Review: The Making of an American Capitalist by Roger Lowenstein (Warren Buffett Biography)

This was an amazing biography.

Update: *rolls eyes at Anon*

Granted, I do tend to like biographies in general, but sometimes I find the writing style so damn boring I can’t even finish it. This is particularly true for historical biographies like ones on Louis the Fifteenth.

But Roger Lowenstein has a sort of writing style that makes it interesting while being informative. I learned so much about Warren Buffett in this book, it made my head spin. And not just from a financial perspective but especially about this kind of platonic love triangle he had going on (yea, can you believe it?)

He was married to his wife Susie until she died, but then she left the home to live separately on her own for 15 years or so, and another woman named Astrid (a lady friend) moved in, but more as a caretaker and a friend rather than a lover, although he married her when Susie passed away.

The book portrays him almost like a childlike character, a Wunderkind with a very underdeveloped sense of emotional awareness and fatherly traits. His life just revolved around numbers, an amazing memory and seeing the intrinsic value in the companies he bought.

It gave me a totally different perspective on Buffett.

An absolutely wonderful read that takes you from his birth all the way to present day (but before the economic crisis).

It also has a LOT of great financial nuggets of wisdom woven throughout the entire book, and even though the guy is a billionaire many times over today, it makes me continue to root for him to do even better. Unlike the normal mob mentality that turns on you once you start doing great for yourself, this book made me want him to make even MORE money.

What I did find surprising and odd (although in hindsight, not so much), was his lack of fatherly attitude towards his kids. Seriously!

My favourite paragraph is near the beginning:

Anyway, not going to ruin it any more for you, but if you’re into personal finance, reading and you like biographies, this is a good one for you!

(So good, that I’d give it away, but I want to keep it in my library)

If you buy it from Amazon, I get a referral commission! Thanks in advance!

About the Author

Just a girl trying to find a balance between being a Shopaholic and a Saver. I cleared $60,000 in 18 months earning $65,000 gross/year. Now I am self-employed, and you can read more about my story here, or visit my other blog: The Everyday Minimalist.