Adventures of a Bystander

"Itis[a]beliefindiversityandpluralismandtheuniquenessofeachpersonthatunderliesallmywritings..."-fromthePreface.Regardedasthemostinfluentialandwidelyreadthinkeronmodernorganizationsandtheirmanagement,PeterDruckerhasalsoestablishedhimselfasanunorthodoxandindependentanalystofpolitics,theeconomy,andsociety.Amanofimpressivescopeandexpertise,hehaspavedsignificantinroadsinanumberofkeyareas,sharinghisknowledgeandkeeninsightoneverythingfromtheplightoftheemployeeandtheeffectsoftechnologytothevicissitudesofthemarketsandthefutureofthenewworldorder.AdventuresofaBystanderisDrucker'srichcollectionofautobiographicalstoriesandvignettes,inwhichthislegendaryfigurepaintsaportraitofhisremarkablelife,andofthelargerhistoricalrealitiesofhistime.Inastylethatisbothuniqueandengaging,Druckerconveyshislifestory-fromhisearlyteenyearsinViennathroughtheinterwaryearsinEurope,theNewDealera,WorldWarII,andthepostwarperiodinAmerica-throughintimateprofilesofahostoffascinatingpeoplehe'sknownthroughtheyears.Theirpersonalhistoriesare,asDruckertellsus,thebeadsforwhichhisownlifeservesasthestring.Acolorfulgroup,thesediverse,oftenunpredictable,alwaysmultidimensionalindividualswerechosen"becauseeachofthem,inhisorherownhighlypersonalway,reflectsandrefractsthethirtycrucialyearsfromtheendofWorldWarItothefirstpost-WorldWarIIdecade-thethirtyyearsthatlargelyformedtheworldinwhichwenowlive."Anamazingpageantofcharacters,bothfamousandotherwise,springsfromthesepages,illuminatinganddefiningoneofthemosttumultuousperiodsinworldhistory.Alongwithbankersandcourtesans,artists,aristocrats,prophets,andempire-builders,wemeetmembersofDrucker'sownfamilyandclosecircleoffriends,amongthemsuchprominentfiguresasSigmundFreud,HenryLuce,AlfredSloan,JohnLewis,andBuckminsterFuller.Playingtoperfectiontheirrolesasthosewho"reflectandrefract"thecustoms,beliefs,andattitudesofthetimes,thesesingularpersonalitieslendAdventuresofaBystanderastriking"you-are-there"feel.AbriefencounterwithFreudbecomesthecatalystforanabsorbing,multidimensionaldescriptionoftheeconomics,politics,andsocialpsychologyofpre-WorldWarIIEurope.DruckerintroducesustoFritzKraemer,abrilliant,monocle-wearingeccentricwhobecameaninfluentialmentortotheyoungHenryKissinger.HispersonalmemoirofHenryLucedocumentsthedevelopmentofmodernjournalism,whilein"TheIndianSummerofInnocence,"herescuesandpreservestheveryheartoftheAmericanexperienceduringthelastNewDealyearsbeforeWorldWarII.Sheddinglightonaturbulentandimportantera,AdventuresofaBystanderalsoreflectsPeterDruckerhimselfasamanofimaginativesympathyandenormousinterestinpeople,ideas,andhistory.Theseenthrallingstoriescomplementandcompletethegroundbreakinganalyticalwritingforwhichheissorevered.Luminousautobiographicalstoriesbyoneofthegreatestthinkersofourtime"ThecastofcharactersamongwhomDruckermovesissuperblyrich,andtheinformedglimpseheprovidesofavanishedsocialandpoliticaluniverseisaneducationinitself.AdventuresofaBystanderisbetterthananovel,morelivelythananessay,andasthoughtfulasbothattheirbest."-TheHarvardBusinessReview."AdventuresofaBystanderisavirtuosoperformanceinwhichDruckerdisplaysadazzlingdiversityofpersonalinterestsandknowledge,anawesomepowerofrecall,andacrisp,highlyreadablewritingstyle."-BusinessWeek."AdventuresofaBystanderappearsinastroketohaverestoredtheartofthememoirandoftheessay.Itwilldoubtlessbeawhilebeforeitslikecomesroundagain."-TheWashingtonPost.