Customer Reviews

A Ghost's Memoir: The Making of Alfred P. Sloan's My Years with General Motors

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Until reading this book, I was wholly unaware of efforts by General Motors' lawyers to prevent the publication of Sloan's memoir My Years with General Motors which is generally considered one of the most important business books ever written. McDonald was Sloan's ghost writer (hence the dual meaning of the book's title) and provides a compelling account of how and why the book was finally published in 1963. McDonald suggests that a study in 1921 (discussed in Sloan's memoir) recommended "covering" all prospective buyers of automobiles by designing, manufacturing, and marketing a complete line for various "price steps." In that event, GM lawyers feared, federal regulatory agencies would become involved and seek to dismantle what could be perceived as a monopoly. In 1962, McDonald initiated a lawsuit against GM. He was at that time still employed by Fortune magazine. Almost immediately, Time Inc. "entered the game", fearing loss of GM advertising. It would be a disservice to both McDonald and to those who read this review to reveal what happened next. To my surprise, the book became a "page turner" and remained so to its conclusion. McDonald tells a lively story with colorful characters, a complicated plot, all manner of crises and conflicts, subtle (and not-so-subtle) manipulations, and conflicts of interests while -- along the way -- examining a legal system exploited but which ultimately prevailed. A great read.

I am enjoying very much this book. I still didn't finish it. I will read it slowly, each time I am reading it I go back in time and I feel like an invisible person that seeing history unfold.

What makes me recommend this book? First is very well written, it has a great story and we get to know better a man like mr. Alfred Sloan. How he behaved in real life, his relationships, the impact of the loss of his wife... In this book we can have a short portrait of this man, it is possible to get an insight into the real person he was.

I also enjoyed the foreword by Dan Seligman, it is a great summary of the book and gives a great insight into the story and man behind the book, John McDonald.