenrichedpeople’slives.ThisbooktellsyouwhyWarrenBuffettisthemostfascinatingAmericansuccessstoryofourtime.