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Soros: The Life and Times of a Messianic Billionaire Hardcover – Deckle Edge, February 19, 2002

by Michael T. Kaufman (Author)

27 customer reviews

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The first biography of George Soros written with his cooperation--a dramatic story of the capitalistic genius who has become the leading philanthropist of our time.

In a fascinating narrative, we follow Soros from European dislocation to unfathomable success and wealth. Born into a Jewish family in Budapest, he was on his own by age 14, passing as an Aryan to survive World War II. As a penniless 17-year-old in London, he dreamed both of personal glory and making the world less harsh. Ambition and opportunity drove him to Wall Street, where he arrived in 1956. Soon he was "the greatest money manager in the world." In his early 50s, restless and having made his fortune, Soros turned to doing good as a full-time occupation, showing the same energy, imagination, and courage in spending his money as he had in making it. He has invested more than $1 billion worldwide through his Open Society foundations, undermining the kind of totalitarianism he knew in his youth. Kaufman reveals how Soros became a key figure in accelerating the collapse of communism, while minimizing the trauma of transition, and how his work continues today.

Packed with event and character, this is the story of a remarkable, brilliant, hugely generous, but--until now--little-understood man.

Soros: The Life and Times of a Messianic Billionaire [Deckle Edge]

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Product Details

Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Knopf; First Edition edition (February 19, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0375405852
ISBN-13: 978-0375405853
Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 1.2 x 9.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #517,659 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1151 in Books > Business & Money > Biography & History > Company Profiles
- #1491 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Professionals & Academics > Business
- #1527 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Rich & Famous

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Customer Reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars

5 star		44%
4 star		30%
3 star		4%
2 star		7%
1 star		15%

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful

Not bad...perhaps a bit unbalanced

By Carlos N. Velez on August 21, 2003

Format: Paperback

The book basically divides Soros' life into three phases:
1. Childhood survival against the Nazis in Hungary during WW II
2. Financial successes and philosophical failures
3. Philanthropy
What I found puzzling is how much of the text was spent on Soros' philanthropic activities. They deserve a significant portion of the text, but well over half of the text is devoted to this. I would have been interested, for example, in seeing some experts from Soros "Burden", and trying to understand a bit better what issues Soros was trying to describe in his own book, but could not.
Having said all this, this was a well researched, well written, well referenced biography. This is not a trading book, and those seeking trading advice should look elsewhere.

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14 of 16 people found the following review helpful

Good Book, Brilliant Man

By A Customer on May 20, 2002

Format: Hardcover

This book has been an amazing trip for me. Just reading about his work in creating the "Open Society" foundations in various "Iron Curtain" countries was tantalizing enough for me to want to get all the books he has written and read everything. In the chapter entitled "Hungary" Mr. Soros' country of birth, the author discusses how amazed the people involved in setting up his "Open Society" foundations were when he simply puchased copy machines and had them shipped from the U.S. and installed in open areas of educational and public institutions. People had never before been able to copy and share information. Not even their own love letters and recipes. What wasn't implicitly legal in Hungary was, therefore, illegal. It makes one realize the importance of information in a free and open society. This is a very well done biography and shows Mr. Soros as a great human being.. warts and all. A very good read.

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31 of 39 people found the following review helpful

Excellent!

By A Customer on September 2, 2002

Format: Hardcover

Although this book is lacking on investment/trading ideas, I feel that by reading it, invaluable lessons can be learnt that will help one become a better trader/investor. No doubt George Soros is the greatest money manager in the world, but do you think it is his investment ideas and analysis that gives him the edge over others? No! It is his personality, and this book gives you an insight look into the character of this amazing man. If you wanna know how this man can bet billions against the Bank of England and still be able to sleep at night, read this book.
Critical elements of George Soros' personality as the world's greatest trader:
1. Believe in your own fallibility. To put it in another words, be humble and always believe that you can be wrong and when that happens, don't hesitate to change your stance. You will be surprised how this man can change his mind with such ease, in all aspects of his life, just so long as there is a reason for it. It is his central philosophy in life to believe in his own fallibility, therefore, he is so self-critical.
2. The ability to compartmentalize. Which means this man has an extremely high EQ. As a trader, it is important not to let your personal affairs affect your trading performance, as mental concentration is of utmost importance. Soros has shown this trait throughout the book where he can immerse himself into his million dollar philantrophic activities just minutes after losing a couple of millions in a trade. Perhaps this man is so rational that he is devoid of emotions?
3. The ability to take risk. A life that is always on the edge and full of uncertainty is not something that everybody can live with, much less excel in it. But hey, this man survived the holocaust through his childhood living on the edge of life and death.Read more ›

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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

broad overview, but mostly a puff biography

By Sam Johnson on March 31, 2005

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

If you want a quick and easy broad overview of Soros then this is your book, but I would recommend Soros on Soros as being more useful at understanding the man.

Also if you're a trader, don't even waste your time on this book. Get Alchemy of finance. This book is a fairly quick read but as you can imagine with a man like Soros, any authorised book is going to be mostly flattery.

But it has it's amusing moments and some good pictures. I wouldn't pay more than $5 though for it. Then you can chuck it like a magazine when you're done.

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

If you want to understand Soros read this book!

By Nucci on October 1, 2007

Format: Paperback Verified Purchase

If you have read any of Chernow's biographies, such as JP Morgan or Rockefeller, and love history, then read this book. This is not a book to learn how Soros invests.

This is not a book that will teach you about fixed income, equities, derivatives, or how to hedge. If you want to sell short...go to the finance section of Amazon and buy a finance book.

This is a brilliant biography about George Soros. You learn about his life, how he grew up, where he went to school. How his character was formed...the events that helped form his work ethic, his philosophy about world markets and peak into how he may think.

You aren't going to get under the hood of his brain, but you will get to the core of what matters to this famous man and why. Brilliantly done!

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14 of 18 people found the following review helpful

Slow Moving

By Simon Russo on August 7, 2005

Format: Hardcover

Soros is an enigma, and you'd expect to know more about this man when you bought this book. Indeed, you would, this book gives you a clear history of this man, from his childhood to his vision to his philantrophic reasons.

However, if you buy a book on Soros, you'd probably want to know a lot about what made Soros famous in the first day: The Black Wednesday, in which Soros gambled on the depreciation of British Poundsterling against the Bank of England and won US$1 billion, making his known as "The Man Who Broke the Bank of England."

Unfortunately, there is only a short chapter on this, even though I would bet people would be more curious on this than Soros's childhood days.

The author also speculated that the Queen of England profitted from the loss of the Bank of England, but it sounds more like a rumor because he could not confirm if there was some truth in it.

Anyway, this book is still good if you want to know abot Soros, but moves very slowly.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

GREAT BOOK

Great writing - great topic. I've always thought Soros was fascinating but didn't know much about him before reading the book. Read more

Published 10 months ago by Helen L. Kistler

but not funny.

VERY interesting...but not funny.

Published 10 months ago by Linda Louise Sack

Five Stars

very satisfied

Published 13 months ago by Joseph Levine

Inspiring Book

I give this book two thumbs up! I found it a very inspiring read. A must for any struggling slacker.

Published on November 14, 2013 by Godde$$

The life and times of George Soros

It was a very good book that brings the follower of Soros up until his seventies. He is now in his eighties and has remarried.

Published on October 8, 2013 by Ray

The philanthropy of George Soros would have been a more apropos title

The vast majority of this book was about George Soros's philanthropy which wasn't made clear by the title. It wasn't very interesting.

Published on April 22, 2012 by Albert

Best Bio Book I've Ever Read

Initially I borrowed this book from the library and I loved it!
Recently I was looking for it on my shelf and remembered that I didn't
actually own it - so I immediately... Read more

Published on October 26, 2011 by Roberta M. Munroe

An Average Biography About An Exceptional Man

This is a merely average biography written about a truly exceptional human being.

I find it strange that a book about the `Greatest Money Manager of All Time,' contains... Read more

Published on March 15, 2010 by Mr. Stephen N. Driscoll

Excellent book

I like this book,it doesn't talk about investments strategies but rahter they way he thinks which is more important for me.

Published on May 17, 2009 by noelia

Soros - Thrived on Self-criticism

In this refreshing biography, Soros comes out as an open-minded person, extremely focused and honest, with a child-like-curiosity. Read more

Published on September 10, 2008 by Arpit