Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* For young people who wonder how Bill Gates became so wealthy so quickly, this biography opens chapters with (sometimes-wry) entrepreneurial principles, such as Pick the Right Parents (or If You Can't, Learn to Be Intensely Competitive). However, the book offers far more than business tips. It takes readers back in time, not just to Bill's childhood years in the Gates household, where intense competition was a way of life, but also to the period when personal computers were so new that a cocky teen who knew his stuff could bluff his way into important contracts as long as he had the know-how and determination to follow through. Though often critical of Gates' business practices, Aronson acknowledges that the man's most unsympathetic traits may have made his achievements possible. One of the most astute sections of the book analyzes Gates' recent turn toward philanthropy and compares him with nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century monopolists turned philanthropists. Black-and-white photos illustrate the text. An author's note, source notes, and lists of books, articles, and Web sites are appended. Well researched, thought-provoking, and up-to-date, this biography from the Up Close series offers insights into Gates' character as well as an engaging account of his life.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2008 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Think you already know everything about Bill Gates? Or that you don't really care to know anything? Either way, Aronson's inventive approach will change your mind. His foreword addresses readers directly, acknowledging the difficulty of creating a biography about such a well-known figure that will appeal to teen readers. His decision to structure the book as a kind of how-to manualdetailing how Gates got so rich and suggesting that similar initiative could pay off for the readeris inspired, and his conversational style is engaging. This offbeat method of explication allows Aronson to cover both the basics (childhood, family, education, entrepreneurship) and the big picture (what enabled Gates to succeed so spectacularly? what drives him to give away so much of the money he's earned?). Black-and-white photographs, particularly those showing Gates as a young man, will help readers relate, while discussion of the spectacular successes and perceived flaws of both Gates and Microsoft encourages readers to form their own opinions. Well-conceived and totally intriguing, even for technophobes. (notes, bibliography, index) (Biography. 12 up) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
