This book, or, to be accurate, the 20 or so pages I read, are terrible. For someone who prefers dense and thorough examinations of topics, The Personal MBA is cotton candy. It is viscerally pleasing, but it offers little to no sustenance. My advice: don’t get an MBA or read this book.
The mistake I made was considering the author’s appearance in this thread as strong evidence that his book would offer value to a rationalist. In fact, the author is a really good marketer whose book has little value to offer. Congratulations to him, however, since he got me to buy a brand-new copy of a book, something I rarely do.
It’s true that the book is not densely written or overly technical—it was created for readers who are relatively new to business, and want to understand what’s important as quickly as possible.
Not everyone wants what you want, and not everyone values what you value. For most readers, this is the first book they’ve ever read about how businesses actually operate. The worst thing I could possibly do is write in a way that sounds and feels like a textbook or academic journal.
I don’t know you personally, but from the tone of your comment, it sounds like you’re trying to signal that you’re too sophisticated for the material. That may be true. Even so, categorical and unqualified statements like “terrible” / “cotton candy” / and “little value to offer” do a disservice to people who are in a better position to learn from this material than you are.
That said, I’ll repeat my earlier comment: if you’ve read another solid, comprehensive primer on general business practice, I’d love to hear about it.
For the sake of clarity, my criticism of Josh’s book was developed within the context of Josh promoting his book in a LW thread titled “The Best Textbooks on Every Subject.”
Useful clarification. In that case, you should know that the book is currently being used by several undergraduate and graduate business programs as an introductory business textbook.
The book is designed to be a business primer (“an elementary textbook that serves as an introduction to a subject of study”), and business is a very important area of study that rewards rationality. At the time of my original post, no one had recommended a general business text. That’s why I mentioned the book in this thread.
I appreciate your distaste for perceived self-promotion: as a long-time LW lurker, my intent was to contribute a resource LW readers might find valuable, nothing more.
If you’re interested in the general topic and want a more academic treatment, you may enjoy Bevelin’s Seeking Wisdom. I found it a bit disorganized and overly investment-focused, but you may find it’s more to your liking.
I think the title—and especially the subtitle, ” Mastering the Art of Business,”—signals that the book will be a thorough examination of business principles. As well, I think that hocking your book in a thread called “The Best Textbooks on Every Subject” signals that the book will be, at least, textbook-like in range, complexity and information containment. You now call your book “not densely written or overly technical.” I call it cotton candy.
This book, or, to be accurate, the 20 or so pages I read, are terrible. For someone who prefers dense and thorough examinations of topics, The Personal MBA is cotton candy. It is viscerally pleasing, but it offers little to no sustenance. My advice: don’t get an MBA or read this book.
The mistake I made was considering the author’s appearance in this thread as strong evidence that his book would offer value to a rationalist. In fact, the author is a really good marketer whose book has little value to offer. Congratulations to him, however, since he got me to buy a brand-new copy of a book, something I rarely do.
Wow, Duke—that’s a bit harsh.
It’s true that the book is not densely written or overly technical—it was created for readers who are relatively new to business, and want to understand what’s important as quickly as possible.
Not everyone wants what you want, and not everyone values what you value. For most readers, this is the first book they’ve ever read about how businesses actually operate. The worst thing I could possibly do is write in a way that sounds and feels like a textbook or academic journal.
I don’t know you personally, but from the tone of your comment, it sounds like you’re trying to signal that you’re too sophisticated for the material. That may be true. Even so, categorical and unqualified statements like “terrible” / “cotton candy” / and “little value to offer” do a disservice to people who are in a better position to learn from this material than you are.
That said, I’ll repeat my earlier comment: if you’ve read another solid, comprehensive primer on general business practice, I’d love to hear about it.
For the sake of clarity, my criticism of Josh’s book was developed within the context of Josh promoting his book in a LW thread titled “The Best Textbooks on Every Subject.”
Useful clarification. In that case, you should know that the book is currently being used by several undergraduate and graduate business programs as an introductory business textbook.
The book is designed to be a business primer (“an elementary textbook that serves as an introduction to a subject of study”), and business is a very important area of study that rewards rationality. At the time of my original post, no one had recommended a general business text. That’s why I mentioned the book in this thread.
I appreciate your distaste for perceived self-promotion: as a long-time LW lurker, my intent was to contribute a resource LW readers might find valuable, nothing more.
If you’re interested in the general topic and want a more academic treatment, you may enjoy Bevelin’s Seeking Wisdom. I found it a bit disorganized and overly investment-focused, but you may find it’s more to your liking.
I think the title—and especially the subtitle, ” Mastering the Art of Business,”—signals that the book will be a thorough examination of business principles. As well, I think that hocking your book in a thread called “The Best Textbooks on Every Subject” signals that the book will be, at least, textbook-like in range, complexity and information containment. You now call your book “not densely written or overly technical.” I call it cotton candy.
I upvote you solely for the chutzpah of your self-promotion.
Which, in hindsight, is mostly what you’re selling.