The First Billion Is the Hardest: Reflections on a Life of Comebacks and America's Energy Future [Paperback]

T. Boone Pickens (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 8, 2009

It’s Never Too Late to Top Your Personal Best.

Both a riveting account of a life spent pulling off improbable triumphs and a report back from the front of the global-energy and natural-resource wars, The First Billion Is the Hardest tells the story of the remarkable late-life comeback that brought the famed oilman and maverick back from bankruptcy and clinical depression. Along the way, the man often called the “Oracle of Oil” shares the insights that have made him a legend–and describes the billion-dollar bets he is now making in hopes of securing America’s energy independence.


“Sassy...breezes along...salted with earthy aphorisms.”—Bloomberg.com

“Boone’s analysis of America’s energy situation is 100 percent on the money....The country should listen to him–now!” —Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO, Berkshire Hathaway

“Self-deprecating and audacious...overall, it’s decidedly informative about the machinations of business.” –Dallas Morning News

“A fascinating, eye-opening book by one of America’s greatest iconoclasts and entrepreneurs. Boone Pickens’ sense of daring and innovation has never been sharper.”–Steve Forbes, president and CEO, Forbes Inc., and editor in chief of Forbes magazine

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Entertaining…both Adam Smith and Horatio Alger would find something to like in the rise of T. Boone Pickens.”
—Wall Street Journal

“The latest memoir from the Texas oilman…Pickens’ sauciness does entertain.”
—Time magazine

“Sassy…breezes along…salted with earthy aphorisms.”
—Bloomberg.com

“Self-deprecating and audacious…overall, it’s decidedly informative about the machinations of business.”
—Dallas Morning News

“A fascinating, eye-opening book by one of America's greatest iconoclasts and entrepreneurs. Boone Pickens’ sense of daring and innovation has never been sharper. Readers will quickly realize that this billionaire's extraordinary achievements are but a warm-up for what he is about to do now.”
—Steve Forbes, President and CEO, Forbes Inc., and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes magazine

“Boone’s analysis of America’s energy situation is 100% on the money.  In easy and colorful language he tells us where we are going wrong and what we must do about it.  The country should listen to him — now!”
—Warren Buffett, Chairman and CEO, Berkshire Hathaway

“It is inspiring to see Boone Pickens tackling the big issues, daring himself to think bigger, putting forward wind, water and energy ideas that are nothing less than paradigm busters. This absorbing and illuminating book shows why Boone has been more successful than just about all his competitors, and, more crucially, why the problem of resource scarcity may not be as insoluble as some think.”
—Jeffrey Immelt, CEO, General Electric

“Boone Pickens was among the first to grasp that corporations can be marvelous catalysts for progress if individual investors are given a say in what their priorities should be.  Today, as humanity faces resource scarcity and dwindling supplies of cheap energy, the responsibility that has devolved to entrepreneurs, and the investors who back them, has never been more immense.  Yet, in recounting his own story of comeback after comeback and tackling some of history's biggest oil, wind and water projects, Boone shows that sometimes all it takes is rejecting the ‘usual’ and striking out across virgin territory.  In that sense, Boone is a pioneer, and this is a pioneer’s story.  Even now, the man they call the Oracle of Oil is blazing new paths that may, indeed, lead us out of the predicament we find ourselves in.”
—Carl Icahn, Chairman, Icahn & Co., Inc.


From the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

T. BOONE PICKENS is, in his ninth decade, the very active strategic and managerial force behind BP Capital, one of America’s most successful energy companies. Currently, he ranks among the world’s richest men.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Crown Business; Reprint edition (September 8, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307396010
• ISBN-13: 978-0307396013
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #175,813 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #88 in Books > Business & Investing > Industries & Professions > Oil & Energy

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good advice for America., September 3, 2008

By 

Robert Busko (North Carolina) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The First Billion Is the Hardest: Reflections on a Life of Comebacks and America's Energy Future (Hardcover)

Which is the better businessman? First the guy that starts with nothing, makes a bundle, never loses any of his money and therefore doesn't have to do it twice, or the person who makes a bundle, loses it, and then does it all over again? I won't try to argue either point. This may be one for the philosophers. Regardless, T. Boone Pickens falls into the latter group.

I've been familiar with Mr. Pickens for years. As a teacher of economics and marketing, I saw him mentioned in the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Business Week, etc. Anyone studying manufacturing/energy knows his story. However, in The First Billion is the Hardest we're introduced not only to Mr. Boones back story, but his vision for the future, at least as that vision relates to energy. I, for one, think T. Boone Pickens is dead on target and absolutely correct when he says we can't drill our way out of the current crisis. We have to think our way out of it. We certainly got into the current mess by not thinking. Follow the "Booneisms" and you'll win every time.

The signs have been obvious for more than 30 years. America's energy policy has been short sighted to say the least. I do think that there is a reason for us to drill and explore new fields even though I understand that as far as "energy" is concerned we need to look to other solutions as Mr. Pickens points out. We mustn't forget that a barrel of crude oil isn't simply used for fuel. Yes, we get gasoline, heating oil, jet fuel, diesel, etc. from crude oil. But a large percent of a barrel of crude oil (about 55%?) goes for other uses. Petroleum based products are used everywhere. You can't sign a check (ink and the plastic in the pen), put on underwear (elastic and synthetic fibers) eat a salad (chemical fertilizers), buy a pair of safety lens glasses, without giving a nod to OPEC. The fact of the matter is that even if no foreign oil went to energy uses we'd still be beholding to the Middle East. Our economy along with every other economy in the world relies on petroleum to create a huge spectrum of products.

Mr. Pickens' solutions for the energy situation we find ourselves in are absolutely part of the solution to those problems. However, we need to drill if we want anything approaching independence from our current petroleum masters.

Sorry for the editorial.

The First Billion is the Hardest is an entertaining read. It is easy to see why this dynamic, thoughtful, and insightful man has managed to survive the ups and downs of the American marketplace. He continues to be a leader at a time when most of his peers have retired to a rocking chair.

This is a must read for any American interested in solving the energy crisis.

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No Senior Moments for This Gentleman !, September 4, 2008

By 

Jo Ana Starr "Mind-Body-Spirit" (USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The First Billion Is the Hardest: Reflections on a Life of Comebacks and America's Energy Future (Hardcover)

Having seen this gentleman on TV a lot in the last month or so, I was intrigued by his confident certainty that we could become energy independent quickly and easily. I kept wondering who in the world he was.

Reading his book, I now know that he is one of the most brilliant businessmen in our history. He has lived a jam-packed life full of business accomplishments, many of which have benefited all of us. At the age of 80, after much success and many personal heartaches, he's taking on our country's oil fiasco with a plan that I believe can work. Mr. Pickens' natural gas solution for cars seems like a brilliant way for us to become energy independent quickly, using our most abundant energy source.

I find this man to be one of the most inspiring and interesting Americans I have ever encountered. He has created success after success, and I trust the solutions he suggests for our country. This is an amazing book written by an inspiring American, whose life among other things, clearly demonstrates that chronological age is irrelevant.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Heavy on the Biography. Light on "America's Energy Future"., November 25, 2008

By 

Don Weidner "dive27" (Pacific Northwest) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The First Billion Is the Hardest: Reflections on a Life of Comebacks and America's Energy Future (Hardcover)

The title, "The First Billion is the Hardest: Reflections on a Life of Comebacks and America's Energy Future", is misleading.

"The First Billion is the Hardest" suggests a discussion of making money, but it doesn't build upon this theme at all.

If you're looking for a detailed biography of Pickens' oil career, this is your book. All but one chapter are dedicated to the high-risk career T. Boone Pickens has lived - with all of the triumph and agony that came with it.

If you're looking for details on America's energy future or the Pickens Plan, this is not your book. You're better off going to his website www.pickensplan.com. Only one chapter mentions this.

Yet another misleading feature are his "Booneisms". These are inserted throughout the book like Donald Trump with his leading lines, except Trump's are actual tidbits of great information or motivation. You could flip through Trump's books reading only his quotes and really come away with something. Boone's, on the other hand, are meaningless. Booneism #19, for example, is "We're catching 'em faster than we can string 'em". It may be a Texan saying or something, but doesn't stand on its own as anything worthy of highlighting.

In summary, the book offers a mildly interesting read but certainly no take-aways on business, billions, oil, and very very little on "America's Energy Future". I commend the man for taking a high-risk leap into wind power but, again, it's better stated on his website than in his book.