Month: February 2025

Background

Published on November 19, 2024, “Cher: The Memoir, Part One” chronicles the early life of the iconic entertainer Cher, from her birth in 1946 up to the late 1970s. Born Cherilyn Sarkisian, she faced a tumultuous childhood marked by poverty and instability, including periods when her mother, Georgia, had to leave her in care due to financial hardships. The memoir delves into her rise to fame alongside Sonny Bono, detailing their partnership both on and off the stage, the creation of the hit “I Got You Babe,” and the complexities of their personal and professional relationship. Cher candidly discusses Sonny’s controlling behavior and infidelities, shedding light on the challenges she faced in asserting her independence.

My Thoughts

Whenever you are feeling bad about yourself or your childhood, grab a biography of someone famous and hold on for the ride. Cher is no exception to this rule. She had a messed up childhood, growing up, and adulthood. I just hope she gets a break in Part 2.

However, I didn’t know much about Cher from her early career. My memories of her were after the events covered, it isn’t a surprise that most of this was a surprise. I knew of Sonny and Cher but had never seen anything from them. I didn’t know about their troubles, her relationships after Sonny and really anything about her until the 80s.

I’m glad to hear she didn’t use drugs and seemed to want to do the right thing. I hope that persists as well in the next volume.

Recommendation

Not a bad read and I learned a lot.

Background

Published in October 2024, “Dream: The Life and Legacy of Hakeem Olajuwon” by Mirin Fader chronicles the journey of Hakeem Olajuwon from his early days in Lagos, Nigeria, to his influential career in the NBA. The biography delves into his time with the University of Houston’s “Phi Slama Jama,” his pivotal role in leading the Houston Rockets to two NBA championships, and the development of his signature move, the “Dream Shake.” It also explores how Olajuwon’s deep commitment to Islam shaped his approach to basketball and life, inspiring many within the Muslim community. The book further highlights his ongoing contributions as an international ambassador for the sport, including his work with NBA Africa and mentorship of current NBA stars.

My Thoughts

Growing up in Utah, we watched the Jazz play the Rockets and I very much knew who Hakeem (or at the time Akeem) Olajuwon was. Or at least from our limited perspective. My father would complaint about how “dirty” the other team was playing and would get upset with the calls. That was my understanding of right and wrong as a young person who had grown up hearing the moral of the story from He-Man GI-Joe and others. When I moved away, I was shocked to hear that our own Karl Malone was known as one of the most dirty players out there. The truth seems to be that it was a very physical game and everyone did it. Along with Olajuwon.

As with most things in life, there is much more to the story. Olajuwon was much more than the dirty player I saw on TV. His isn’t a perfect story, but it follows the archetypical hero’s journey in showing how he found himself, his faith, and his purpose.

Recommendation

If you are a fan, I’m sure you will love it. If not, it was still a good read.

Background

Published in 2011, “Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson is a comprehensive biography of the co-founder of Apple Inc., chronicling his life from childhood to his death in 2011. Based on extensive interviews with Jobs, his family, colleagues, and rivals, the book explores his early fascination with technology, his role in founding Apple, his departure and return to the company, and his impact on multiple industries, including personal computing, music, film, and mobile technology. It presents his leadership style, creative vision, and often intense personality, offering insight into his drive for perfection and innovation. The biography also delves into his personal relationships, struggles, and philosophy on life and business, painting a portrait of a man who reshaped modern technology and design.

My Thoughts

I was never really a fan of Steve Jobs, but I have to admit that he made quite the impact. I have worked extensively with Apple computers having been introduced to them in the late 90’s and owning several at a time ever since. They simply last forever. In fact, the iMac we bought for the family in 2015 is still being used today as the family computer. (Not too shabby.)

I saw Apple just about die in 1995 and jump back to life with the first G3s, iMacs, G4s, iPods, iPhones, iPads, and so on. I’ve owned at least one of each and then some. I didn’t know that Steve Jobs was behind them all and how they all came together. I have often wondered why so many people are such avid fans and the book helped to clarify some of that zeal for the product.

As I was reading the book, I thought there have been a lot of products Apple released that definitely didn’t have same commitment to end to end styling. The packaging went from simple and beautiful to just ridiculous. For example, the Apple Vision Pro is an amazing piece of hardware. It has the ugliest carrying case known to man. It is so front heavy that it is a pain to wear and you have to buy accessories with it to; hold the battery, support the headband, and prescription inserts just to be able to see. That seems to be the trend with the iPhones now as well. You need a 3rd party case or the camera will bang down on whatever surface you put it on. I just don’t see that kind of thing happening if Jobs were still in charge and screaming at people.

It’s sad, but Apple isn’t the same company without him. That said, he was an egotistical, troubled, drug addled, jerk who I would never want to work around. Regardless, he knew want he wanted and had style.

Recommendation

This was a long read, but I enjoyed it.