This highly entertaining biography by Ashlee Vance of PayPal co-founder, Tesla Motors founder and solar energy and space travel pioneer Elon Musk is a must-read for anyone interested in the future.
Musk’s big pick-up line at Queen’s university, “I think about electric cars a lot. Do you?” is just one of the hilarious zingers that temper chilling accounts of his ouster from PayPal, his near-death from malaria (“That’s why you should never take vacations. They kill you.”) and the death of his infant son. A modern-day Thomas Jefferson, Musk is as complex as anyone who does not let reality stand in his way. Falling somewhere between über-nerd and charismatic visionary, he would sit around at parties reading esoteric Russian space catologues. Notorious for his tireless work ethic (he famously stated that witnessing the birth of your child was not a sufficient reason to be out of office) and irrepressible drive, Vance takes a fascinating look into the mind and matter of the most influential and disruptive entrepreneur since Steve Jobs, and some would argue, of all time.
—Sarah Bancroft
Elon Musk: Tesla, Spacex and the Quest for a Fantastic Future, $23 on Amazon
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