Steve Jobs - @Challies’ reflections on the biography
Tim Challies on “Steve Jobs”:
The question is, could the biographer avoid the pull of that field, or would he too fall into it? For the biographer to remain objective about his subject, he would need to remain outside that field. Did Isaacson succeed? I am not convinced that he did. It seems that over the course of the book, Isaacson’s writing changes. By the end he is not just describing products, but offering gushing editorials about them. Meanwhile, the negative side of Jobs is downplayed in favor of his innovation. I suppose we cannot know for sure, but it seemed to me like Isaacson may have been yet another person who fell under the mysterious sway of Steve Jobs. This does not lessen the biography, but I guess it does show that the definitive account of the man’s life may need to wait for a future biographer.
As I said from the outset, I found this a particularly compelling biography. Jobs was clearly a very complex individual and Isaacson has succeeded in creating a fascinating character study. I learned a lot from reading it and am still trying to absorb and express those lessons. As is often the case when I read a biography, it will undoubtedly take several weeks or months for it all to settle.
I learned earlier today that Steve Jobs’ last words were, “Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow.” What I wouldn’t give to know what it was that he understood or perceived in those last moments. I wonder if he finally understood futility, that in all of his creativity, in all of his enlightenment, that he had missed the truest light of all.
Read the rest of the book review here.
Source: challies.com
