✰✰✰✰½ When two Harvard students met at a party little did they know they would eventually change the way people connect. One was a brilliant computer programmer with an idea, and the other was a budding businessman with a large bank account. What Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin had in common were social challenges. Mark was painfully quiet and talked like a computer, and although Eduardo struggled to get a date, he took the plunge to join the Phoenix, a Final Club. Nevertheless, Mark and Eduardo made a deal. Mark was the brains behind the project, and Eduardo was the money. What could go wrong? After all they were friends, and friends look out for each other, right? Throw in a hunky pair of twins with an idea for a similar website, and now it gets interesting.
Mark lived for Facebook. So much so that he decided to leave college and head to California. Eduardo, on the other hand, would never leave school based on a dream. Enter the infamous Sean Parker, who quickly became a mentor to Mark, and things changed quickly. Loyalties were displaced, as newcomers tried to grab onto the lightning bolt that was Facebook. When all was said and done, innocence was lost, and no one would be the same.
The Bottom Line: Discover the fascinating story behind the founding of Facebook with this entertaining book. Based on interviews, documents, court proceedings, and scene re-creations, this fascinating account of the beginnings of a revolutionary company will get you thinking about relationships, money, and privacy. The perfect read for a snowy weekend. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys biographies, business, and stories of betrayal.
Book Club Notes: This was a great book/movie to start the year. Most of the group had been on Facebook; some have even left for other sites making for an interesting discussion. There is so much to talk about that questions weren't really necessary. This was one of those discussions that was a conversation.
Additionally, we really liked that the movie, The Social Network. It was quite true to the book. So much has happened since this book was first published that it's interesting to do some searches online to see what everyone is currently up to. For example, did you know that the Winklevoss twins have a cover band? It was no surprise to discover that everyone has been busy with various projects. Both the book and movie are enthusiastically recommended for book clubs. On a scale of 1 -5, we rated both an average of 4.25.
Details: The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook: A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal by Ben Mezrich. Paperback published by Anchor Books in 2010. 272 p. ISBN: 978-0-307-74098-4
No comments:
Post a Comment