Valley Boy: The Education of Tom Perkins | 
 enlarge | Author: Tom Perkins
Publisher: Gotham
Category: Book
List Price: $27.50
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Avg. Customer Rating:  25 reviews
Sales Rank: 55639
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6 x 1.2
ISBN: 1592403131
Dewey Decimal Number: 338.761004092
EAN: 9781592403134
ASIN: 1592403131
Publication Date: November 1, 2007
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Product Description
A revealing memoir from Tom Perkinsrenowned venture capitalist, Silicon Valley and biotechnology pioneer, and one of Americas most successful businessmen
Known for his idiosyncratic ideas and golden touch, Tom Perkins has always been one of the business worlds most intriguing figures. But his legacy took an unexpected new turn when he resigned from Hewlett-Packards board in 2006, protesting the questionable ethics and dubious legality of their chairmans now infamous leak investigation. In this insightful memoir, Perkins recalls these and other fascinating episodes of his life, both personal and professional, including his involvement in the creation of American industries no one could have dreamed of a century ago.
In 1957 Perkins started working for Hewlett-Packard, and his career with the company spanned, becoming the administrative head of the research laboratories and the first general manager of its skyrocketing computer businesses. He was a pioneer in laser technology, starting the company that he later merged into Spectra-Physics. As chairman of Genentech for fourteen years, founder of the Silicon Valley venture-capitalist firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and director of Applied Materials at Compaq, Corning Glass, and Philips Electronics, Perkins never shies away from the cutting edge.
He also discusses his marriage to Danielle Steel, his notorious vintage car collection, his yacht (the largest privately owned sailboat), his race across the ocean, his being tried for manslaughter in a backwater French town, and the toughest assignment hes ever had: as a trustee emeritus at the San Francisco ballet.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 20 more reviews...
 Inspirational but not perfect. July 29, 2008
As an aspiring young entrepreneur, I found Tom Perkins' Valley Boy a most enjoyable read. I was able to easily relate to many of his stories, although my experiences are drastically different. I can understand why many people do not find this book enjoyable - they can not relate. While I would recommend this book (and already have) to most of my friends, I don't think it is written with a wide enough audience in mind. If I were given the opportunity to meet with Mr. Perkins, I am sure we could devise a more appealing piece of writing. His genius and creativity are quite evident, but his point of view as an author needs some adjustment.
 Unreadable June 27, 2008
Perhaps I'm the only one, but I found this book to be basically unreadable. (As such, I have only read a small part of it.) Tom Perkins is an impressive person with a successful career by many standards, and I am interested in what he does for a living even, but suffice it to say he is not one of our nation's best writers.
Stories over a few dinners June 13, 2008
The book is a few interesting stories from his life told as if it were over several dinners and several glasses of wine.
I personally like the conversational style and flow of the book and so highly recommend it.
These are just a few vignettes from his life and I'm sure there are many more stories to tell.
 Tom's view of things April 13, 2008
Tom takes the opportunity to get his view of events in his life on the record. Very doubtful as biography, this book is more of an attempt to sway public interpretation of events in his long career, spanning early years in Hewlett Packard, the formation of the Kleiner Perkins venture capital firm, his sailing exploits, his marriage to Danielle Steele, and how he chose to use his vast wealth to influence events and people he encountered. Right up front he deals with the spying incidents at Hewlett Packard when Pattie Dunn was the chairwoman (very condescending), as well as his relationship with Carly Fiorina (very confrontational and rocky), but most of it comes off as self-serving and slanted to his view. Yet, the book is interesting as an peek into the restless and eclectic mind of the ultimate bootstrapper, a man who leveraged his times and opportunites into one of the most successful careers on record. Despite this, it also serves as a warning to those who believe great wealth is matched with great wisdom, since clearly, his wealth was poured into his world class collection of toys and houses. Take heed.
very informative, and not one dull page March 16, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
this book has more substance than is typical for the genre, and i was hooked on every page; wish there were more pages and illustrations :-)
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