The Billionaire Who Wasn't: How Chuck Feeney Made and Gave Away a Fortune Without Anyone Knowing (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A smart business book detailing some vicissitudes of retailing, wrapped in a vivid biography of an engaging tycoon." -- Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2007

"If (Conor O'Clery's) compelling narrative becomes a blue-print for future efforts to record the life stories of philanthropists, then the reading public might become far more aware of the major donors who have existed in their midst. O'Clery's account of how Charles `Chuck' Feeney rose from a blue-collar New Jersey neighbourhood to immense riches as founder of global retail enterprise, Duty Free Shoppers, and then gave almost every cent away, reads like a cross between a whodunnit and an airport business guru book." -- Philantropy UK, December 2007

"You may never read a book as uplifting as Conor O'Clery's "The Billionaire Who Wasn't: How Chuck Feeney Secretly Made and Gave Away a Fortune" In vivid, unvarnished prose, "The Billionaire Who Wasn't" recounts Feeney's meteoric rise from blue-collar beginnings in Elizabeth, N.J., to a perch as one of America's titans of commerce, head of Duty Free Shoppers, the largest liquor retailer in the world." -- Washington Post's Express, November 6, 2007

Product Description

The secret life of the billionaire who is determined to give all his money away before he dies--it's harder than you think!

In 1988 Forbes Magazine hailed Chuck Feeney as the twenty-third richest American alive. Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey to a blue-collar Irish-American family during the Depression, a veteran of the Korean War, he had made a fortune as founder of Duty Free Shoppers, the world's largest duty-free retail chain. But secretly, Feeney had already transferred all his wealth to his foundation, Atlantic Philanthropies. Only in 1997, when he sold his duty free interests, was he "outed" as one of the greatest and most mysterious American philanthropists in modern times. A frugal man who travels economy class and does not own a house or a car, Feeney then went "underground" again, until he decided in 2005 to cooperate in a biography to promote giving-while-living. Now in his mid-seventies, he is determined his foundation should spend the remaining $4 billion in his lifetime. The Billionaire Who Wasn't is a tale of one of the greatest untold retail triumphs of the twentieth century, and of what happens to a unique man and his family when confronted with wealth beyond imagining.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: PublicAffairs; 1 edition (September 24, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1586483919
• ISBN-13: 978-1586483913
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #70,614 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A remarkable and inspiring biography, December 8, 2007

By	David Laufer (Atlanta GA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I saw this book reviewed in The Economist and could scarcely believe what I was reading. I recommend this as a great read, a great book club or church group read, and a good book to give out to the board of directors of any organization, whether for profit or not! Here is a unique insight into the upbringing, growth and mindset of one of the most well grounded individuals of the modern era. If you are interested in how to make the world a better place, drop what you are doing and read this book!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring story, November 15, 2007

By	Kent Price (Palo Alto, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Next time you get a letter from a charity, think of Chuck Feeney who gave >$1 Billion away in his lifetime. And all without fanfare, without his name on buildings and streets. I found it interesting how he selected his gifts (a lot to education), and to the locations (USA of course, Ireland, Vietnam, etc.) And he managed to leverage his money by getting the government to match many of his contributions.

The book is perhaps a bit heavy on details of how he made his money (Duty Free stores), and the various schemes to tax shelter his money, and the steps to remain anonymous. He believed that one should give money directly to causes that would make a difference, and monitor the progress to see that the money was being wisely used. He distrusted Government spending which often has graft and inefficiency, and political conditions.

In short, an inspiring book well worth reading, and acting on if your finances allow.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Feeney shows us how to live, February 20, 2008

By	Greg Barrett (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The story of Chuck Feeney is long overdue. Bright, modest, humble, he lives the Gospels without preaching them. By giving away his fortune he enlarged himself, which is the inherent nature of selfless living. Whenever we give away something in the pursuit to help others we are both benefactor and beneficiary. We grow in the process. Nothing is depleted.

At least that is the lesson that was reinforced for me in this fine book by Conor O'Clery about a philanthropist who leads quietly and by example. We should all follow.The Gospel of Father Joe: Revolutions and Revelations in the Slums of Bangkok