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Home » The Famous Blog » Steve Jobs, The 5 Chapters You Need to Read

Steve Jobs, The 5 Chapters You Need to Read

March 6, 2012 - Last Modified: March 15, 2012 by Jen Brass Jenkins 5,694

Steve Jobs
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  • Steve Jobs
  • Reviewed by: Jen Brass Jenkins
  • Published on: March 6, 2012
  • Last modified: March 15, 2012

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In October I caught the fever and downloaded Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs. It’s a little long (656 pages), but I thought surely I could read straight through it pretty quickly and join the throngs of bloggers posting reviews. But then it got intense, in the way a story driven by Steve Jobs could, and only now, three months later, have I finally closed the cover on the life of Steve Jobs.

In order to keep this post relevant then, since we have all read the shining reviews that the book received and many of the stories about Jobs’s life included in the book, I’m going to recommend five chapters that really intrigued me as a reader and save you a little time in reviewing the journey that was the life of Steve Jobs.

1 – Chapter 1: Childhood, Abandoned and Chosen

In this first chapter we learn not just where Jobs’s parents both biological and adoptive are from and how/why he was adopted, but also Isaacson explores what some speculated were Jobs’s formative views of himself, abandoned and chosen:

There’s some notion that because I was abandoned, I worked very hard so I could do well and make my parents wish they had me back, or some such nonsense, but that’s ridiculous…Knowing I was adopted may have made me feel more independent, but I never felt abandoned. I’ve always felt special. My parents made me feel special. (p. 5)

Chapter one also includes the inspirations for two of Jobs’s other obsessions: design and craftsmanship (but you will have to read those bits for yourself).

2 – Chapter 3: The Dropout

Jobs’s parents expected him to go to college, and he did—sort-of. The experiences he had and the choices he made during the years of his life covered in this chapter go a long way towards explaining his behavior later on. Jobs was becoming Jobs: fiercely independent, a hippy with an extreme diet, a Zen devotee and a master manipulator.

3 – Chapter 16: Gates and Jobs

For most of us, the technology of our lifetimes has been defined by the companies that Jobs and Gates built. Understanding the quintessential differences between Jobs and Gates leads to an understanding of one of the major issues in technology today: closed vs. open, or, as Jobs liked to say, integrated vs. fragmented. Plus, once you understand the arc of their thirty-year relationship you are able to really appreciate the time they spent together talking before Jobs’s death.

I also have to say here, that once I read about a situation where Jobs’s anger was almost seemingly righteously turned on a competitor, it was a great relief (p. 177). As a friend of mine said, Jobs’s life does tend to read like a soap opera.

4 – Chapter 33: Pixar’s Friends and Foes

Pixar, the-company-I-never-knew-Jobs-was-part-of, was hugely influenced by Jobs. In a previous chapter Isaacson recounts the story of Pixar, how Jobs got involved, how Toy Story was nearly strangled by Disney execs and how it was then reworked into the blockbuster it became.

As fascinating as it is reading about an industry-changing event you remember from your childhood, it is even more engaging to read about the final showdown between Disney and Pixar’s major executive players before Pixar officially became part of Disney in this chapter. We may not remember the names of the big wigs who made the deals, but we definitely remember the films that were created because of them.

5 – Chapter 49: Round Three, The Twilight Struggle

Essentially the last chapter, this one documents Jobs’s final months from when the cancer reappeared to his resignation as Apple’s CEO. It also sums up Jobs’s family relationships as they stood at the end, his joy at seeing his oldest son graduate, his wife’s passion for educational reform and a hint at the way his daughters viewed him.
Because of their financial means, the Jobs’ were also able to remain at the front of the fight against cancer, sequencing Jobs’s entire DNA thus allowing Jobs’s doctors to use a molecular targeted therapy that is more effective than the more general chemotherapy.

Steve Jobs

It’s difficult to stop at just those five chapters, but they really do sum up some lesser known turning points of Jobs’s life journey and give you the sense of what made the man.

And, love him or hate him, Jobs the man has affected all of us in ways we know or don’t. Not bad for a hippy fruitarian from California.

P.S. If you have a little more time check out chapter twelve about Jobs’s design sense, the “Bauhaus aesthetic” or chapter forty about the iCloud and the design of Apple’s new campus. Of course, if you have time, maybe you really should consider reading the whole book. I definitely recommend it.

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About Jen Brass Jenkins

Follow @chrliechaz

Jen Jenkins, founder of the Punctuation and Language Appreciation Society, is currently a freelance content strategist and blogger. With a background in arts production (and a few years dabbling in costume design and construction), Jen is a bibliophile, fashion addict, and twitter aficionado.

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{ 14 Responses }

  1. Samuel says:
    This book would sure inspire me and many others. Highly recommend. Now a movie of him would be even better! Steve Jobs was a man that conquered all odds. Excellent determination!
  2. Quest says:
    Losing A Great Man like Steve Job Is like losing a father , RIP my friend
  3. b says:
    All I could think when I finished the book was "I wish it weren't over...both the book and Steve Job's life". Wouldn't you agree? b
    • Jen Brass Jenkins says:
      I definitely agree with you, primarily because I didn't know a lot of what happened at the end of Jobs' life. It felt like things were just getting interesting—but maybe that is the allure of the unknown. Thanks for your comment.
  4. Dror says:
    I personally think everyone should read the entire book. All the chapters. True that some might be better than others but the book is great and people don't really know how big Steve Jobs was and how he really changed the world as we know it. Great book and highly recommended :)
  5. William says:
    I must admit that I'm fascinated by Steve Jobs. I read a biography. There is one photo i like the most : Steve in the middle of the room - no furniture. Jobs was a perfectionist - had difficulties in finding suitable furniture. I think that accurately reflects his life.
  6. John Cooper says:
    Hi Jen, Now I have got an idea about what I should do to make a blog even better. Move it out of my office into my garage! All great brands are built in the garage. LOL Steve Jobs had great personality and has a lot of wonderful lesson to teach us. Those lesson will be taught for years to come. From reading this, another lesson that he taught was, when one door closes a better one opens, so don’t stand around with your thumb in the wrong place. Thank you for sharing this post about Steve Jobs. Regards.
    • Jen Brass Jenkins says:
      Looooove the garage idea. Maybe that could be another blog: great ideas that have driven out of the garage...
  7. Benin says:
    Hey Jen, cool breakdown. And ur not kidding at 600+ pages this book is the longest that I've ever read. I think the chapters you highlighted are excellent for anyone who's in business or is considering jumping into it. But honestly, this book is so good that I'd just say to anyone whose intimidated by it's length to get an audible account and listen to it to and from work on ur smartphone. Basically, I'd sum up the entire book into what I'm about to say right now, "While nearly every MBA on the planet will tell you that this day in age running a business is about 1. catering to the desires of your customers 2. developing solid products at a competitive price 3. macro managing responsibilities 4. doing these things with an eye towards the bottom line Steve, managed to do almost the exact opposite on every count. Yet, somehow he managed to create the most powerful brand the world has ever seen (don't take my word for it do a search for world's most valuable brands and you'll see what I'm talking about). He did it by being absolutely and unequivocally smitten with love for not only Apple but even more so with the ideas that Apple represented. What is the idea that Apple symbolized? Rather than creating an open system it's better to create a closed one that you, as the entrepreneur, can take full responsibility for. He lived and breathed this idea. So many economists and business professors said it was doomed to failure yet we see the wisdom in Jobs's approach on a daily basis. Thanks for sharing!
    • Jen Brass Jenkins says:
      The open vs. closed system is such an interesting controversy. Who would have thought it would be played out in such a major way. I also appreciate that you read the whole book! I thought it more than met the hype surrounding it.
      • Benin says:
        Interesting indeed. What's funny though is how even though everyone swears by the open system at the end of the day we still have one company truly innovating and leading the charge of making technology user friendly and at the other end of the spectrum you've got hoards of "open companies" struggling to keep up. Case in point, how every other new smart phone is proclaimed the "iPhone Killer" only to tumble back down into obscurity after hitting the market. On the flip side there is the cost issue. If there was ever a cause for openess it's price. To me that's the biggest argument that Android or MS has going for them is that they are able to put downward pressure on prices and make these tech products accessible to the masses. So to that end there is merit to both schools of thought. Take care!
  8. Dave Lucas says:
    The story of Jobs (and Bull Gates) typifies what the internet/computer/digital reality has become: a place where dreams can come true and where things that look like "sure things" are definitely not - and where "the next best thing" is never really that: There's is ALWAYS room at the top - one on;y needs to figure out how to get there! Great article!
  9. Ryan Biddulph says:
    Hi Jen, Fascinating breakdown which dispels more than 1 idea. Jobs lived a magical life because he cut through resistance. We all hit obstacles; the world changers simply decide to keep going, at a greater speed, to cut through the obstacles and move on to victory. I like the emphasis on SJ being very different. He did not try to fit in, or even pretend to try to fit in. He thought differently from most, acted differently, and look at the impress he left on the world. Folks, be you, and never apologize for it, to anybody. Be you, embrace the criticism from unhappy folks, follow your vision, and you can change the world too! Thanks for sharing Jen! Ryan
  10. Abhi Balani says:
    Hey Jen, He was my ideal. I've seen the video - stanford commencement speech by Steve Jobs. And that was once of the most inspiring and motivating videos and speeches I've every seen or heard.

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