[Full-disclosure: I review all of my books for free. No charge. I review books because I'm a bibliophile, not to make money]
Ahead of The Curve by Philip Delves Broughton, or also called “PDBizzle,” by friends, stands as one of the top ten books I’ve read in the last five years. Seriously.
The book covers so much ground–the pressure of success, the laughable system of consulting or I-banking to start a career, as well as dissecting myths of the Harvard Business School.
What’s it about? Ahead of The Curve documents the experience of Broughton as he spends two years at the most prestigious business school, Harvard Business School. “HBS” is always regarded with awe. It’s the ultimate goal in life for consultants, excel jocks and I-Bankers. But, what’s it really like? Are the people profoundly philanthropic? Amazing people? Or cut-throat? Will the HBS brand guarantee you a job? Success?
Broughton addresses each question in a style that will keep you intrigued. You simply won’t put the book down.
I believe what makes the story so interesting is the actual style of writing. So often in the business realm, we’re presented with books that read much like my blog: a business dude that tries to write. Broughton’s book stands as the antithesis. His book reads like a writer/journalist who tries out the business world. He captures intricate details that many of us would have a hard time putting on paper. Oh, and in such a funny, beautiful manner.
The Plan: Instead of writing a massive review that lingers on, I’ll be giving you snippets of the book. A taste of the writing style. Over the course of the next month, I’ll be releasing excerpts from his book with various themes.
In the meantime, you can check out Broughton’s site here.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I couldn’t agree with you more! (Don’t you wish every comment started off like that?
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I read this book several months ago and I couldn’t put it down, either. Found it fascinating and actually gave me the confidence to apply to business school, HBS even, if I choose that path although I don’t have a finance or banking background. For what it’s worth, I wrote a glowing review at Amazon for it because I liked it so much.
Looking forward to your posts and the excerpts!
Thanks! I think you’ll like a lot of them. It’s fascinating how many venture capital related topics are present within Broughton’s work. Make sure to check back. Next week’s going to be a big week featuring many funny pieces of his book.