Lukas Gregor To evaluate the official biography of Steve Jobs without giving up the evaluation of Jobs' personality is possible only with great renunciation. The question remains in the air, however, why we should actually give up such a possibility.
In all likelihood, few readers/listeners will buy Isaacson's bichla because of their love of biographies or the writer in question. The book was a long-awaited event, after its release it shook the bookshelves and was also translated into audio form. (We're waiting for the movie one.) And the interest, understandably, stems from the aura surrounding the founder of Apple. Writing about Jobs is a literary pleasure, because his life contains the ingredients of an Oscar-winning drama, the American dream seasoned with falls and life's sorrows, the gradating finale of success, at the door of which awaits death caused by a malignant disease. And the central hero shows such contradictory reactions, whether we are talking about his visions or his nature, that you can build a text of many genres on him (so I can definitely imagine horror).
Shortly after the publication of the printed version, the Práh publishing house also released a box with 3 CDs in MP3 format and through the Audioteka.cz portal only the digital audio form of the CV. You will spend almost twenty-seven hours with her, which may take several evenings, but at the same time give you a lot of information and especially inspiration. Whatever you think about Apple or Jobs, one thing cannot be denied: he was a real leader and a real success. To what extent to admire him for all his actions or to love his behavior is up to you, fortunately Isaacson does not close any doors. Although his book was read in the Jobs family, Steve allegedly did not interfere with the text.
Admittedly, I haven't read any of Isaacson's other work, but after listening to it, I have an appetite Steve Jobs i have His handwriting represents the best when you roll a platitude on your tongue great craftsmanship. The book does not surprise with its structure or approach, it is as if you are watching a Hollywood movie - for example Ron Howard (Apollo 13 or Pure soul). Isaacson has the gift of telling stories in the so-called invisible style (by the way, this is typical for American cinematography). The story is essential, and if the story is strong, then you practically have nothing to lose when mastering your craft. And Isaacson didn't spoil anything, he gave the story maximum space, he put himself behind, the only "games" can be found in the framing, but even that actually has something to do with traditional biographies. In the prologue and epilogue, he emerges from the still life and comments on his own experience as the person chosen by Jobs, the author who penetrated the contexts that radically influenced the technological development of the last decades. And they actually penetrated the way of business thinking, promotion, and lifestyle. Indeed, Jobs participated in all this (and more), quite possibly consciously, quite possibly thanks to intuition and emotions, which were stronger than balance.
Therein lies another spark of the book: we read/hear about how home computers, smartphones and tablets are created, yet undiluted creativity and feelings pervade everything. Admiration for cleanliness, design, a special gift for uncovering what is yet to be born - at the same time, Jobs is characterized by anger, the absence of human tolerance, socialization.
Isaacson's book is an excellent drama. Where else in a book about technological innovation could you so often come across aversion to someone whose work you respect, or conversely respect and reverence for a person who creates products that you perceive as evidence that a priori they approach users as passive recipients. Where else can you listen to tender confessions to music, only to have another wave of Jobs' arrogance wash over you, insulting practically everyone on Earth?
If I remain grounded at the end of the text, I cannot avoid praising the author for following Jobs' path slowly and carefully. The 27 hours are really worth it for me, I have the opportunity to understand the connections, mainly: whenever someone asks me why the iPad doesn't have USB, or why the app has to be approved via the App Store, I smile and recommend Isaacson's book. This is not only a biography of a prominent person, but also a manual for entrepreneurs, a literary addition to the library of personal development, as well as a guide to understanding Apple and its products. Luckily, Isaacson didn't let Jobs' persona drag him down, he didn't force out of the book the need to find out more information, question the other party, explain and deal with things that don't have the stamp of a "cool label" like the iPhone. This is the only way to create a mosaic that gives a truly plastic image of Apple.
I would recommend the sound processing, a sample of which you can listen to below. It is true that you will find dozens of names on the "pages" of the biography (in the physical edition of the audiobook, Práh wrote them all on the cover and added a brief explanation), but this does not create such a problem when perceiving and understanding the context. Martin Stránský's reading assumes a certain degree of complexity, therefore he does not rush anywhere, what's more, Stránský's voice color and intonation dramatize the non-fiction and add to its fatality. (Yes, sometimes unfortunately too much...).
It would definitely be worth discussing which passages from the book struck you the most, or brought you new, unexpected connections, information, and whether Isaacson's text changed your view of Apple in any way. Share yourself. But most importantly, try to pay attention Steve Jobs time, it's worth it.
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I would expect that Mr. Stránská's dramaturgy will prepare the pronunciation of numerous English names and titles that he has to pronounce in English. It pulls on the ears, which is a shame for such a perfect work. The same ailment is in television. Just as reading (Czech or English) inculcates grammar in a person's head, listening inculcates pronunciation.
You're right. I like Stránský as a lover of MacGyver and Dr. House, but as soon as I heard a few sentences from the book about Jobs, I wanted to throw up :X
But hey, I bought it now on audioteka.cz and it's not bad - satisfaction so far.
Of course, it's about habit, about taste, and I went too far with the vomiting. However, it is with me that I don't like technical books in the road and, moreover, the "traveling" of English terms and names makes my ears tear up :X
The Czech nation needs to keep talking :)))))) nobody would be satisfied with you, even if they did everything exactly according to you :))))))
on the one hand, it's also true :D
Yes, it's true that Martin could read some of the English titles better, but guys - I'm listening to the book for the third time and English, non-English - the Jobs story presented by Martin Stránský is captivating for me! I dare to disagree with the author of the review that the dramatization is too much - on the contrary - some passages in read form can never sound like they do in this audiobook. For example, the introduction of the Mac in 1984, the description of the 1984 advertisement, the dramatic conversations of Jobs with some people, or the enumeration of the achievements of Apple or PIxar in numbers are dramatically portrayed in such a way that every time I hear them I get chills. I think what gets me the most is Stránský's presentation of Gates' reaction when he first held the iPod in his hand - "... it looks like a great thing." Is this only for Macintosh?” but you have to hear it :).
Of course, the degree or excess of dramatization in Martin Stránský's speech is a matter of personal taste. I wrote my position - compared to other actors in other audiobooks, Stránský's speech is sometimes unnecessarily intense.
I guess these things won't be in iTunes, right?
I'm also listening for the third time. It's a wonderful thing for me in the car at the moment. When I read/listened to it for the first time (I read and listened at the same time, depending on whether I had time and read a book or I was in the car, so I listened where I stopped reading) the audio version was, thanks mainly to Martin Stránské and his the presentation is definitely better than reading the book itself. Especially the passages where there is direct speech and Jobs is speaking are amazing. This is my second audiobook and I really recommend it.
Yes, the pronunciation of the English expressions is a little hard on the ears, but otherwise A+