What do you think?
Rate this book
Mike Bloomberg: Money, Power, Politics
Michael Bloomberg is not only New York City's 108th mayor; he is a business genius and self-made billionaire. He has run the toughest city in America with an independence and show of ego that first brought him great success—and eventually threatened it. Yet while Bloomberg is internationally known and admired, few people know the man behind the carefully crafted public persona. In Mike Bloomberg , Joyce Purnick explores Mr. Bloomberg's life from his childhood in the suburbs of Boston, to his rise on Wall Street and the creation of Bloomberg L.P., to his mayoral record and controversial gamble on a third term. Drawing on her deep knowledge of New York City politics, and interviews with Bloomberg's friends, family, colleagues, and the mayor himself, she creates a textured portrait of one of the more complex men of our era.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
16 people are currently reading
133 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
January 3, 2019
Primarily political career. A bit light on early days of his business and his career at Solomon.
October 29, 2020
I pick up the wrong book, I should read Bloomberg for Bloomberg instead of this book. The first 70 pages about his business and the rest of this book was about how he became a mayor in NY.
July 14, 2020
I started reading this book with low expectations, especially after the former Mayor’s mediocre presidential run earlier this year. However, I was in for a surprise. The veteran reporter, Joyce Purnick, made hell of a book out of Mike’s story. Her reporting was delightful and fun to read. I would certainly recommend this book to anyone.
As with every biography - where the authors go to great lengths to portray their subject as different from the herd as a young boy/girl - Joyce does the same and gives an image of Mike as a curious and an impatient kid, far more than his contemporaries at the time. “Mike reached the rank of Eagle Scout before he was old enough to qualify,” Ms. Purnick writes. He went to John Hopkins for his undergraduate study to do engineering, and there was nothing illustrious about his time there except for his repeated cry to his friends that he will become the first Jewish president. A claim too big time has shown.
After graduating from John Hopkins, Mr. Bloomberg joined Harvard Business School in 1964 to do an MBA. Two years later, he joined Salomon Brothers, a Wall Street firm, and spent the next 15-years there. Interior politics, combined with serendipity, saw Bloomberg relegated to the technology side of Salomon Brothers in his final few years there. While secluded there, he saw that the job his company was doing could be improved and made more efficient if it was computerized. He preached his idea to the management at Salomon, but no one saw his vision. Again, serendipity hit again which saw Salomon acquired by another company and Mr. Bloomberg being released with a severance of USD$10 Million.
Mr. Bloomberg decided to start his own company, and Bloomberg LP was born in 1981. His product was a device which he rented to customers that included financial information about most registered companies to allow analysts to make well-founded predictions. The Bloomberg device caught fire, and everyone wanted to subscribe, which later made him a Billionaire and gave him access to the upper echelons of Manhattan clubs. Perhaps bored or wanting a new challenge, Mr. Bloomberg, against the odds, flaunted the idea of becoming Mayor of New York city and moving to City Hall.
Luck was on his side again. The charismatic Republican Mayor, Rudy Giuliani, was not running again, and the 9/11 incident played to his favor as well by having the elections delayed for a few more months. Mayor Bloomberg won against the odds, and became one of only few mayors to serve for three terms. He brought much discipline to New York during his time. He attempted to reform the failing school system, lowered the crime rate and helped New York recover after the 9/11 attacks. Ms. Purnick was right to say that Bloomberg came across as cold and aloof at times, which was very well clear during his presidential run earlier this year. Further, as Ms. Purnick wrote, Bloomberg can only be Mayor of New York because he has certain qualities that New Yorkers admire, and these qualities are the reason why most Mayors fail in their presidential runs. Given that the book was written sometime before his presidential bid, Ms. Purnick’s words are quite prescient.
The reporting of Joyce focused less on Mike’s early business days and more on his political story, which could be due to her background and reporting in the New York Times. The writing was superb – doesn’t sacrifice the details and doesn’t lose the reader to boredom - and the author puts a coherent story between the hands of the reader which is worthwhile to read.
As with every biography - where the authors go to great lengths to portray their subject as different from the herd as a young boy/girl - Joyce does the same and gives an image of Mike as a curious and an impatient kid, far more than his contemporaries at the time. “Mike reached the rank of Eagle Scout before he was old enough to qualify,” Ms. Purnick writes. He went to John Hopkins for his undergraduate study to do engineering, and there was nothing illustrious about his time there except for his repeated cry to his friends that he will become the first Jewish president. A claim too big time has shown.
After graduating from John Hopkins, Mr. Bloomberg joined Harvard Business School in 1964 to do an MBA. Two years later, he joined Salomon Brothers, a Wall Street firm, and spent the next 15-years there. Interior politics, combined with serendipity, saw Bloomberg relegated to the technology side of Salomon Brothers in his final few years there. While secluded there, he saw that the job his company was doing could be improved and made more efficient if it was computerized. He preached his idea to the management at Salomon, but no one saw his vision. Again, serendipity hit again which saw Salomon acquired by another company and Mr. Bloomberg being released with a severance of USD$10 Million.
Mr. Bloomberg decided to start his own company, and Bloomberg LP was born in 1981. His product was a device which he rented to customers that included financial information about most registered companies to allow analysts to make well-founded predictions. The Bloomberg device caught fire, and everyone wanted to subscribe, which later made him a Billionaire and gave him access to the upper echelons of Manhattan clubs. Perhaps bored or wanting a new challenge, Mr. Bloomberg, against the odds, flaunted the idea of becoming Mayor of New York city and moving to City Hall.
Luck was on his side again. The charismatic Republican Mayor, Rudy Giuliani, was not running again, and the 9/11 incident played to his favor as well by having the elections delayed for a few more months. Mayor Bloomberg won against the odds, and became one of only few mayors to serve for three terms. He brought much discipline to New York during his time. He attempted to reform the failing school system, lowered the crime rate and helped New York recover after the 9/11 attacks. Ms. Purnick was right to say that Bloomberg came across as cold and aloof at times, which was very well clear during his presidential run earlier this year. Further, as Ms. Purnick wrote, Bloomberg can only be Mayor of New York because he has certain qualities that New Yorkers admire, and these qualities are the reason why most Mayors fail in their presidential runs. Given that the book was written sometime before his presidential bid, Ms. Purnick’s words are quite prescient.
The reporting of Joyce focused less on Mike’s early business days and more on his political story, which could be due to her background and reporting in the New York Times. The writing was superb – doesn’t sacrifice the details and doesn’t lose the reader to boredom - and the author puts a coherent story between the hands of the reader which is worthwhile to read.
January 25, 2010
The inside story of a political phenomenon
Mike Bloomberg’s story ranks as one of modern business and political history’s most inspiring and instructive tales. Take an average, middle-class man with uncommon vigor. Then, imbue him with the discipline and confidence to take maximum advantage of the great opportunities he encountered in college, Wall Street and, eventually, the electrified world of New York City politics. New York Times reporter Joyce Purnick’s fluid writing style makes this portrait of an ethical, tough, innovative leader flow seamlessly, so readers can easily enjoy and absorb its themes and stories. getAbstract recommends her breezy, deft, comprehensive presentation of Bloomberg’s uplifting life story to executives, political strategists and aspiring leaders.
To find out more about this book, check out the following Web page: http://www.getabstract.com/summary/12...
Mike Bloomberg’s story ranks as one of modern business and political history’s most inspiring and instructive tales. Take an average, middle-class man with uncommon vigor. Then, imbue him with the discipline and confidence to take maximum advantage of the great opportunities he encountered in college, Wall Street and, eventually, the electrified world of New York City politics. New York Times reporter Joyce Purnick’s fluid writing style makes this portrait of an ethical, tough, innovative leader flow seamlessly, so readers can easily enjoy and absorb its themes and stories. getAbstract recommends her breezy, deft, comprehensive presentation of Bloomberg’s uplifting life story to executives, political strategists and aspiring leaders.
To find out more about this book, check out the following Web page: http://www.getabstract.com/summary/12...
December 2, 2014
Mike Bloomberg: Money, Power, Politics by Joyce Purnick is a great biography about one of the world's most wealthiest and influential inventor/businessman/mayor. Both the quotes and evidence provided by Purnick greatly affect how the reader feels and reacts to Bloomberg's life (usually positively). A reader senses a deeper connection to numerous moments of success and failure Michael encounters through his business and political roles. I would highly recommend this biography to anyone interested in the inside workings of a high stake Wall Street mogul or the high pressure of a mayoral position.
January 7, 2014
A curious book about the most power mayor in America at the time. Mike Bloomberg, billionaire politician changed New York forever, for better or for worse. His rabid dedication to finances and economics came with allegations that he was a Mayor for the rich. His public health initiatives brought allegations of creating a Nanny State. His power grab for an unprecedented third term brought allegations of being a City Boss. Bloomberg though always won re-election and this short read is a brief look into a man that we all know by name, but don't really know enough about.
May 15, 2014
A page turner. I love how Joyce builds the timeless character, and keeps coming back to him, and doesn't get lost in the details and fun stories.
I also recommend very highly Bloomberg's own inspiring and magnificent memoir, Bloomberg by Bloomberg.
I also recommend very highly Bloomberg's own inspiring and magnificent memoir, Bloomberg by Bloomberg.
February 27, 2010
Good account of a business legend
February 17, 2013
Less about Mike Bloomberg thank about New York politics and Bloomberg's place. I read it to get a sense of he rose to prominence.
November 5, 2016
Would've been a better book if were about "Bloomberg the billionaire" rather than "Bloomberg the mayor"
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews