the next good book

Red Notice

By Bill Browder

9/10
(9/10)

380 pages

What’s it about? Eric Browder (Bill’s grandfather) was the head of the Communist party in America.   He actually ran for President of the United States as the Communist candidate in 1936 and 1940.  Bill Browder differentiates himself from the rest of his family by studying business in college.  He then dives headfirst into capitalism.  With a Stanford MBA he  begins consulting and then finds his true passion when he is posted to Poland in the early 1990’s.   Browder sees the financial reward of investing in emerging markets in the Eastern Bloc.  Eventually Bill Browder moves to Russia and makes himself ,and his investors, a fortune- but it comes at a cost.
What did it make me think about? Why would anyone want to do business in Russia?
Should I read it? This was a fascinating real life account of big business Russian style.  Once I started the book I was hooked.  So interesting on so many levels- especially as we now see Russia utilizing these same strong arm tactics in world politics.  If you have any interest in how Putin operates this story will be illuminating
.Quote- “This whole exercise was teaching me that Russian business culture is closer to that of a prison yard than anything else. ““Because of this, he didn’t realize that Russia had no rule of law, it had a rule of men. And those men were crooks.”
What’s it about?
Eric Browder (Bill’s grandfather) was the head of the Communist party in America.   He actually ran for President of the United States as the Communist candidate in 1936 and 1940.  Bill Browder differentiates himself from the rest of his family by studying business in college.  He then dives headfirst into capitalism.  With a Stanford MBA he  begins consulting and then finds his true passion when he is posted to Poland in the early 1990’s.   Browder sees the financial reward of investing in emerging markets in the Eastern Bloc.  Eventually Bill Browder moves to Russia and makes himself ,and his investors, a fortune- but it comes at a cost.
What did it make me think about?
Why would anyone want to do business in Russia?
Should I read it?
This was a fascinating real life account of big business Russian style.  Once I started the book I was hooked.  So interesting on so many levels- especially as we now see Russia utilizing these same strong arm tactics in world politics.  If you have any interest in how Putin operates this story will be illuminating
.Quote-
“This whole exercise was teaching me that Russian business culture is closer to that of a prison yard than anything else. ““Because of this, he didn’t realize that Russia had no rule of law, it had a rule of men.
And those men were crooks.”

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