Biography & Autobiography : Business

A riveting expose of international corruption—and what we can do about it, from the author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, which spent over a year on the New York Times bestseller list. In his stunning memoir, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, John Perkins detailed his former role as an “economic hit man” in the international corporate skullduggery of a de facto American Empire. This riveting, behind-the-scenes expose unfolded like a cinematic blockbuster told through the eyes of a man who once helped shape that empire. Now, in The Secret History of the American Empire, Perkins zeroes in on hot spots around the world and, drawing on interviews with other hit men, jackals, reporters, and activists, examines the current geopolitical crisis. Instability is the norm: It’s clear that the world we’ve created is dangerous and no longer sustainable. How did we get here? Who’s responsible? What good have we done and at what cost? And what can we do to change things for the next generations? Addressing these questions and more, Perkins reveals the secret history behind the events that have created the American Empire, including:. • The current Latin-American revolution and its lessons for democracy. • How the “defeats” in Vietnam and Iraq benefited big business. • The role of Israel as “Fortress America” in the Middle East. • Tragic repercussions of the IMF’s “Asian Economic Collapse”. • U.S. blunders in Tibet, Congo, Lebanon, and Venezuela. • Jackal (CIA operatives) forays to assassinate democratic presidents. From the U.S. military in Iraq to infrastructure development in Indonesia, from Peace Corps volunteers in Africa to jackals in Venezuela, Perkins exposes a conspiracy of corruption that has fueled instability and anti-Americanism around the globe. Alarming yet hopeful, this book provides a compassionate plan to reimagine our world. more...

Price: $25.95

Boy meets dot-com, boy falls for dot-com, boy flees dot-com in horror. So goes one of the most perversely hilarious love stories you will ever read, one that blends tech culture, hero worship, cat litter, Albanian economics, venture capitalism, and free bagels into a surreal cocktail of delusion. 21 Dog Years is an epic story of greed, self-deception, and heartbreak, a wickedly funny anthem to an era of bounteous stock options and boundless insanity. more...

Price: $11.99

Any short list of the world’s most admired business people would include Andy Grove, the chairman and CEO of Intel during its years of explosive growth. During Grove’s career, Intel became the model for Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley became the model for the world. And Grove became Time’s Man of the Year—an icon of the promise of the American life. Born in Hungary in 1936, Grove survived the Holocaust only to face the Soviet invasion. He escaped to New York, penniless, at age twenty, and embraced America, putting himself through college and graduate school. He joined Intel at its founding in 1968, rose to CEO in 1987, then led the company into the stratosphere, with compound annual profit growth at 34 percent for the next eleven years. Despite decades of media scrutiny and six of Grove’s own books, there remains a powerful element of mystery about him. This definitive biography, by a Harvard Business School professor with unprecedented access, finally cracks the code of who Andy Grove really is, how his mind works, how he attacks impossible problems, and how he leads others to exceed their own expectations of themselves. more...

Price: $18.00

Bill Gates is the richest man in the world. His company, Microsoft, which he has headed since he was 20, is the world's biggest company. Worth something in the region of $50 billion, his wealth is beyond the comprehension of most people. For this he attracts both our envy and our curiosity. more...

Price: $8.25

A shrewd businessman, an outspoken maverick, and a generous philanthropist, Ted Turner's story is the stuff of legend. But what drives him? Where did he get such a powerful will to succeed? What has he learned over his illustrious life? Never before has the controversial businessman shared his personal story. Here, for the first time, he will. From his difficult and troubling childhood to his hard-partying college life, from his vision of CNN to the drama and turmoil of the AOL / Time Warner deal, and from his ownership of the Braves to his news-making philanthropy, Turner spares no details of his extraordinary career and provides fascinating businesses insights along the way - many of which are sure to surprise. Turner will also reveal the never-before-told details of his personal life. He frankly discusses a childhood of loneliness (he was sent to boarding school at the tender age of 4), the impact of devastating loss (his sister died at 17 and his hard-charging father committed suicide when Ted was in his early 20s). Turner also goes into great detail about his marriages, including his marriage to Jane Fonda, the "love of my life." It's been a helluva ride. Ted Turner truly is the great American maverick of our time. His story will educate, enlighten, entertain, and inspire - for the first time, Turner will tell the public how he went from being a young billboard salesman in the South to being the largest private landowner in the country. The release of this long-awaited memoir will be a major media event, and Ted's captivating story promises to deliver on the hype. more...

Price: $22.99