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  • The Snowball

  • Warren Buffett and the Business of Life
  • Written by: Alice Schroeder
  • Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
  • Length: 36 hrs and 58 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (325 ratings)

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The Snowball

Written by: Alice Schroeder
Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
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Publisher's Summary

Here is THE book recounting the life and times of one of the most respected men in the world, Warren Buffett. The legendary Omaha investor has never written a memoir, but now he has allowed one writer, Alice Schroeder, unprecedented access to explore directly with him and with those closest to him his work, opinions, struggles, triumphs, follies, and wisdom. The result is the personally revealing and complete biography of the man known everywhere as "The Oracle of Omaha."

Although the media track him constantly, Buffett himself has never told his full life story. His reality is private, especially by celebrity standards. Indeed, while the homespun persona that the public sees is true as far as it goes, it goes only so far. Warren Buffett is an array of paradoxes. He set out to prove that nice guys can finish first. Over the years, he treated his investors as partners, acted as their steward, and championed honesty as an investor, CEO, board member, essayist, and speaker. At the same time, he became the world's richest man, all from the modest Omaha headquarters of his company Berkshire Hathaway. None of this fits the term "simple."

Never before has Buffett spent countless hours responding to a writer's questions, talking, giving complete access to his wife, children, friends, and business associates - opening his files, recalling his childhood. It was an act of courage, as The Snowball makes immensely clear.

Being human, his own life, like most lives, has been a mix of strengths and frailties. Yet notable though his wealth may be, Buffett's legacy will not be his ranking on the scorecard of wealth; it will be his principles and ideas that have enriched people's lives. This book tells you why Warren Buffett is the most fascinating American success story of our time.

©2008 Alice Schroeder (P)2008 Books on Tape

What listeners say about The Snowball

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Very in depth look at The Oracle

Very well written, tons of interesting stories. The author remains fair in their review of his life (not only praises but also speaks on his failure.) a tad bit too long to my taste but would highly recommend.

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4 people found this helpful

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Highly recommended

It’s a great book if you want to know more about Warren Buffet & investing. #Audible1

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3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Details paint a comprehensive picture

So many details on Buffets life. It paints a great picture of his thought process

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Superb

I'm thoroughly stock focused and entrenched in money management now. What great insight into a brilliant man.

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2 people found this helpful

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Great book!

This book is great I never knew that it would cover Buffett's biography.
I love it

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1 person found this helpful

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Great inside look into how Warren got started

This was a great book that told the story of how Warren Buffett grew from a kid to the Oracle of Omaha
Nice easy read with a real human touch

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Lengthy but very incite full.

If you want to know the minutia of details in friends and family this is the book. Lots of small details between the growth and thinking behind the brand that is Warren Buffet. Liked it a lot. Not loved it. Really liked it.

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response

to many early details on his childhood,I also question some of his early memories.However I did find it very interesting.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Lengthy but worth the time

I loved listening to this book. I took 3 months to finish this book due to its detailed explanations. Towards the end I was sad that it had come to an end.

Wonderfully narrated!

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Vraiment superbe

C'est vraiment agréable comme livre.

Sa vie me fait souvent penser à la mienne.

Ça declenche vraiment beaucoup de beaux souvenirs de mon passé.

Vu qu'il y a tellement de choses similaires. Ça devient même bizarre.

C'est vraiment un chef-d'oeuvre pour qui est curieux de savoir plus sur l'histoire de l'homme qui a changé complètement comment on investi aujourd'hui.

On commence à écouter et on ne peut jamais arrêter. Même dans l'auto.

C'est viciant.

On est transporté dans son univers, dans son monde.

C'est vraiment intéressant de savoir comment les gens vivaient dans ce temps-là.

Je ne pense pas que j'achèterais des bracelets en or pour survivre à la chute du dollar. Mais c'est intéressant de savoir les méthodes que les gens utilisaient auparavant durant l'économie.

Chacun ses méthodes. En autant que ça fonctionne.

Je ne capote pas vraiment sur la politique. Alors je n'ai pas aimé certains sujets.

C'est un livre incroyable que chaque investisseur devrait avoir dans sa bibliothèque.

Je n'ai absolument rien compris du chapitre 57. Alors j'ai passé au prochain.

Les chapitre 58 - 62 je les ai juste sautés. J'ai acheté ce livre pour comprendre plus Warren Buffet. Pas pour connaître sa femme.

Ensuite j'ai marqué le livre comme terminé.

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