Product Description
Oprah Winfrey shares the success secrets of her fitness guru Bob Greene. This cassette features a fitness programme which is interspersed with Oprah's personal stories about her own confrontation and excerpts from her diaries. ... Read more

Product Description
Finding Oprah’s Roots will not only endow readers with a new appreciation for the key contributions made by history’s unsung but also equip them with the tools to connect to pivotal figures in their own past.A roadmap through the intricacies of public documents and online databases, the book also highlights genetic testing resources that can make it possible to know one’s distant tribal roots in Africa.
For Oprah, the path back to the past was emotion-filled and profoundly illuminating, connecting the narrative of her family to the larger American narrative and “anchoring” her in a way not previously possible.For the reader, Finding Oprah’s Roots offers the possibility of an equally rewarding experience. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Who Are My People?
I listened to this book rather than read it, and I found myself becoming very interested not only in Oprah's background but in mine as well. Interested in Oprah as someone who overcame great odds to become immensely successful, I checked out the tapes from the local library, and the more I listened, the more I became fascinated with the nature/nurture issue.

Who were Oprah's people? Who were mine? It was difficult to get accuracy because unfortunately slaves were looked upon as possessions of their owners, not people with names and identities. Nevertheless, Gates was able to provide a wealth of information for Oprah through record searching and DNA evidence. For instance, she had always thought she was Zulu, but extensive DNA investigation revealed that wasn't the case. She learned that she was 89 percent African American and 11 percent Native American. Orpah also discovered that there are several entrepreneurs and educators in her family line.

Although the emphasis of the book is on Oprah's roots, the author talks about new types of DNA testing and gives information about websites like [...] and the family history link on the LDS website. Gates warns the reader/listener that while finding out about one's roots is rewarding, it can also be tedious, time consuming, and hard work.

Gates' book inspired me, and I recently visited a family cemetery in another state. Fascinated by the history there, I'll be going back.

pleasantly surprised
First time purchasing from amazon and very pleased with the price and the shape my book was in. I purchased the book to find more ways to search my family roots and the information i found in the book was more than what I expected.

Inspirational Fascinating & Upbeat
Fascinating book written by Henry Louis Gates Jr. that complements the PBS special of the same name. On the back cover Oprah says, "Knowing your family history is knowing your worth-- your whole worth"...and it goes on. I've done a bit of ancestry work on my father's family personally and I have to say it was amazingly rewarding. An easy to read 172 pages plus an appendix on how to research your own family is a nice contributon to any family bookcase. Gates uses Oprah as an example and explains how you can adapt his search for her roots to your own --starting with oral history. Oprah always says she consults her ancestors prior to any big meeting...and it was rather surprising to find out that her ancestors in Africa are not from the tribe that she thought they were. Plus she is part Native American too. Fun to see copies of the exact records and pix of Oprah's ancestors. Very inspirational.

Great Books Come in Small Packages

Don't let the size of this book fool you, it is a tremendous book that has needed to be written for a long time.There are many guides and tools for researching roots, but this one, highly specialized to pre and post slavery sources is exceptional.

Why is it exceptional?1) It documents a search. 2) It provides inspritation.In demonstrating a typical search (while Oprah is not typical, the search for her roots is) it shows the dynamics of the oral history, specific written records and the larger regional histories. It discusses the uses and limits of DNA.

The photos and documents are excellent.I like the way the full document is shown with the pertinant info blown up.

Everything Oprah does increases my respect for her.This search could have turned up reprobates and losers, but she didn't know that from the start.She approved potential embarrassment on an international level so that people could have this model... this encouragement.

I cried when I saw Oprah's South African school on TV.I almost did, like she did, when I saw the record of her ancestor's actual ownership.

Genealogy, history, and DNA: A Fascinating Look
This book is part genealogical guide, part celebrity biography, and part African-American history. Professor Gates has used the family history of Oprah Winfrey as an example of genealogical research and a case study of how education can lift a disadvantaged family out of hardship.

The written record of Oprah's ancestors only goes back to the 1870's census because the last names of slaves were rarely recorded. Here the author delves into the history of slavery in America and (to a lesser extent) in Africa. He also discusses the after-effects of slavery following the Civil War. The use of DNA to trace one's ancestors is also explained.

Although this book will appeal to persons trying to trace ancestors who were slaves, it is valuable to anyone getting started in genealogy. It's also an interesting story of a family who used education to leap beyond the expectations of those around them. You don't need to be a fan of Oprah to enjoy this book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the first book on Africa for which Ms. Oprah Winfrey has chosen to write a "Forward" and that is because Gordon Clark has a unique insight into the soul of Africa and its wondrous workings.Gordon lived as a street child and is a graduate of the opporessive apartheid-driven reform school system that existed at the time of his youth. He struggled, and as a young man, assimilated with the disenfranchised masses-hence a spiritual bond was formed.His concern for his fellow man has manifested into this profound and poetic essay. Gordon aspired to create a conduit-a link of communication-to relay to the modern world the vast innocent human potential that exists within Mother Africa and has done so."Transitions South Africa" is a presentation of visual prayer and positive reflection, highlighting the true joy and spirit of perseverance. The myriad of captured visual miracles of Mother Earth and its children depict nature and human kind in the humble traditional existence endemic to indigenous African people and their transition to urban existence. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Extraordinary Images
This is a remarkable collection of exquisite photographs which capture the dignity and humanity of people in Southern Africa.There is a rare, soul-stirring quality to these images that make this an important book for anyone with an appreciation for great photographic art or an interest in Africa. Gordon Clark's artistry clearly reflects a deep love for his nation of origin, as proceeds from Transitions go to fighting HIV/AIDS in South Africa and caring for children orphaned by the disease.

Awe-Inspiring Photography
From cover to cover, the powerful images in this book took my breath away. This book depicts the evolution of the human spirit from primal to potential. As each new section presents itself you are immediately thrust into a different environment. Each distinct, each equally captivating. The images show the beauty of Southern Africa and the fire that lives inside of its people. The photographs are impeccable. From the lighting to the subjects, each picture tells the story of those in it. Whether the faces are smiling or stoic, the strength displayed by the people is almost palpable. The elders are the wisdom that from their experience throughout and the children are the hope for the next generation. The book has a general uplifting feeling that speaks to the wonder of all that makes up South Africa. This book is a must-have for anyone wanting to go on an emotionally fulfilling journey. The best part of purchasing this book is knowing that the proceeds go to the people depicted in it. This is a strong reccomendation! Jump at the opportunity to make this a part of your library.

Heaven Is A Dirty Place
Gordon Clark's riveting collection of photographs bring the mystery, beauty, and infinite power of the South African psyche up to your amazed eyes with the stellar skill of a master.From the first page of this must-have for any lover of photographic art, the South African landscape and it's inhabitants, the people, seem to welcome you with deeply interpretive eyes and impeccable composition.Clark's use of color here is revelatory in that it envelops the viewer like a velvet sunset.In other words, the images early on are inviting and strangely familiar in their human qaulity.Whereas many photographs of Africa are general in their topic, making one feel that it is untouchable and removed, Clark's book beckons one to become as vulnerable and generous as his vibrant Southern Africa.The warmth he uses to portray the rugged danger inherent in the people of this region and the land itself causes one to realize that perhaps their are qaulitites about the subjects that are not far removed from the viewers': Strength being the prominent feature, the strength of the human will to persevere.Ultimately, Clark's genius is that he allows Southern Africa to become a metaphorical mirror, peering into one's one emotional landscape and thus truly connecting to the subjects of his passionate collection.
Transitions is a book that lives up to it's title.Clark and his subjects take you along a journey, beginning at the peremiter, into the center of his subject's joy and struggle.I was shocked to see the unbelievably intimate, almost Rockwellian scenes come to life like a moving painting towards the conclusion of the book.The delicate beauty of Brassai's photographs came to mind. By then, I was so saturated with feeling, my emotions had to be released and they were, as I walked through the homes of these beautiful people.It is truly an experience and will be a great artistic progenitor on the viewers voyage to become connected to this important part of our world, and in the mission to heal South Africa.It is a priveledge to view Gordon Clark's Transitions.

Showstopping Photo Book
I purchased this brand new book because of Oprah Winfrey's Foreward.What an incredible surprise inside!This is the definitive book on the region's beauty, rich heritage and infinite potential. The words and pictures create an indelible impact.The images are so beautiful -- from the hopeful children in their natural environment to the soulful eyes of the elder natives in their village huts.This fresh, visual look inside the whole of South Africa has to be unpralleled. Oprah's Foreward began a journey that will stay with this reader forever and ever. ... Read more

Product Description
An office manager at Harpo was speaking freely about Oprah Winfrey's private life and business affairs when he revealed her darkest secrets. Keifer Bonvillain underestimated one of the world's most powerful women when he, armed with clandestinely recorded tapes, decided to write a tell-all book unmasking the famed celebrity. The author gives a rare peek behind the scenes of some of Hollywood's brightest stars, the unsettling realities of Oprah's business world and the difficult journey to publication that included a pit stop in Federal jail. Now the secrets they worked so hard to protect are being revealed one chapter at a time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Predictable
This was just ok..rather predictable.I quit watching Oprah years ago after I saw her contradict herself so many times

SHAME ON YOU!
Haven't you got anything better to do than to trash a woman who has done more good for the entire planet than anyone has ever heard of.Get a life!

America's Flawed Legal System
Ruthless is an unusual book about an ordinary guy from Atlanta, Georgia who finds himself in possession of some shocking stories about a hugely popular celebrity. The author was supposedly having a conversation one day with a total stranger on the telephone, when the stranger revealed that he was employed by Harpo- the business enterprise run by Oprah Winfrey. This person began to tell all sorts of tales about Harpo and its CEO, prompting Bonvillain to record the conversations. He had no idea what he was about to discover, not to mention the whirlwind of controversy and legal trouble that his recorded phone conversations would create.

This book contains many accusations against Oprah Winfrey and I found myself taking sides- and changing my mind several times- as I read each page. The story at first seems far- fetched, but these events really did take place and there are tape excerpts to back everything up. The conversations are very eye- opening, but they also present many questions. Why would this guy call a total stranger and start to tell him all sorts of negative things about Oprah Winfrey? Was this guy telling the truth? Was he just blowing off steam about his dissatisfaction with Harpo? And why did Bonvillain tape record the conversations? Was his mind set on making money from the beginning? At first, it seemed like Bonvillain was, indeed, just looking for a way to make an easy buck by selling some juicy gossip to the highest bidder. But the more I read, the more I started to wonder. It does seem odd that a total stranger would divulge so much information to another person. But on the other hand, why would he say this if it wasn't true? And why would he go on and on about the issues he had with Harpo and Oprah Winfrey if there wasn't at least some degree of truth to the allegations?

Ruthless includes many of the actual taped conversations between Keifer Bonvillain and Harpo attorney Bill Becker. This part of the book is rather repetitive, but also very revealing. Becker seems very worried and also highly suspicious- like he is up to no good and is trying to frame Bonvillain in some way. As you read, you later discover that framing Bonvillain was, indeed, Becker's plan all along. He discussed purchasing book rights to the tapes and was very clear that this is what he wanted to do. Then, when the two men were supposed to meet to discuss the deal, the FBI was waiting to arrest Bonvillain and accuse him of extortion. At this point, I started to feel a little sorry for Bonvillain, not to mention disgust with the Harpo business in general and the FBI. Becker lies to Bonvillain repeatedly and Bonvillain struggles over whether or not to trust him before they ever met. Finally, he decides to place his trust in Becker only to experience the ultimate betrayal in the end. The charges were eventually dropped, but not because the legal system worked to find the truth. The charges were dropped because Bonvillain had secretly recorded the conversations between himself and Becker, proving that he was framed.

Ruthless is not the type of book that will appeal to everyone. I found it a little slow at first, but it picks up momentum near the end and some of its revelations are quite shocking. I never would have thought of Oprah Winfrey as the type who would practice discrimination, but the book claims this is true and that anyone in doubt can look up the facts on the internet by conducting some simple research. A little more scientific evidence, however, would have been helpful and would have made the case stronger. It also would have been nice if the book had included some appendices, notes, etc. at the end of the book. The book's position would have been more believable if it provided some notes on sources.

Overall, Ruthless is a book I recommend reading for its insight into the flawed legal system and, to a lesser extent, its revealing information about Harpo and Oprah Winfrey. The author's hands are not completely clean since he did, after all, decide to record these phone conversations without the other parties consent. But the betrayal he experienced and the false arrest at the hands of the FBI are reason for concern and they point out the many problems with the legal system in the United States. It could be worse, yes. But the lying and framing by the FBI and other legal organizations is something that needs to be addressed more frequently and citizens need to be more fully aware of these practices and their long- term consequences.

Exposing Oprah
Bonvillain, Keifer. "Ruthless", Keifer Enterprises, 2007.

Exposing Oprah

Amos Lassen

Keifer Bonvillain takes us behind the scenes of the life of one of America's most loved women, Oprah Winfrey and he maintains that Oprah uses an intricate pattern and practice of discrimination at her company, Harpo. He also believes that Oprah has managed to use confidentiality agreements in order to ensure that a lot remains secret. Bonvillain's source is a Harpo insider who informed him of the discriminatory practices at the company,
What makes these accusations relevant is that they are brought out into the open at the time when Oprah's endorsement of presidential candidate, Barak Obama hit national airwaves. The author suggests that both Oprah and Obama share an undermining philosophy of African Americans. Further Bonvillain maintains that Oprah has used her company to consistently send out "negative stereotypical images of black men in her film projects". Furthermore, we learn that is was Obama who demanded that Don Imus be fired for having made racist comments.
The book maintains that Oprah had the office worker who leaked this information arrested by the FBI and was surprised that the author had copies of the recorded conversations between himself and Oprah's attorney.
But there is even more. There is information about the amount of money that Oprah lavishes on spending as well as information about her relationships with Stedman Graham and Gayle King, her best friend. There is also information about what went on behind the scenes with some high profile guests.
Included with the text are the unedited manuscripts of the author's conversations with Oprah's attorney, legal documents, threatening letters from Oprah's legal team and emails between Oprah's employees and the author.
Bonvillain is extremely candid and he does back up everything he says. What it really does is show that Oprah is human, like the rest of us and even though it discredits her greatly, I believe that nothing will dislodge her.

No facts all gossip and innuendo Zero stars
A disclaimer of sorts. The book was sent to me to review, and I get books every week to read and review.Majority of the time the books are worth a read. I am not one who watches Oprah, or reads her magazine anymore, simply because she is way to materialistic for my tastes.

So I get to the post office and this was in the mail, so I opened and glanced at the book and then went on to pick up a friend who had a doctors appointment, where I would spend my time reading the book.

From the get go the question that came up over and over, was why do people who have signed a legal agreement of confidently think they don't have to honour the agreement?Many many people I know (and you do not have to be rich) have legal documents that they have nannies, housekeepers etc sign so that their privacy can be just that...private.

As I read the book, which isn't an easy read if you are literate and ethically minded, I kept thinking how the author and his informant seem to have some cockeyed idea that Oprah is supposed to be perfect.Isn't supposed to make mistakes, forget specific events, that in the big picture, are not that important.

And the author seems stuck on the idea that Oprah doesn't hire enough blacks.He gives what he sees as proof, she doesn't. Completely overlooking the demographics of her audience and what the professionals have told her are what her audience wants.The fact she is smart, and listens to wise advise seems to make him mad.Remember her audience is made up of mostly white women, between the ages of 25 and 50.He also ignores the distinct possibility that Oprah wants to hire the best in whatever field, and perhaps there are not enough non whites graduating in the fields she needs.

Even high tech CEO's bemoan the fact that not enough Americans are graduating in the fields needed.The author also dislikes with a passion that the blacks Oprah has in her circle of associates and friends aren't black enough.Give me a break.And don't even get me started on what he says about lesbians and sex.It's gossip and innuendo. NO facts.

The book could have been written by some gossip rag that you see staring at you at the check out stand.And I don't read them!!And after reading this book I literally felt the need to rush home and take a shower.And I disliked with a passion how he used his Christianity to try and make this book legit.

... Read more

Product Description
Actress, Producer, Entrepreneur, and talk show queen. She turned her wounds into wisdom and survived an abusive family to become one of the most powerful and influential people in the world. See the humble beginnings of Oprah Winfrey. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Comic biography.
It's a condensed comic-like biography of Oprah Winfrey. It's mostly about her upbringing and struggles. It's very inspiring knowing such an accomplished person could rise from such harsh background. It counts on the reader to know who Oprah Winfrey is now. I recommend it if you want to know more about her childhood in fun way but don't want to go through a book. ... Read more

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Product Description
Bly reveals the many sides of renowned talkshow host Oprah Winfrey, including her inspirational journey from a dirt-poor Mississippi farm to a lavish Chicago penthouse; how she conquered illegitimate birth, a lifelong eating problem and the white male establishment; how she spends her millions; the tragedies that tore her family apart; and much more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Book Review
This book was sent to me in great condition and on time.It was the only place I could find the book because it has been out of print for some time, I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for an out of date book in good quality!

This was a great book!I couldn't put it down.
Great book!That's all I can say, great

The worst book I have ever read!
Unfortunately, there is no negative rating available, as I would truly give this book less than a 1. This book is a cruel joke on the book-reading public.My husband and I could not believe how poorly written it was.I am scared for the others about whom this "author" has written and gotten paid good money. What a horrible excuse for a book and an incredible waste of paper and ink! If the author wants to make comments, I welcome them.I dare someone to defend this book.

Was there a worse book ever written?
I really give it a negative number, but that wasn't among the choices. This was perhaps the WORST book my husband and I have ever read.Besides various misspellings, there were exact passages repeated on other pages. I should have asked for my money back.We couldn't believe how poorly this rag was written.We cannot blame the author for using an alias.We wouldn't want to be identified as the author of this junk either. WARNING!Don't buy this book.There were a lot of other choices for Oprah books.All have to be better than this trash! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Made me want to read more about Oprah!
Heard EVERYBODY LOVES OPRAH: HER REMARKABLE
LIFE STORY, an unauthorized biography by Norman King . . . it
was a fascinating account of what might be described as her
early years; i.e., the period up until 1988 (when the book was
written) . . . I found out about her painful childhood, her rise to fame
and her role in THE COLOR OF PURPLE.

My only regret is that now I'm going to have to find a second
book on Oprah--one that will take me through the present.

I learned that her father had a significant impact on her life . . . he
once told her that there three different kinds of people: 1) Those
who make things happen; 2) Those who watch things happen; and
3) Those who did not know what was happening . . . and that
Oprah did not like the last two kinds.

Her father also told her, after she had come home with a
"C" grade, that this was unacceptable because she could
do better.

Other tidbits that I gained from reading:
* Once in a contest, everybody was asked "What would you do if you
won a million dollars?" The first person replied that she would buy
cars and homes for her family. The second person said she would
give it to charity. Knowing that she could not top those responses,
Oprah said, "I'd be a shopping fool." Her sheer audacity helped
her win the contest.

* She always attempted to handle herself on television "like
Barbara Walters did."

* And once a month she had a luncheon with viewers who hated
her, in which she asked them all sorts of questions.

Ruby Dee's narration added to my enjoyment of the program.

... Read more

Product Description
A biography of the actress, talk show hostess, and philanthropist, discussing her childhood of poverty and neglect and her rise to the top of the entertainment world. ... Read more

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A portrait of Oprah Winfrey follows the inspirational life and career of the popular TV talk-show host, from her troubled childhood, through her early television days, to her dramatic success. ... Read more

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In The Language of the Heart Trysh Travis explores the rich cultural history of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and its offshoots and the larger "recovery movement" that has grown out of them. Moving from AA's beginnings in the mid-1930s as a men's fellowship that met in church basements to the thoroughly commercialized addiction treatment centers of today, Travis chronicles the development of recovery and examines its relationship to the broad American tradition of self-help, highlighting the roles that gender, mysticism, and print culture have played in that development.

Travis draws on hitherto unexamined materials from AA's archives as well as a variety of popular recovery literatures. Her analysis traces AA's embrace of the concept of addiction as disease, the rise of feminist sobriety discourse and the codependence theories of the 1970s and 80s, and Oprah Winfrey's turn-of-the-millennium popularization of metaphysical healing. What unites these varied cultures of recovery, Travis argues, is their desire to offer spiritual solutions to problems of gender and power.

Treating self-help seekers as individuals whose intellectual and aesthetic traditions are worth excavating, The Language of the Heart is the first book to attend to the evolution and variation found within the recovery movement and to treat recovery with the attention to detail that its complexity requires. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Love the book.
This book was very enlightening for me.I had a concept of the early history of recovery and its progression to current time, based on my own experience.This book gave me additional information and insight into other happenings in the field that I was not aware of.A truly informative find.

How recovery ideas migrated into the popular imagination
"The Language of the Heart" is on the ROROTOKO list of cutting-edge intellectual nonfiction. Professor Travis's book interview ran here as the cover feature on January 27, 2010. ... Read more

Product Description

Beautifully designed and featuring over 150 sepia portraits, family photographs, and letters from the life of one of the world’s most beloved and admired artists, this moving biography will appeal to all fans of the poet laureate, phenomenal bestselling author, and scribe for the people, Dr. Maya Angelou.

Maya Angelou’s memoirs, essay and poetry collections, and cookbooks have sold millions of copies. Now, MAYA ANGELOU: A GLORIOUS CELEBRATION offers an unusual and irresistible look at her life and her myriad interests and accomplishments. Created by the people who know her best—her longtime friends Marcia Ann Gillespie and Richard Long, and her niece Rosa Johnson Butler—it is part tribute, part scrapbook, capturing Angelou at home, at work, and in the public eye. Readers who have come to know and love Maya Angelou will be surprised and delighted by this personal, illustrated portrait of the renowned poet, author, playwright, and humanitarian.

Customer Reviews (9)

Strength, courage, and wisdom
Maya Angelou has had quite a life. Born Marguerite Johnson in April 1928, she grew up in a small Arkansas town named Stamps with her older brother, grandmother, and uncle. She experienced more pain as a child than most people do in a lifetime: racism, abandonment, and rape. However, she managed to rise above it all. A Glorious Celebration details her journey from an unwed teen mother who briefly fell into prostitution to the respected poet and author she is today. A human who has fallen several times time in life and picked herself up again to keep on going. Kudos to Maya.

A Glorious Doorstop
This is indeed a glorious coffee table book. At present I've got a copy on my night table, on my kitchen counter, one in each of my bathrooms, and one for my patio table. The book store has ordered me a copy of the new water proof dust jacket so I can keep a copy down by the pool. I had been looking for a good picture book of my other favorite poets, Ezra Pound, Wallace Stevens, T.S. Eliot, and William Carlos Williams, but theirs were all out of print. I would keep my newest copy on my living room coffee table were it not for my copies of Hillary and Bill Clinton's autobiographies. This is really as extraordinary a book as one could wish for. Happy birthday, Maya. I hope to see you at Barack's inauguration, again behind the podium, reciting another beautiful poem in that mellifluous voice.

Maya Angelou: A Glorious Celebration
A Glorious Celebration makes a wonderful coffee table book. Everyone who comes to my house gravitates to the book. Also makes a great gift for book lovers.May Angelou is just phenomenal in her writings.I recommend this book wholeheartedly.

Somewhat disappointed
I assumed that this book would include some of Maya Angelou's writings.It didn't.I enjoyed looking at the photos and reading about her, but I intended this as a gift to someone who had never read her writings.

Life Changing!
I've never read anything about or by Maya Angelou that I didn't love.
This book is the feature on my bookshelf.... I need another copy to keep next to my nightstand!

... Read more

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ReadHowYouWant publishes a wide variety of best selling books in Large Print and Super Large Print formats in partnership with leading publishers. EasyRead books are available in 11pt and 13pt. type. EasyRead Large books are available in 16pt, 16pt Bold, and 18pt Bold type. EasyRead Super Large books are available in 20pt. Bold and 24pt. Bold Type. You choose the format that is right for you.

Oprah's career path shows that hard work, discipline, and taking calculated risks will carry you far?maybe farther than you'd ever imagine. Even Oprah's personal life holds many valuable lessons. Hers is a story of faith, of adapting and persevering, of continually learning, and of being aware of what is going on in the world and engaging with it to achieve positive results. Mostly, though, the story of Oprah Winfrey is a testament to what can happen when you take the time to listen to and care for others, while always remaining true to yourself.

To find more titles in your Large Print or Super Large Print format, Search in Books using EasyRead and the size of the font that makes reading easier and more enjoyable for you.

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From the early years of fur trading to today's Silicon Valley empires, America has proved to be an extraordinarily fertile land for the creation of enormous fortunes. Each generation has produced one or two phenomenally successful leaders, often in new industries that caught contemporaries by surprise, and each of these new fortunes reconfirmed the power of fanatically single-minded visionaries. John Jacob Astor and Cornelius Vanderbilt were the first American moguls; John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and J. P. Morgan were kingpins of the Gilded Age; David Sarnoff, Walt Disney, Ray Kroc, and Sam Walton were masters of mass culture. Today Oprah Winfrey, Andy Grove, and Bill Gates are giants of the Information Age. America has again and again been the land of dizzying mountains of wealth.

Here, in a wittily told and deeply insightful history, is a complete set of portraits of America's greatest generators of wealth. Only such a collective study allows us to appreciate what makes the great entrepreneurs really tick. As H. W. Brands shows, these men and women are driven, they are focused, they deeply identify with the businesses they create, and they possess the charisma necessary to persuade other talented people to join them. They do it partly for the money, but mostly for the thrill of creation.

The stories told here -- including how Nike got its start as a business-school project for Phil Knight; how Robert Woodruff almost refused to take control of Coca-Cola to spite his father; how Thomas Watson saved himself from prison by rescuing Dayton, Ohio, from a flood; how Jay Gould nearly cornered the gold market; how H. L. Hunt went from gambling at cards to gambling with oil leases -- make for a narrative that is always lively and revealing and often astonishing. An observer in 1850, studying John Jacob Astor, would not have predicted the rise of Henry Ford and the auto industry. Nor would a student of Ford in 1950 have anticipated the takeoff of direct marketing that made Mary Kay Ash a trusted guide for millions of American women. Full of surprising insights, written with H. W. Brands's trademark flair, the stories in Masters of Enterprise are must reading for all students of American business history.Amazon.com Review
Masters of Enterprise examines the lives of 25 Americanentrepreneurs, from John D. Rockefeller and Henry Ford to Bill Gatesand Oprah Winfrey, to find the common ingredients of theirsuccess. "First, all had good health and abundant energy," writesH.W. Brands, a professor of history at Texas A&M University, "enoughfor half-a-dozen careers each." The other elements that Brandsidentifies: all were hungry for success; they were persuasive atgetting others on their side; they intensely identified with theirwork; and each had a burning creative vision. Brands dedicates achapter to each of the 25, starting chronologically with real estatemagnate John Jacob Astor in the late 1700s, and ending with softwaregiant Bill Gates in the late 1990s. He describes the entrepreneurs'background, vision, and major deals, and draws lessons for today'sbusiness mavens.

Modern-day speculators might find enlightening the story of JayGould's cornering of the gold market in the 1800s, forinstance. Brands dramatically describes the maneuvers Gould took tohide his buying and selling--and his underhanded but failed attemptsat keeping the U.S. government from flooding the market with gold anddriving the price down. And women entrepreneurs of today might findinspiring the lives of cosmetics titan Mary Kay Ash, designer LizClaiborne, and television and movie star Oprah Winfrey--all overcameobstacles, personal and professional, to become giants in theirfields.

Others profiled: industrialist Andrew Carnegie, Ray Kroc ofMcDonald's, Sam Walton of Wal-Mart, Motown founder Berry Gordy, WaltDisney, cable-television pioneer Ted Turner, and Intel's AndrewGrove. Well written and filled with anecdotes, Masters ofEnterprise should be an entertaining read for entrepreneurs andfans of business biography and history. --Dan Ring ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Entertaining and Thought Provoking.
Brands is a very entertaining professor who thoroughly understands and enjoys his material.He's also sensitive to the larger issues raised by these stories of entrepreneurs.Oddly enough, something more than money explains their motivation.While American business is based on the dynamic of the individual, self-made entrpreneur, the irony is that they are motivated by a pre-capitalist sense of calling and perfectionism.They are not the profit-maximizers hypothesized by capitalist economists.

And Brands touches on the supreme irony of America, which consists of the tension between all-men-are-created-equal ethic of the Declaration of Independence and constitutional political system and the inequality-of-wealth-and-talent ethic of the capitalist business system.Cynics would say that the some-men-are-more-equal-than-others ethic of the economic system trumps and subverts the equality-based ethic of the political system.Brands would probably say that the empowerment and freedom of the individual can only be preserved via the sanctity of private property.

The sketches of the entrepreneurs are highly entertaining and thought-provoking.I highly recommend it.

Good Collection of Business Heroics
H.W. Brands' Masters of Enterprises devotes each of his 25 brief, but enjoyable chapters to a successful entrepreneur. I particularly like this book because the author recognizes the importance of the individual in building a business dynasty. Tragically, this recognition is very rare from many business historians today who seem more interested in focusing on the post-retirement philanthropic activities of many great industrialists as opposed to the prodigious effort which was required to first accumulate the wealth.

This book contains great chapters on all of the well known productive geniuses of the U.S. Industrial Revolution, including the following: John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, J. P. Morgan, Henry Ford and Cornelius Vanderbilt.

One of the great values from this book is that it contains a satisfying amount of material on several important and often unsung heroes in business history. This includes, but is not limited to:

* Ray Kroc: The man who turned the McDonalds' franchise into the world's most recognizable fast food empire.

* Robert Woodruff: The man who made the Coca-Cola logo the world's most recognizable logo.

* Alfred Sloan: The man who built up General Motors to defeat the Ford Motor Company as the most dominant automobile manufacturer in the United States.

* Sam Walton: The man who turned Walmart into the retail giant that it is today.

* Andy Grove: The man who made Intel.

* Henry Kaiser: A true renaissance industrialist. He built the Hoover dam, the Bonneville Dam, innovated cement manufacturing, reduced the construction time of cargo ships during WWII to five days (when they previously required 30 days!), and even developed Waikiki beach into a resort.

* H. L. Hunt: discoverer and innovator of oil drilling in East Texas. Unfortunately, he also crippled the industry by lobbying for more government regulation.

The main downside of this book is that I think the mix of entrepreneurs covered could have been more interesting. For one, James J. Hill, the great empire builder of the Northwestern Railroads, is conspicuously absent. For example, if it were up to me, I would have added chapters on James J. Hill, E. H. Harriman*, Warren Buffett, Herbert Dow and C.J. Walker** and removed the chapters on Berry Gordy, Oprah Winfrey, Phil Knight, Ted Turner and Liz Claiborne.

If you enjoy books about great individuals in business history, then I also recommend Andrew Bernstein's The Capitalist Manifesto, Burton Folsom's The Myth of the Robber Barons and Burton Folsom's Empire Builders.

* The turnaround genius who converted the struggling Union Pacific Railroad into a transportation empire.

** She is probably the most under appreciated businesswoman in history. She not only is the first black woman to be a self-made millionaire, she is the first woman to do so. She made a fortune in designing and marketing beauty products for black women at the beginning of the 20th century, when the U.S. was unfortunately still plagued with discrimination.

Hagiography more than history
Business is a ruthless business.Dog eat dog and all that.Extraordinarily successful businessmen may have the same basic character traits as their fellow men (and women) but often in more extreme forms.Some of these traits are admirable: ambitious, industrious, driven, resilient, clever.Some, not so much: greedy, cruel, ruthless, opportunistic, dishonest.

Don't count on Brands to notice the latter in his subjects.H.W. Brands has written a history of American businessmen as they would like themselves to be seen.If you enjoy this book, you may also enjoy browsing the National Association of Manufacturer's press releases.

Sketches of Great American Entrepreneurs
These brief portraits of great American businessmen and women are well written.Brands does a creditable job laying out the basics of each of their lives and presenting it in a highly readable fashion.His purpose is to show the historical development of how Americans have made money in a country where the making of wealth has became almost a divine calling.

Brands' selection of business giants could have been better.He seems to have picked his membership more for their diversity as people than for their masterful entrepreneurial skills.Why include Berry Gordy, but not Warren Buffett? Brands' choices obviously skew his presentation of U.S. business history, making it seem more diverse than it really has been.

Pure inspiration
If you are chasing the, "American Dream," of becoming a successful entrepeneur, this book is definitely a must read!H. W. Brands has compiled a collection of highly enterprising and inspirational people in his book.I not only was encouraged by reading about such great American men, such as Cornelius Vanderbilt and Andrew Carnegie, I was even more impressed with the profiles of such determined business women as Oprah Winfrey and Mary Kay. Their lives and positive, business tactics shed a shining light, leading the way to establishing a successful enterprise. ... Read more