Steve Jobs cried...a lot.

Although this biography is extremely well written (Walter Isaacson’s talented writing flare was what continually drew me back for more), I need to give this book a little break and come back to it in a few weeks.

Now halfway through it, I find I need something a little ‘lighter’.  I love learning and really appreciate all the new technology terms and ideas that I’ve come across, but I’ve been a little bit turned off concerning Steve Jobs and the type of person he was according to family, close friends and foes. 

 Not to be disrespectful, but he was a major whiner, with a capital ‘W’.  Crying on cue, begging, pleading, and then pouting when he didn’t get his way.  Yes - a grown adult behaving like a three year old.  I just can’t handle people like that.  It also states that he claimed other people’s ideas as his own and bawled in front of top professional executives and business people to get his way…on a regular basis!  That doesn’t jive with me.  He was known as calling his employees ideas ‘shitty’ rather than constructively suggesting a change and his compulsion for control was unmatched to the point he literally lived in a reality all of his own - for the betterment of himself.  For example, disregarding the fact completely that he had fathered a daughter named Lisa, who he did not ever acknowledge as his, even after a paternity test had been done with a 99.999999% chance that she was his.  He still claimed that there was a small percentage that she wasn’t in fact biologically from him.  (Cue major sigh and eye roll from me here…)

I’ll give it to the guy though - he revolutionized six different industries: personal computers, animated movies (Pixar), music, phones, tablet computing and digital publishing out of his need for perfection, I personally just have a hard time with the way it was done.  In my opinion, you can make all of that happen by working smarter rather than nastier and still get the same if not better results.  Inspire people into creating rather than scare them.  

Now, I say all of this as I sit and write on my new MacBook Pro (that I love) which is obviously slightly ironic; but, until I finish the book, I know I need to reserve FULL judgement of him and his motives.  Also, I say this as a student who would move mountains for people like Steven Jobs as I grew up.  I loved when a teacher expected more of me and gave me little positive feedback.  It always pushed me to do more.  So, maybe my conflicted thoughts about Steve are just that - conflicting.

(Halfway and needing a break)

In the meantime, I’ve had two very lovely ladies suggest the book: 'Looking for Alaska’ (which is on hold at the library for me) and another girlfriend suggested ‘The Apple Orchard’ that I’ll be starting tonight.  Never judge a book by it’s cover, but I gotta say that the latter looks nice and light and fun - a welcome break from all that talk about gigabytes and microcodes.  ugh...

PLEASE keep the suggestions coming here in the comments section below or Instagram or Facebook (even though I'm not on FB often).  I'm always hungry to learn more.  #thesmarterthebetter ;)