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A Truck Full of Money
"A perfectly executed, exquisitely reported parable of the Internet age and the wild, mad adventure that is start-up culture."--Charles Duhigg
Fortune, mania, genius, philanthropy--the bestselling author of Mountains Beyond Mountains gives us the inspiring story of Paul English, the founder of Kayak.com and Lola.
Tracy Kidder, the "master of the nonfiction narrative" (The Baltimore Sun) and author of the bestselling classic The Soul of a New Machine, now tells the story of Paul English, a kinetic and unconventional inventor and entrepreneur, who as a boy rebelled against authority. Growing up in working-class Boston, English discovers a medium for his talents the first time he sees a computer. As a young man, despite suffering from what would eventually be diagnosed as bipolar disorder, he begins his pilgrim's journey through the ups and downs in the brave new world of computers. Relating to the Internet as if it's an extension of his own mind, he discovers that he has a talent for conceiving innovative enterprises and building teams that can develop them, becoming "a Pied Piper" of geeks. His innovative management style, success, and innate sense of fair play inspire intense loyalty. Early on, one colleague observes: "Someday this boy's going to get hit by a truck full of money, and I'm going to be standing beside him." Yet when English does indeed make a fortune, when the travel website Kayak is sold for almost two billion dollars--the first thing he thinks about is how to give the money away: "What else would you do with it?" The second thing he thinks is, What's next?
With the power of a consummate storyteller, Tracy Kidder casts a fresh, critical, and often humorous eye on the way new ideas and new money are reshaping our culture and the world. A Truck Full of Money is a mesmerizing portrait of an irresistibly endearing man who is indefatigable, original, and as unpredictable as America itself.
Praise for A Truck Full of Money
"Kidder's prose glides with a figure skater's ease, but without the glam. His is a seemingly artless art, like John McPhee's, that conceals itself in sentences that are necessary, economical, and unpretentious."--The Boston Globe
"Kidder's portrayal of living with manic depression is as nuanced and intimate as a reader might ever expect to get. . . . You can't help admiring Mr. English and cheering for him."--The New York Times
Fortune, mania, genius, philanthropy--the bestselling author of Mountains Beyond Mountains gives us the inspiring story of Paul English, the founder of Kayak.com and Lola.
Tracy Kidder, the "master of the nonfiction narrative" (The Baltimore Sun) and author of the bestselling classic The Soul of a New Machine, now tells the story of Paul English, a kinetic and unconventional inventor and entrepreneur, who as a boy rebelled against authority. Growing up in working-class Boston, English discovers a medium for his talents the first time he sees a computer. As a young man, despite suffering from what would eventually be diagnosed as bipolar disorder, he begins his pilgrim's journey through the ups and downs in the brave new world of computers. Relating to the Internet as if it's an extension of his own mind, he discovers that he has a talent for conceiving innovative enterprises and building teams that can develop them, becoming "a Pied Piper" of geeks. His innovative management style, success, and innate sense of fair play inspire intense loyalty. Early on, one colleague observes: "Someday this boy's going to get hit by a truck full of money, and I'm going to be standing beside him." Yet when English does indeed make a fortune, when the travel website Kayak is sold for almost two billion dollars--the first thing he thinks about is how to give the money away: "What else would you do with it?" The second thing he thinks is, What's next?
With the power of a consummate storyteller, Tracy Kidder casts a fresh, critical, and often humorous eye on the way new ideas and new money are reshaping our culture and the world. A Truck Full of Money is a mesmerizing portrait of an irresistibly endearing man who is indefatigable, original, and as unpredictable as America itself.
Praise for A Truck Full of Money
"Kidder's prose glides with a figure skater's ease, but without the glam. His is a seemingly artless art, like John McPhee's, that conceals itself in sentences that are necessary, economical, and unpretentious."--The Boston Globe
"Kidder's portrayal of living with manic depression is as nuanced and intimate as a reader might ever expect to get. . . . You can't help admiring Mr. English and cheering for him."--The New York Times
320 pages, ebook
First published September 6, 2016
192 people are currently reading
836 people want to read
About the author
Tracy Kidder
26Ìýbooks1,443ÌýfollowersJohn Tracy Kidder is an acclaimed American nonfiction writer best known for combining literary narrative with journalistic precision. He gained national prominence with The Soul of a New Machine (1981), a Pulitzer Prize-winning account of computer engineers at Data General, noted for its insight into the emerging tech industry and the human stories behind innovation. He later earned widespread praise for Mountains Beyond Mountains (2003), a biography of physician and humanitarian Paul Farmer, which further solidified his reputation for blending compelling storytelling with social relevance.
Kidder studied English at Harvard and earned his MFA from the Iowa Writers� Workshop. Though his first book, The Road to Yuba City, was a critical failure, he rebounded with a series of successful works exploring diverse topics: home construction (House), elementary education (Among Schoolchildren), and aging (Old Friends). He also served in Vietnam, though he says the war did not significantly shape his writing, despite authoring several well-regarded essays on the topic.
In 2010, Kidder became the first A. M. Rosenthal Writer-in-Residence at Harvard’s Shorenstein Center. There, he co-wrote Good Prose, a book on nonfiction writing. His work continues to be recognized for its empathy, narrative strength, and commitment to truth.
Kidder studied English at Harvard and earned his MFA from the Iowa Writers� Workshop. Though his first book, The Road to Yuba City, was a critical failure, he rebounded with a series of successful works exploring diverse topics: home construction (House), elementary education (Among Schoolchildren), and aging (Old Friends). He also served in Vietnam, though he says the war did not significantly shape his writing, despite authoring several well-regarded essays on the topic.
In 2010, Kidder became the first A. M. Rosenthal Writer-in-Residence at Harvard’s Shorenstein Center. There, he co-wrote Good Prose, a book on nonfiction writing. His work continues to be recognized for its empathy, narrative strength, and commitment to truth.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 292 reviews
September 14, 2016
I jumped at the opportunity to read another book by Tracy Kidder. It's been a few years since I've read him. I enjoyed both "Strength in What Remains" and "Mountains Beyond Mountains"...a book that won the Pulitzer Prize.
Kidder is terrific literary journalist. His non-fiction books have a strong story line and personal voice to his writing.
This is an 'engaging' -fascinating - personal story about a man named Paul English, CEO and co-founder of Kayak, ( a travel website), founder of an online Chinese chess community called Xiangqi Leauge, had previously worked at Interleaf as SVP of Engineering and Marketing. He worked as a software engineer at Texet, and is presently CEO and co-founder of Lola..... a Boston base travel service
Paul got his degree in Computer Science at UMass --- but has a few funny stories about his experience with college. For starters -he didn't plan to go. Many of his classmates went right into Harvard from his Boston Latin High School. He was the type of kid with low grades - didn't always go to class -but had higher SAT scores more than most of the Harvard kids - so much so, his scores alone won him a free-ride education at UMass. I laughed -- His 'only' reason for going 'at first' was so that he could play in the student Jazz Band. In time, he 'respected' the computer classes and 'felt' like doing some homework. [but he knew he was often smarter than the teacher and students]
I had never heard of the Paul English until this book. A few times he reminded me of Steve Jobs.
Although while Steve Jobs was first hanging out in a garage in California and was an only child, Paul English grew up in Boston with six other siblings.
Tracy Kidder sure makes reading about a man's life interesting. I laughed to myself again ---( but it's not really funny) ---because when you think of 7 kids in a family--don't you immediate think of NOISE in the house? Well, Paul's mother was sick for the first 10 years of Paul's life. She suffered from myasthenia graves, an autoimmune disease, that causes muscle weakness-- she wasn't sick all the time -- yet debilitating.
Paul's father told the children they were going to kill their mother if they weren't quiet.
Paul believed him.
I was laughing because I was thinking how 'smart' his mother to find a way to keep 7 kids quiet in her house. haha! Actually- when Paul was 10 years old, his mother went to a Catholic priest who said to have power to heal those with great faith. She recovered it was never sick again. WOW! Maybe I ought to convert! haha again!
There are many wonderful things about Paul English. Much to admire. I can see why Tracy Kidder wanted to write about him.
He was extremely gifted- inventive- and contributed to the world of technology-
but there are so many other wonderful qualities about him as a man, humanitarian, team player, and friend. He took inspiration from a man name Tom White, a Harvard Grad...who helped found "Partners In Health"... known for its work in medicine in Public health in Haiti. Tom had donated 20 million to the organization. When Paul first met him, he was 80 years old.
Paul says to Tom, "I heard 20 million came from you". Tom blushed. "Oh, I don't know about that".
"Paul grinned at him. I bet you think that makes you a good person. I think that makes you a shitty fundraiser".
Those two guys were great friends until Tom died at age 90.
Paul gave Tom a million bucks and continued to donate money to Tom's favorite causes.
And THIS IS MY FAVORITE QUOTE IN THIS BOOK:
"I feel sorry for people that are wealthy and are sitting there with millions � � some of them billions � � just making more money. I ask myself, 'For what'? Why don't they take a few million and give it to the very poor and marginalized people all over the world who suffer so much, in great part because of the greed of the wealthy?"
After Tom died, and Haiti suffered its devastating earthquake, Paul suggested the use of one of the expensive cholera vaccines and declared, "I'll backstop it". "And let's
vaccinate a hundred thousand people." It worked - helped kick off a vaccination campaign.
A beautiful telling of Paul getting a diagnosis of bipolar - and his learning the best way to manage it - and live with it.
An innovative empowering management style - hard working-dedicated -trustworthy and loyal.
Tracy Kidder is such a terrific storyteller!!!!
This book - about Paul English is uplifting and refreshing!!!
Thank You Random House, NetGalley, and Tracy Kidder
Kidder is terrific literary journalist. His non-fiction books have a strong story line and personal voice to his writing.
This is an 'engaging' -fascinating - personal story about a man named Paul English, CEO and co-founder of Kayak, ( a travel website), founder of an online Chinese chess community called Xiangqi Leauge, had previously worked at Interleaf as SVP of Engineering and Marketing. He worked as a software engineer at Texet, and is presently CEO and co-founder of Lola..... a Boston base travel service
Paul got his degree in Computer Science at UMass --- but has a few funny stories about his experience with college. For starters -he didn't plan to go. Many of his classmates went right into Harvard from his Boston Latin High School. He was the type of kid with low grades - didn't always go to class -but had higher SAT scores more than most of the Harvard kids - so much so, his scores alone won him a free-ride education at UMass. I laughed -- His 'only' reason for going 'at first' was so that he could play in the student Jazz Band. In time, he 'respected' the computer classes and 'felt' like doing some homework. [but he knew he was often smarter than the teacher and students]
I had never heard of the Paul English until this book. A few times he reminded me of Steve Jobs.
Although while Steve Jobs was first hanging out in a garage in California and was an only child, Paul English grew up in Boston with six other siblings.
Tracy Kidder sure makes reading about a man's life interesting. I laughed to myself again ---( but it's not really funny) ---because when you think of 7 kids in a family--don't you immediate think of NOISE in the house? Well, Paul's mother was sick for the first 10 years of Paul's life. She suffered from myasthenia graves, an autoimmune disease, that causes muscle weakness-- she wasn't sick all the time -- yet debilitating.
Paul's father told the children they were going to kill their mother if they weren't quiet.
Paul believed him.
I was laughing because I was thinking how 'smart' his mother to find a way to keep 7 kids quiet in her house. haha! Actually- when Paul was 10 years old, his mother went to a Catholic priest who said to have power to heal those with great faith. She recovered it was never sick again. WOW! Maybe I ought to convert! haha again!
There are many wonderful things about Paul English. Much to admire. I can see why Tracy Kidder wanted to write about him.
He was extremely gifted- inventive- and contributed to the world of technology-
but there are so many other wonderful qualities about him as a man, humanitarian, team player, and friend. He took inspiration from a man name Tom White, a Harvard Grad...who helped found "Partners In Health"... known for its work in medicine in Public health in Haiti. Tom had donated 20 million to the organization. When Paul first met him, he was 80 years old.
Paul says to Tom, "I heard 20 million came from you". Tom blushed. "Oh, I don't know about that".
"Paul grinned at him. I bet you think that makes you a good person. I think that makes you a shitty fundraiser".
Those two guys were great friends until Tom died at age 90.
Paul gave Tom a million bucks and continued to donate money to Tom's favorite causes.
And THIS IS MY FAVORITE QUOTE IN THIS BOOK:
"I feel sorry for people that are wealthy and are sitting there with millions � � some of them billions � � just making more money. I ask myself, 'For what'? Why don't they take a few million and give it to the very poor and marginalized people all over the world who suffer so much, in great part because of the greed of the wealthy?"
After Tom died, and Haiti suffered its devastating earthquake, Paul suggested the use of one of the expensive cholera vaccines and declared, "I'll backstop it". "And let's
vaccinate a hundred thousand people." It worked - helped kick off a vaccination campaign.
A beautiful telling of Paul getting a diagnosis of bipolar - and his learning the best way to manage it - and live with it.
An innovative empowering management style - hard working-dedicated -trustworthy and loyal.
Tracy Kidder is such a terrific storyteller!!!!
This book - about Paul English is uplifting and refreshing!!!
Thank You Random House, NetGalley, and Tracy Kidder
November 22, 2016
With a title like "A Truck Full of Money" and a bright rainbow-y cover I assumed this would be about a person who gives his money to the less-fortunate or uses his wealth to make the world a better place. Lord knows I'm ready to read about a generous American this month. And while I'm not particularly a Kidder fan, his subjects are sometimes interesting (Paul Farmer and Partners in Health; the Burundian immigrant in Strength in What Remains). I realize that he has earned the respect and vast readership to write about whatever he damn well wants, be it men named "Paul" or building a house or internet start-ups. (BTW could he stretch himself to write about women? Has he written about a woman since the teacher in Among Schoolchildren thirty-some years ago?)
But A Truck Full of Money isn't about a person who "recovers from his great success" (per the subtitle) by doing good works at all. Instead it's "I have all this money and I'm still bored so what should I do next? - I'll start a new company!" ~ It's a book about management. And except for a gratuitous scene near the end where Paul English tags along in the van with an actual humanitarian giving aid to homeless people of Boston, it's not about giving back. He's just bored.
Sure, Paul English has overcome some adversity in life: he has a wicked temper and violent streak, and his bipolar diagnosis is serious. But he's a rich educated white male, after all, and he has the financial resources to manage his medications and find physicians he likes, not to mention a roof over his head (several rooves), and the luxury to take as much time off work as he needs when he's having trouble. Paul English isn't a bad man, and he might be one of the better bosses to work for in this milieu, but he's a lucky man and his story was really not very interesting to me. I'm think I'm actually offended by this book.
Unlike some reviewers I didn't necessarily have a problem with the jumbled chronology with which Kidder presents the story. If anything, I have a suspicion that it gave the book a little more life than it would have had if told straight and I'd bet that he first composed it in linear chronology, but he or an editor noticed how blah it was - so they mixed it up to give it some jagged momentum. Anyway, many people will like this book and it's an easy read - both in the sense of the prose and in the sense that it won't challenge any American worldviews.
But A Truck Full of Money isn't about a person who "recovers from his great success" (per the subtitle) by doing good works at all. Instead it's "I have all this money and I'm still bored so what should I do next? - I'll start a new company!" ~ It's a book about management. And except for a gratuitous scene near the end where Paul English tags along in the van with an actual humanitarian giving aid to homeless people of Boston, it's not about giving back. He's just bored.
Sure, Paul English has overcome some adversity in life: he has a wicked temper and violent streak, and his bipolar diagnosis is serious. But he's a rich educated white male, after all, and he has the financial resources to manage his medications and find physicians he likes, not to mention a roof over his head (several rooves), and the luxury to take as much time off work as he needs when he's having trouble. Paul English isn't a bad man, and he might be one of the better bosses to work for in this milieu, but he's a lucky man and his story was really not very interesting to me. I'm think I'm actually offended by this book.
Unlike some reviewers I didn't necessarily have a problem with the jumbled chronology with which Kidder presents the story. If anything, I have a suspicion that it gave the book a little more life than it would have had if told straight and I'd bet that he first composed it in linear chronology, but he or an editor noticed how blah it was - so they mixed it up to give it some jagged momentum. Anyway, many people will like this book and it's an easy read - both in the sense of the prose and in the sense that it won't challenge any American worldviews.
December 18, 2016
Paul English is the cofounder of Kayak.com, the popular website that helps buyers find the cheapest flight available across multiple airline sites. English built the company from the ground up, and, in 2012, after Kayak (very successfully) went public, he sold the whole caboodle for almost 2 billion dollars.
A Truck Full of Money is English's biography as told by Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Kidder. Though the book covers the typical topics you'd expect to see in a life story (like English's childhood, his various career moves, and descriptions of the key friends and coworkers in his life), it also covers some things that surprised me--for instance, English's bipolar disorder, his extreme discomfort (guilt?) with earning so much money, as well as his experiences working with homeless people. I honestly wasn't expecting to read so much about mental health, the ethics and expectations of having money, or homelessness, but all three topics ended up adding a lot to the book. My awareness of these issues increased, and I felt like I understood Paul English better.
Overall, I'd say that I liked this book well enough. Honestly, it wasn't what I was expecting based on the product description I read. But it was still okay. Certain parts bored me, but other parts really surprised me (in a good way), so it mostly balanced out in the end. If you really like techie biographies (I don't), you will probably enjoy this one.
See more of my reviews at .
A Truck Full of Money is English's biography as told by Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Kidder. Though the book covers the typical topics you'd expect to see in a life story (like English's childhood, his various career moves, and descriptions of the key friends and coworkers in his life), it also covers some things that surprised me--for instance, English's bipolar disorder, his extreme discomfort (guilt?) with earning so much money, as well as his experiences working with homeless people. I honestly wasn't expecting to read so much about mental health, the ethics and expectations of having money, or homelessness, but all three topics ended up adding a lot to the book. My awareness of these issues increased, and I felt like I understood Paul English better.
Overall, I'd say that I liked this book well enough. Honestly, it wasn't what I was expecting based on the product description I read. But it was still okay. Certain parts bored me, but other parts really surprised me (in a good way), so it mostly balanced out in the end. If you really like techie biographies (I don't), you will probably enjoy this one.
See more of my reviews at .
February 10, 2017
Having read and enjoyed by Tracy Kidder, and also having seen an interview with Paul English on my local (Boston) PBS station, I definitely was interested in reading this story of English's life to date: his success in programming is legendary but I knew only bits and pieces otherwise, hints of his wealth, his bipolar disorder, etc. What Kidder is able to do is to link the man of the present with the boy who grew up in Boston, became enthralled with programming and excelled at what he touched--eventually. Sort of a rags to riches story with blips along the way.
While I am not a person who can understand the details of programming, this book is written to indicate the complexity without requiring knowledge of the actual art. Thankfully for me. Paul English seems to be the kind of man I might not understand on one level--i.e. his professional level, but I think I would enjoy the opportunity to meet and talk with him about his goals, beliefs, the things he enjoys, etc. I appreciate the value system he has adopted in his career and with his employees and fellow workers during his adult life, as well as the role models he has chosen.
This is an interesting story of early days in the technology industry, when start-ups could fly or flop and programmers could write their own ticket. Some succeeded. Some failed. This is the tale of the boy who came from very little and grew to the top and then what did he do? Kidder and English present a warts and all picture though I think the "all" far outweigh any warts. It is also an interesting glimpse of the effects of bipolar disorder on a daily level for a hard driving man.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
While I am not a person who can understand the details of programming, this book is written to indicate the complexity without requiring knowledge of the actual art. Thankfully for me. Paul English seems to be the kind of man I might not understand on one level--i.e. his professional level, but I think I would enjoy the opportunity to meet and talk with him about his goals, beliefs, the things he enjoys, etc. I appreciate the value system he has adopted in his career and with his employees and fellow workers during his adult life, as well as the role models he has chosen.
This is an interesting story of early days in the technology industry, when start-ups could fly or flop and programmers could write their own ticket. Some succeeded. Some failed. This is the tale of the boy who came from very little and grew to the top and then what did he do? Kidder and English present a warts and all picture though I think the "all" far outweigh any warts. It is also an interesting glimpse of the effects of bipolar disorder on a daily level for a hard driving man.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
September 24, 2016
Originally published at
The first book of Tracy Kidder’s that I ever read was , an inside look at the development of a new 32-bit minicomputer at Data General in the late 1970s. In internet years, that feels like several centuries ago.
The universe of computing, and the universe of the ways in which our lives are impacted by computers and related technology, has changed immeasurably since that “soul� was put into that “new machine�. But those giants at Data General are to a significant extent the ones whose shoulders the subject of this new book stand. As is Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the world wide web in 1989.
Without the evolution in computer technology that took us from computers that filled rooms to what were then called minicomputers because they were considerably smaller than that to the PC revolution to the Internet, our world would be immeasurably different. So, just as The Soul of a New Machine was the story of a group of people who helped build the revolution, A Truck Full of Money is about the soul of the new tech economy, as seen through the eyes of a man who is one of its avatars, and one of its success stories.
The story follows the career of Paul M. English, the creator of numerous companies throughout the internet age, including Boston Light, the very successful Kayak.com and his current company, Lola Travel. English has a knack for not just having a great idea for a company, but building a team that can carry it through to success, and subsequent sale for “a truck full of money� to someone else. And then he starts all over again.
Not every one of his ideas succeeds. But the ones that do, really, really do. Like Kayak.com.
The author uses English’s biography to tell his story, making it both a look into the tech economy of start-ups, venture capital and failing frequently, often and hopefully upwards as well as the biography of one individual who has been mostly successful in that environment.
English himself is a fascinating character to watch, from his beginnings in working-class Boston in the 1970s to his hyper success in nearly every decade afterwards � interspersed not just with a series of failures but also with his coping with, and sometimes failing to cope with, a bipolar disorder that causes episodes of hypomania. Sometimes the black dog of depression bites hard, but more often the demons of hypomania gave English incredible amounts of energy and very little ability to process the rapid firing of his brain or the people that he needed to carry out any of his visions.
And in the middle of all of his success, his desire to help people. Not just on the intimate scale of taking care of the people who are close to him, but in the broader humanitarian goal of helping with several crises around the world, particularly in Haiti and in his Boston hometown.
Escape Rating B-: A Truck Full of Money is an interesting book, but it didn’t grab me as much as I remember The Soul of a New Machine did when I listened to it sometime in the 1990s. Admittedly, a long time ago.
One issue is that A Truck Full of Money isn’t told in a linear fashion. Each of the vignettes is interesting, but the coherent whole doesn’t emerge. Thinking about it, the non-linearity probably reflects the subject, who, when he is on, sparks ideas in multiple directions simultaneously.
We also don’t see much of the subject’s relationships with colleagues and family, except on a superficial level. The characters in this biography seem to brought on to show their function in the work rather than their place in the life. This may be a reflection of what these relationships actually are, but it feels a bit hollow.
We see a lot more of the what than the why.
While this isn’t a book about bipolar disorder, there is more depth in dealing with this part of the subject’s life than anything else that hits close to the bone.
One of the most interesting parts is seeing the way that this economy, which has powered so much of the development of the technology sector, really works. The way that venture capitalists deal with fledgling businesses, and the how and why of where their funding comes from and how they decide what to do with it, explains a lot about the way things work now.
If you’ve ever worked for a company that was bought by venture capital firms, or in an industry that is dominated by such firms, that part is fascinating.
All in all, A Truck Full of Money makes an interesting and readable bookend to The Soul of a New Machine. In a strange way, that feels like the beginning of a story, and this one feels like, not the end, but maybe the end of its middle.
The first book of Tracy Kidder’s that I ever read was , an inside look at the development of a new 32-bit minicomputer at Data General in the late 1970s. In internet years, that feels like several centuries ago.
The universe of computing, and the universe of the ways in which our lives are impacted by computers and related technology, has changed immeasurably since that “soul� was put into that “new machine�. But those giants at Data General are to a significant extent the ones whose shoulders the subject of this new book stand. As is Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the world wide web in 1989.
Without the evolution in computer technology that took us from computers that filled rooms to what were then called minicomputers because they were considerably smaller than that to the PC revolution to the Internet, our world would be immeasurably different. So, just as The Soul of a New Machine was the story of a group of people who helped build the revolution, A Truck Full of Money is about the soul of the new tech economy, as seen through the eyes of a man who is one of its avatars, and one of its success stories.
The story follows the career of Paul M. English, the creator of numerous companies throughout the internet age, including Boston Light, the very successful Kayak.com and his current company, Lola Travel. English has a knack for not just having a great idea for a company, but building a team that can carry it through to success, and subsequent sale for “a truck full of money� to someone else. And then he starts all over again.
Not every one of his ideas succeeds. But the ones that do, really, really do. Like Kayak.com.
The author uses English’s biography to tell his story, making it both a look into the tech economy of start-ups, venture capital and failing frequently, often and hopefully upwards as well as the biography of one individual who has been mostly successful in that environment.
English himself is a fascinating character to watch, from his beginnings in working-class Boston in the 1970s to his hyper success in nearly every decade afterwards � interspersed not just with a series of failures but also with his coping with, and sometimes failing to cope with, a bipolar disorder that causes episodes of hypomania. Sometimes the black dog of depression bites hard, but more often the demons of hypomania gave English incredible amounts of energy and very little ability to process the rapid firing of his brain or the people that he needed to carry out any of his visions.
And in the middle of all of his success, his desire to help people. Not just on the intimate scale of taking care of the people who are close to him, but in the broader humanitarian goal of helping with several crises around the world, particularly in Haiti and in his Boston hometown.
Escape Rating B-: A Truck Full of Money is an interesting book, but it didn’t grab me as much as I remember The Soul of a New Machine did when I listened to it sometime in the 1990s. Admittedly, a long time ago.
One issue is that A Truck Full of Money isn’t told in a linear fashion. Each of the vignettes is interesting, but the coherent whole doesn’t emerge. Thinking about it, the non-linearity probably reflects the subject, who, when he is on, sparks ideas in multiple directions simultaneously.
We also don’t see much of the subject’s relationships with colleagues and family, except on a superficial level. The characters in this biography seem to brought on to show their function in the work rather than their place in the life. This may be a reflection of what these relationships actually are, but it feels a bit hollow.
We see a lot more of the what than the why.
While this isn’t a book about bipolar disorder, there is more depth in dealing with this part of the subject’s life than anything else that hits close to the bone.
One of the most interesting parts is seeing the way that this economy, which has powered so much of the development of the technology sector, really works. The way that venture capitalists deal with fledgling businesses, and the how and why of where their funding comes from and how they decide what to do with it, explains a lot about the way things work now.
If you’ve ever worked for a company that was bought by venture capital firms, or in an industry that is dominated by such firms, that part is fascinating.
All in all, A Truck Full of Money makes an interesting and readable bookend to The Soul of a New Machine. In a strange way, that feels like the beginning of a story, and this one feels like, not the end, but maybe the end of its middle.
August 28, 2016
I’m a huge Tracy Kidder fan. I read The Soul of A New Machine as a senior in high school and, even though I don’t include it in the reason I went to MIT, I’m sure it played a part. To this day, it’s still one of my favorite books, although I haven’t read it in many years. I just kindled it (and several other Tracy Kidder books I’ve decided to re-read) and expect it’ll be in my near term reading list.
About a month ago Paul English sent me an email asking me if I wanted to read an ARC of Tracy Kidder’s new book A Truck Full of Money. Paul and I haven’t worked together, but I knew him from a distance because of Kayak, the Boston startup community, and a few interactions we’d had over the years, including a long conversation via videoconference where we talked about depression and his new company Blade.
My answer was a rapid yes after his mention of Tracy Kidder. But what really got my attention was the line in his email that follows:
“The book deals with my bipolar stuff, and your writings on depression have been meaningful to me.�
That’s about as vulnerable a sentence you will see from an entrepreneur. The idea of exposing oneself around this topic to a writer like Tracy Kidder was incredibly brave to me. So now I was doubly interested.
I read the book the day after it arrived at my office. It was five stars � off the charts awesome on many levels. I asked Paul if I could blog about it and he asked me to hold off until his publisher said it was ok to do it. It’s now ok to do so.
Tracy Kidder wrote an amazing book. Paul like many entrepreneurs, is a complex person. Kidder doesn’t dwell on the good or the bad. He shifts effortlessly between the past, present, and future. Paul is the main character, but it’s not Paul’s biography. Kayak plays a role, but so does Blade, as does Paul’s childhood and early jobs. Interleaf makes an appearance (if you remember Interleaf, you just dated yourself. If you don’t remember Interleaf, you need to go learn about it because it was a really important pre-Web and then Web-transition company.)
The book isn’t about mental health and biopolar disorder. But Paul’s struggle with it is woven throughout and by the end of the book you have a good understanding of how it has been both a positive and a negative force in Paul’s life and career. Kidder does a magnificent job of teasing out moments that create the example of bipolar disorder without pounding the reader over the head with it. All of this makes Paul a complete human rather than just an entrepreneurial machine.
In the absence of a spectacular writer, Paul’s story is a fun one to read. But Kidder brings out another layer to the story, the person, the personality, how bipolar disorder impacts Paul and everyone around him, and how they respond, adjust, and calibrate to it.
Ultimately, it’s an incredibly intimate book. While I’m very open about my life, it takes an absurd amount of courage to hand yourself over to someone like Kidder. Paul did it in the context of his own struggles with bipolar disorder, against the backdrop of a complex entrepreneurial journey, at the beginning of his next act.
The only thing I disliked about the book was the title. It’s catchy, but it doesn’t capture the complexity of the book, or the protagonist. But that’s ok � titles are hard to get right and are really just a pointer to the content of the book.
Paul � thanks for being brave enough to let yourself be the subject of a Tracy Kidder book. Tracy � while I don’t know you, know that you have a mega-fan out in the world who has read all of your books. And, if you are an entrepreneur, investor, or curious about the intersection of mental health and entrepreneurship, or just love a great non-fiction book that reads like a novel, A Truck Full of Money should be the next book you read.
About a month ago Paul English sent me an email asking me if I wanted to read an ARC of Tracy Kidder’s new book A Truck Full of Money. Paul and I haven’t worked together, but I knew him from a distance because of Kayak, the Boston startup community, and a few interactions we’d had over the years, including a long conversation via videoconference where we talked about depression and his new company Blade.
My answer was a rapid yes after his mention of Tracy Kidder. But what really got my attention was the line in his email that follows:
“The book deals with my bipolar stuff, and your writings on depression have been meaningful to me.�
That’s about as vulnerable a sentence you will see from an entrepreneur. The idea of exposing oneself around this topic to a writer like Tracy Kidder was incredibly brave to me. So now I was doubly interested.
I read the book the day after it arrived at my office. It was five stars � off the charts awesome on many levels. I asked Paul if I could blog about it and he asked me to hold off until his publisher said it was ok to do it. It’s now ok to do so.
Tracy Kidder wrote an amazing book. Paul like many entrepreneurs, is a complex person. Kidder doesn’t dwell on the good or the bad. He shifts effortlessly between the past, present, and future. Paul is the main character, but it’s not Paul’s biography. Kayak plays a role, but so does Blade, as does Paul’s childhood and early jobs. Interleaf makes an appearance (if you remember Interleaf, you just dated yourself. If you don’t remember Interleaf, you need to go learn about it because it was a really important pre-Web and then Web-transition company.)
The book isn’t about mental health and biopolar disorder. But Paul’s struggle with it is woven throughout and by the end of the book you have a good understanding of how it has been both a positive and a negative force in Paul’s life and career. Kidder does a magnificent job of teasing out moments that create the example of bipolar disorder without pounding the reader over the head with it. All of this makes Paul a complete human rather than just an entrepreneurial machine.
In the absence of a spectacular writer, Paul’s story is a fun one to read. But Kidder brings out another layer to the story, the person, the personality, how bipolar disorder impacts Paul and everyone around him, and how they respond, adjust, and calibrate to it.
Ultimately, it’s an incredibly intimate book. While I’m very open about my life, it takes an absurd amount of courage to hand yourself over to someone like Kidder. Paul did it in the context of his own struggles with bipolar disorder, against the backdrop of a complex entrepreneurial journey, at the beginning of his next act.
The only thing I disliked about the book was the title. It’s catchy, but it doesn’t capture the complexity of the book, or the protagonist. But that’s ok � titles are hard to get right and are really just a pointer to the content of the book.
Paul � thanks for being brave enough to let yourself be the subject of a Tracy Kidder book. Tracy � while I don’t know you, know that you have a mega-fan out in the world who has read all of your books. And, if you are an entrepreneur, investor, or curious about the intersection of mental health and entrepreneurship, or just love a great non-fiction book that reads like a novel, A Truck Full of Money should be the next book you read.
September 30, 2016
Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Kidder writes a great biography of Paul English, the man who built Kayak into a multi-billion dollar company. A passionate techie entrepreneur and philanthropist, Paul’s story is extraordinary.
Paul grew up during the early days of the personal computer, software engineering and the Internet. He was pegged as an overachiever early in life when he ranked 8th out of several thousand 12-year olds taking admissions testing for prestigious Boston Latin School. Paul was unhappy that seven others had done better. I would have loved to have found out if any of the seven were recognizable names but this was not shared.
Paul’s ideas just keep churning. His innovative brain never appears at rest, perhaps due to his manic side (he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the 70’s). I was completely absorbed at 7% in and highlighted so many passages of good ideas and inspiration that my book looks like a patchwork quilt. The leaps of faith, dedication and investment of long-time friends in helping Paul achieve his goals were amazing. Paul was a ‘force field of energy�, had so much common sense, compassion for customers and respect for his staff at the companies he founded.
Paul grew up during the early days of the personal computer, software engineering and the Internet. He was pegged as an overachiever early in life when he ranked 8th out of several thousand 12-year olds taking admissions testing for prestigious Boston Latin School. Paul was unhappy that seven others had done better. I would have loved to have found out if any of the seven were recognizable names but this was not shared.
Paul’s ideas just keep churning. His innovative brain never appears at rest, perhaps due to his manic side (he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the 70’s). I was completely absorbed at 7% in and highlighted so many passages of good ideas and inspiration that my book looks like a patchwork quilt. The leaps of faith, dedication and investment of long-time friends in helping Paul achieve his goals were amazing. Paul was a ‘force field of energy�, had so much common sense, compassion for customers and respect for his staff at the companies he founded.
September 26, 2016
Fascinating. Tracy Kidder writes books about subjects that intrigue him and makes them intriguing to the reader. In this case, Paul English, an Internet billionaire who makes the best use of his resources.
October 11, 2016
I can't say that this book is not good, it is just not that great, not that interesting. Paul English, Kayak.com CEO, while being a very impressive person, is yet another successful person in software, that came from rags or riches (and contributed money for good causes). I prefer personally the Steve Jobs biography or reading about Bill Gates career (and his and Melinda Gates philanthropic work).
The more interesting parts of the book were his coping with bipolar disorder, and sleep apnea. And how the manic side, can be both helpful many times and destructive at other times. He came from a poor family, growing up amongst seven siblings, and far from being in a healthy environment (e.g. his father told the children they were going to kill their mother if they weren't quiet). In Paul's eyes, his father saying "you're all the same", meant that he expect all of them to be the exactly the same, and that made him feel he had to make a separate life away from home and succeed. It immediately reminded me of by . Coming from rags is a huge obstacle, but for the ~10% that succeed it might be a huge advantage in life.
The book had one big weakness, Kidder was jumping around and there was no chronological order at all. It also made the book repetitive, especially around the life partnership with several of his colleagues.
As I think we all know, in a start up it is mostly about the people. And a strong seed of cofounders can make miracles. Billo (Bill Aulet) and Schwenk went with Paul from company to company, and at last from Kayak to Blade. I was especially impressed with Billo, the guy sound like a great technical guy and the more rare skill to be an outstanding manager, and great to have around.
English is the kind of person that is playing with seven impossible ideas before breakfast. At some point in the book, Kidder started giving a long list of projects that he had in mind that didn't mature (mostly because he didn't act on them, so little time, even if you sleep only four hours a night).
Overall, 3 stars. If you are passionate about hi-tech biographies it's a good read, but not essential. Nothing new in new colorful cover.
The more interesting parts of the book were his coping with bipolar disorder, and sleep apnea. And how the manic side, can be both helpful many times and destructive at other times. He came from a poor family, growing up amongst seven siblings, and far from being in a healthy environment (e.g. his father told the children they were going to kill their mother if they weren't quiet). In Paul's eyes, his father saying "you're all the same", meant that he expect all of them to be the exactly the same, and that made him feel he had to make a separate life away from home and succeed. It immediately reminded me of by . Coming from rags is a huge obstacle, but for the ~10% that succeed it might be a huge advantage in life.
The book had one big weakness, Kidder was jumping around and there was no chronological order at all. It also made the book repetitive, especially around the life partnership with several of his colleagues.
As I think we all know, in a start up it is mostly about the people. And a strong seed of cofounders can make miracles. Billo (Bill Aulet) and Schwenk went with Paul from company to company, and at last from Kayak to Blade. I was especially impressed with Billo, the guy sound like a great technical guy and the more rare skill to be an outstanding manager, and great to have around.
English is the kind of person that is playing with seven impossible ideas before breakfast. At some point in the book, Kidder started giving a long list of projects that he had in mind that didn't mature (mostly because he didn't act on them, so little time, even if you sleep only four hours a night).
Overall, 3 stars. If you are passionate about hi-tech biographies it's a good read, but not essential. Nothing new in new colorful cover.
December 3, 2016
Just a great book. Maybe Tracy Kidder has come full circle in some sense by coming back to a book about the computer industry.
In 1981, Trace Kidder wrote about the efforts of computer engineers at Data General to get a new computer, a minicomputer to market. I loved that book, even though with hindsight it wasn't as well written as I thought at the time. But it captured the excitement of the team at Data General and explained the technical issues at just the right level for a general audience.
In , Kidder now tells the story of Paul English, the founder of kayak.com and lola, two really different travel sites. English has dealt with bipolar disorder all of his life. I don't want to say he has suffered from it, because he has seems to have figured out how to use his bipolar disorder in a positive way, but boy, there is some suffering still. Kidder describes how English coped as a child with this disorder, and I really enjoyed that part of the book. Much of the book is about how English decided he wanted to give away all of his money for charitable causes other than some funds he put into a trust fund. But even as he does gets more devoted to charitable giving, he still wants to keep on doing new things in the software industry. He tries and fails ... and tries and fails ... and tries and succeeds with his new company, lola. It's a great character study.
In 1981, Trace Kidder wrote about the efforts of computer engineers at Data General to get a new computer, a minicomputer to market. I loved that book, even though with hindsight it wasn't as well written as I thought at the time. But it captured the excitement of the team at Data General and explained the technical issues at just the right level for a general audience.
In , Kidder now tells the story of Paul English, the founder of kayak.com and lola, two really different travel sites. English has dealt with bipolar disorder all of his life. I don't want to say he has suffered from it, because he has seems to have figured out how to use his bipolar disorder in a positive way, but boy, there is some suffering still. Kidder describes how English coped as a child with this disorder, and I really enjoyed that part of the book. Much of the book is about how English decided he wanted to give away all of his money for charitable causes other than some funds he put into a trust fund. But even as he does gets more devoted to charitable giving, he still wants to keep on doing new things in the software industry. He tries and fails ... and tries and fails ... and tries and succeeds with his new company, lola. It's a great character study.
June 29, 2022
Tracy Kidder's book is about Paul English, CEO and founder of Kayak who focused on how to give his money away after Kayak was purchased.
April 6, 2017
Most business biographies are about heroes. Though their stories may be leavened by references to the negative side of their character, the overall effect is overwhelmingly positive. Not so with Tracy Kidder’s even-handed new account of a successful software entrepreneur, A Truck Full of Money. Kidder doesn’t skimp on the man’s business successes. There were several. But he devotes nearly as much time to the many failures � and to his psychiatric problems. It’s a remarkable tale.
A software entrepreneur who isn’t a billionaire
Kidder’s subject is Paul English. Unlike the best-known people in his field, such as Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, English has never made billions. Not even one billion. But by everyday standards � mine, and presumably yours, too � he became fabulously rich. At one point his fortune totaled about $120 million. That’s not even enough to buy and maintain a mid-sized LearJet. Poor guy, right? And unlike creative geniuses such as Steve Jobs, English didn’t make his money from brilliant inventions of his own. (You do know that Gates and Zuckerberg didn’t either, don’t you?)
A rare combination of talents
It turns out, in Kidder’s telling, that Paul English possessed that rare combination of extraordinary talent as a programmer and the ability to inspire and manage teams of equally brilliant people. His big success story was Kayak, a travel site unlike Expedia and Travelocity in that its purpose is not to sell users anything. A few years before 2004, when English cofounded Kayak, he had made a much smaller fortune when he sold an earlier company on the cusp of the dot-com crash.
A brutally honest account of bipolar disorder
If you’re involved in the high-tech business, you might find most rewarding the story of English’s progression from one job to another � until he finally got really lucky. For the general reader, though, Kidder’s no-holds-barred account of his subject’s experience with bipolar disorder stands out. There’s no sense summing up that story here. If the subject interests you, read this book. Kidder does a terrific job of conveying the pain English has suffered � and the problems his disorder caused for him in business. By the way, English insisted that Kidder tell the whole story with complete honesty.
One egregious error
Kidder committed one egregious error in A Truck Full of Money. In a passage about the history of the software industry, he writes: “In the 1960s, IBM created a complex operating system called DOS and all but gave it away � to Microsoft, then a small company.� There are several problems with this assertion. First, IBM did not create DOS. It was the product of a small software firm in Seattle that was one of Microsoft’s rivals. Second, DOS was written for personal computers, which weren’t developed until the 1970s. Third, Microsoft wasn’t around in the 1960s, either. The company was founded in 1975. Fourth, nobody gave DOS away. Bill Gates bought it for a pittance, and negotiated an extraordinarily one-sided royalty contract with IBM that became the cornerstone of his immense wealth. This is the sort of bonehead error I would never expect from Tracy Kidder. I’m genuinely surprised he didn’t hire a fact-checker.
About the author
The list of published American nonfiction authors is staggeringly long, but only a handful of outstanding writers among them are actively working today. Tracy Kidder is unquestionably one of them. In 1982 he won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for The Soul of a New Machine, an intimate look at the engineering of what was then one of the most ingenious and bestselling computers in the industry. A Truck Full of Money, his twelfth book, returns him to the high-tech industry after more than three decades of revolutionary changes.
A software entrepreneur who isn’t a billionaire
Kidder’s subject is Paul English. Unlike the best-known people in his field, such as Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, English has never made billions. Not even one billion. But by everyday standards � mine, and presumably yours, too � he became fabulously rich. At one point his fortune totaled about $120 million. That’s not even enough to buy and maintain a mid-sized LearJet. Poor guy, right? And unlike creative geniuses such as Steve Jobs, English didn’t make his money from brilliant inventions of his own. (You do know that Gates and Zuckerberg didn’t either, don’t you?)
A rare combination of talents
It turns out, in Kidder’s telling, that Paul English possessed that rare combination of extraordinary talent as a programmer and the ability to inspire and manage teams of equally brilliant people. His big success story was Kayak, a travel site unlike Expedia and Travelocity in that its purpose is not to sell users anything. A few years before 2004, when English cofounded Kayak, he had made a much smaller fortune when he sold an earlier company on the cusp of the dot-com crash.
A brutally honest account of bipolar disorder
If you’re involved in the high-tech business, you might find most rewarding the story of English’s progression from one job to another � until he finally got really lucky. For the general reader, though, Kidder’s no-holds-barred account of his subject’s experience with bipolar disorder stands out. There’s no sense summing up that story here. If the subject interests you, read this book. Kidder does a terrific job of conveying the pain English has suffered � and the problems his disorder caused for him in business. By the way, English insisted that Kidder tell the whole story with complete honesty.
One egregious error
Kidder committed one egregious error in A Truck Full of Money. In a passage about the history of the software industry, he writes: “In the 1960s, IBM created a complex operating system called DOS and all but gave it away � to Microsoft, then a small company.� There are several problems with this assertion. First, IBM did not create DOS. It was the product of a small software firm in Seattle that was one of Microsoft’s rivals. Second, DOS was written for personal computers, which weren’t developed until the 1970s. Third, Microsoft wasn’t around in the 1960s, either. The company was founded in 1975. Fourth, nobody gave DOS away. Bill Gates bought it for a pittance, and negotiated an extraordinarily one-sided royalty contract with IBM that became the cornerstone of his immense wealth. This is the sort of bonehead error I would never expect from Tracy Kidder. I’m genuinely surprised he didn’t hire a fact-checker.
About the author
The list of published American nonfiction authors is staggeringly long, but only a handful of outstanding writers among them are actively working today. Tracy Kidder is unquestionably one of them. In 1982 he won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for The Soul of a New Machine, an intimate look at the engineering of what was then one of the most ingenious and bestselling computers in the industry. A Truck Full of Money, his twelfth book, returns him to the high-tech industry after more than three decades of revolutionary changes.
September 20, 2016
I had such high hopes for this book. I rarely read biographies, or much nonfiction at all, but was intrigued enough to give this a try. Local Boston stuff, poor kid strikes it rich doing something he loves, a successful battle against mental illness, etc. What's not to love?
Well, unfortunately, there is a LOT not to love. The story is told completely out of chronological order. It's not even filled with flashbacks; I couldn't find any logic to the order in which things were told. It jumped around more than Sam Beckett did on Quantum Leap; without Al or Ziggy to provide some narrative structure, I felt lost. The storytelling left a lot to be desired as well. There was no discussion of Paul's dating life, but suddenly around page 105 the author mentioned that he got married. How did that happen? It was stated with the same level of emphasis as if he'd gone grocery shopping.
I read about 90 pages, set the book aside for about 10 days, and came back to try to finish... but to no avail. This is going on the "gave up" list. I just can't get past the choppy writing style and disconnected narrative. Or at least I'm not willing to; life is too short to read bad books.
I received this book as a giveaway from Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ in exchange for an honest review.
Well, unfortunately, there is a LOT not to love. The story is told completely out of chronological order. It's not even filled with flashbacks; I couldn't find any logic to the order in which things were told. It jumped around more than Sam Beckett did on Quantum Leap; without Al or Ziggy to provide some narrative structure, I felt lost. The storytelling left a lot to be desired as well. There was no discussion of Paul's dating life, but suddenly around page 105 the author mentioned that he got married. How did that happen? It was stated with the same level of emphasis as if he'd gone grocery shopping.
I read about 90 pages, set the book aside for about 10 days, and came back to try to finish... but to no avail. This is going on the "gave up" list. I just can't get past the choppy writing style and disconnected narrative. Or at least I'm not willing to; life is too short to read bad books.
I received this book as a giveaway from Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ in exchange for an honest review.
September 4, 2016
Kidder continues to write enchanting non-fiction.
October 23, 2019
Read this because I read the author's Good Prose, co-authored with his long-time editor—and I wanted to see what kind of work the two have produced together. (I'm not sure Todd did edit this book, but I presume so?) The story kept me interested and entertained, and the New York Times reviewer was right to say that the fairly standard rags-to-riches American tale gave way to something more interesting: a bit of an exploration—or maybe just an extended observation—of a successful man who both suffers from and harnesses what is usually called a mental illness. Paul English, co-founder of Kayak.com, has been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and has fits of manic energy that results in brilliant and productive work. Interesting. I'll file this under "useful anecdotes" rather than "insightful explanations."
I'm not sure this book needed to be written, but I'll probably try another Kidder book at some point—and I'm not complaining about the easy add to my Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ totals... 52 is in sight after a slow start this year! =)
I'm not sure this book needed to be written, but I'll probably try another Kidder book at some point—and I'm not complaining about the easy add to my Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ totals... 52 is in sight after a slow start this year! =)
February 25, 2021
Very enjoyable tour through another genius/crazy software guy's private world. I'll read anything Kidder writes, and I'm rarely disappointed.
July 2, 2016
I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in anticipation of Tracy Kidder's appearance in Schenectady this coming November. The author provides an intimate profile of the incredibly successful tech entrepreneur, Paul English.
English, who grew up in working-class Boston, possesses a brain that was phenomenally suited to mine the depths of the technology advances this country has experienced in the last 30 years. Brilliant, energetic, indefatigable, diagnosed as bi-polar, he founded several astonishingly successful companies, some of which he sold for a huge profit. If you've ever wondered just what it takes to succeed in the tech field, this book is for you.
Kidder not only describes the great successes of Paul English, but he also gives us a glimpse into someone who is deeply committed to sharing his great wealth. Yes, the man made tons of money, but he also gave a lot of it away. A fascinating portrait of a man for our times. Publication date for the book is early September.
English, who grew up in working-class Boston, possesses a brain that was phenomenally suited to mine the depths of the technology advances this country has experienced in the last 30 years. Brilliant, energetic, indefatigable, diagnosed as bi-polar, he founded several astonishingly successful companies, some of which he sold for a huge profit. If you've ever wondered just what it takes to succeed in the tech field, this book is for you.
Kidder not only describes the great successes of Paul English, but he also gives us a glimpse into someone who is deeply committed to sharing his great wealth. Yes, the man made tons of money, but he also gave a lot of it away. A fascinating portrait of a man for our times. Publication date for the book is early September.
September 1, 2016
Fantastic inside look at the big money men creating magic with the internet. A peek inside the brains behind some of the most innovative minds writing code/programs that we all use. Paul English was a computer genius with one setback, he suffered from bipolar disorder. It didn't stop his creative side though because he was driven to succeed. I recommend this book, even though I'm no geek, not by a long shot.
January 29, 2018
it was like an overgrown magazine feature. sure, it was interesting and it had its moments but it wasn't that interesting! take about mental health and being successful and stuff like that.
May 31, 2018
The Short of It:
If you are into the start-up culture and enjoy seeing ideas comes to fruition, you will find something of value in this read.
The Rest of It:
This is the story of Paul English, a kinetic and unconventional inventor and entrepreneur, who as a boy rebelled against authority. Growing up in working-class Boston, English discovers a medium for his talents the first time he sees a computer. As a young man, despite suffering from what would eventually be diagnosed as bipolar disorder, he begins his pilgrim’s journey through the ups and downs in the brave new world of computers. Relating to the Internet as if it’s an extension of his own mind, he discovers that he has a talent for conceiving innovative enterprises and building teams that can develop them, becoming “a Pied Piper� of geeks. ~ Indiebound
If you paid attention to the title of this post, you’ll see that this was a DNF (did not finish) for me . This is a rarity, especially when it comes to a book club pick, which is what A Truck Full of Money was to me. I try really hard to finish all book club selections but I just could not get past the 45% mark on my Kindle.
It’s well-written, so it’s definitely not the writing that caused me to eventually give up. No, I believe it was the subject matter. I work in Information Technology. I am surrounded by programmers and application developers but within the higher education sector so I expected to be somewhat enlightened to this new world of start-ups but I was bored people! Bored out of my mind.
At one point, Paul English becomes heavily involved in philanthropy and this part interested me because when someone is in possession of that much money, and we are talking quite a bit of money, it’s admirable when they choose to support charitable causes.
Kidder goes back into English’s childhood and here again, I was kind of pulled in only to be pushed away again. It just wasn’t enough for me to keep reading but he was the founder of Kayak.com and battled bipolar disorder to get to where he is today so I’m not really sure what didn’t work for me because his story is certainly compelling.
Have you read A Truck Full of Money? If so, let me know your thoughts.
For more reviews, visit my blog: .
If you are into the start-up culture and enjoy seeing ideas comes to fruition, you will find something of value in this read.
The Rest of It:
This is the story of Paul English, a kinetic and unconventional inventor and entrepreneur, who as a boy rebelled against authority. Growing up in working-class Boston, English discovers a medium for his talents the first time he sees a computer. As a young man, despite suffering from what would eventually be diagnosed as bipolar disorder, he begins his pilgrim’s journey through the ups and downs in the brave new world of computers. Relating to the Internet as if it’s an extension of his own mind, he discovers that he has a talent for conceiving innovative enterprises and building teams that can develop them, becoming “a Pied Piper� of geeks. ~ Indiebound
If you paid attention to the title of this post, you’ll see that this was a DNF (did not finish) for me . This is a rarity, especially when it comes to a book club pick, which is what A Truck Full of Money was to me. I try really hard to finish all book club selections but I just could not get past the 45% mark on my Kindle.
It’s well-written, so it’s definitely not the writing that caused me to eventually give up. No, I believe it was the subject matter. I work in Information Technology. I am surrounded by programmers and application developers but within the higher education sector so I expected to be somewhat enlightened to this new world of start-ups but I was bored people! Bored out of my mind.
At one point, Paul English becomes heavily involved in philanthropy and this part interested me because when someone is in possession of that much money, and we are talking quite a bit of money, it’s admirable when they choose to support charitable causes.
Kidder goes back into English’s childhood and here again, I was kind of pulled in only to be pushed away again. It just wasn’t enough for me to keep reading but he was the founder of Kayak.com and battled bipolar disorder to get to where he is today so I’m not really sure what didn’t work for me because his story is certainly compelling.
Have you read A Truck Full of Money? If so, let me know your thoughts.
For more reviews, visit my blog: .
April 18, 2024
Another compelling narrative by Tracy Kidder. This is like the spiritual successor to The Soul of a New Machine which is one of my favorite books of all time. It isn't near the same caliber (Soul won a Pulitzer after all) but still a good read, I couldn't decide between 3 or 4 stars but went with 4.
This book was written in 2016 and you can tell. The tech optimism was at an all time high back then and you can feel it with this book. Paul English is an interesting fellow who by and large seems like one of the good guys compared to many tech leaders (Bezos, Elon) now. Although near the end, you can sense that he started to get a bit high on his own supply like many of his tech contemporaries.
I also liked how this book was firmly in the Kidderverse as I'm calling it. It had appearances from Tom White, the benefactor behind Partners in Health which is the health organization started by Paul Farmer. Kidder wrote Mountains Beyond Mountains which looks at Farmer's life. Then there was also an appearance by Jim O'Connell who is the subject of Rough Sleepers, Kidder's latest book. Then lastly, I think it was Paul English (or maybe another engineer from Kayak) worked at Data General for a brief moment which is the corporation that The Soul of a New Machine focuses on.
This book was written in 2016 and you can tell. The tech optimism was at an all time high back then and you can feel it with this book. Paul English is an interesting fellow who by and large seems like one of the good guys compared to many tech leaders (Bezos, Elon) now. Although near the end, you can sense that he started to get a bit high on his own supply like many of his tech contemporaries.
I also liked how this book was firmly in the Kidderverse as I'm calling it. It had appearances from Tom White, the benefactor behind Partners in Health which is the health organization started by Paul Farmer. Kidder wrote Mountains Beyond Mountains which looks at Farmer's life. Then there was also an appearance by Jim O'Connell who is the subject of Rough Sleepers, Kidder's latest book. Then lastly, I think it was Paul English (or maybe another engineer from Kayak) worked at Data General for a brief moment which is the corporation that The Soul of a New Machine focuses on.
September 25, 2019
“Someday this boy’s going to get hit by a truck full of money, and I’m going to be standing beside him.�
I have not read a Tracy Kidder book, in a few years, so I thought I would try another one. As usual, it does not disappoint. This one focuses on Paul English, a Boston inventor and entrepreneur and who became a driving force on the internet. He had a wizard-like talent for tracking down innovative enterprises and building teams that can develop them. After becoming a billionaire, he decided to give his fortune away.
Kidder is a true master of narrative nonfiction. He draws the reader in and keeps you engaged throughout.
I have not read a Tracy Kidder book, in a few years, so I thought I would try another one. As usual, it does not disappoint. This one focuses on Paul English, a Boston inventor and entrepreneur and who became a driving force on the internet. He had a wizard-like talent for tracking down innovative enterprises and building teams that can develop them. After becoming a billionaire, he decided to give his fortune away.
Kidder is a true master of narrative nonfiction. He draws the reader in and keeps you engaged throughout.
October 22, 2016
A Truck Full of Money, Tracy Kidder, author; Paul Michael, narrator
Kidder describes and extols the accomplishments of Paul English, a product of the Boston school system, who was a creative student of technology and a supporter of entrepreneurship for decades. His ventures, large and small, some hare-brained and some brilliant, some failed and some successful, were and still may be, all over the map, but he made fortunes and lost fortunes, because he was in the right time and the right place at the crossroads of an America about to enter cyberspace. For English, it was full speed ahead into the future; he had the nerve and the brain power to survive and succeed. English was a risk taker, and he sometimes broke rules, even as a school boy. To partner with him, you would risk failure, but when you succeeded, it would be beyond your wildest dreams. His creation Kayak, which merged with Priceline, set him up financially for the rest of his life. He became a very wealthy man.
The book begins describing him as a troubled young boy who continued to be troubled as a young man. He struggled with huge mood swings, and manic episodes. He was finally diagnosed with bi-polar disorder. He researched his mental illness to find out how to control it better without becoming a zombie from the medications. He resisted them because of their side effects, but over many years and many trials and errors, he finally found a woman who validated him and medications he could tolerate. Together, they could keep him centered. His illness worked to his benefit because it inspired him to keep thinking and doing and to not accept failure as a consequence, but to always rise up in the face of it and begin again. He often judged himself and found he fell short of the mark. This inspired him to do better. When his mom said “keep up the good work�, on her deathbed, he interpreted her remark to mean he, so far, hadn’t done well enough. His moments of depression, the alternate side of his bi-polar disease, never seemed to gain control of him. He always kept trying to do something else to change the world, to enter modernity with a bang.
He needed to always have a project in the pipeline, something on the drawing board, something to work on that would move him in a useful and a productive direction. He liked building teams of workers. He wanted to interact with others to get ideas, and even today, that need inspires him to use his own Tesla to drive for Uber, not for the money but because he likes to interact with people, to learn about their ideas. These may be the people he might someday consider hiring to work for him on a project. So, he always needed to keep busy, busier when he was in a mania phase of his bipolar disease, but it was his passion that stood out most for those people who worked with him or listened to him or attended his classes. His display of sheer excitement, when an idea came to him, and he promoted it, actually enticed people to join in his efforts and endeavors. Some were wary of his impulsiveness, at times, and tried to rein him in, but it also attracted the creative technocrats who admired his passion.
He was inspired to create an anti NRA organization for people who liked guns but thought there should be better controls for the industry. It failed, but not because of lack of good reasons, but more because of lack of interest. Some of his ideas failed, not because they were not good ideas, but because they were before their time. Another person would bring them to the world, like Uber and Trip Advisor and cars that could think and act to curtail speeding and prevent accidents. He brought aid to Haiti when he witnessed the sad state of affairs for the children. He investigated the homeless situation to find out how he could better help them, aside from simply donating money.
English is definitely one of the do-gooders in our time. He doesn’t waste too much time thinking about what he should do, he acts on his ideas promptly. He took time off to care for his father when his memory began to fail. Until it was necessary to put him in a facility, he was devoted. He is one of those people who is more interested in the value that his work brings to the world rather than in the money he receives for it or the money he pays for it. Fortunately, his successes have placed him in a financial position to feel that way. The results of his efforts are what actually inspire him. His need to help others less fortunate is genuine and he seeks out those who need help.
Paul English never stared defeat in the face, rather he looked askance at it, dusted himself off and sought another avenue to explore and build upon, another company, another group of people to support and to encourage in their endeavors.
English is driven by the idea of opportunity. His results, come what may, don’t deter him. If he fails he just keeps trying to succeed. The mania part of his illness works positively for him because it keeps him on his toes, thinking and creating constantly. The book is well written for what it is, but I really had no interest in it. The narrator did as good a job as one would expect for a book that was a bit dry, but I wasn’t inspired by it, although the subject of the books apparent “goodness� is admirable. I will soon have a hard copy and will give it another look-see, since I am going to an author breakfast with him. Perhaps in a hard copy, it will be more inspiring.
Kidder describes and extols the accomplishments of Paul English, a product of the Boston school system, who was a creative student of technology and a supporter of entrepreneurship for decades. His ventures, large and small, some hare-brained and some brilliant, some failed and some successful, were and still may be, all over the map, but he made fortunes and lost fortunes, because he was in the right time and the right place at the crossroads of an America about to enter cyberspace. For English, it was full speed ahead into the future; he had the nerve and the brain power to survive and succeed. English was a risk taker, and he sometimes broke rules, even as a school boy. To partner with him, you would risk failure, but when you succeeded, it would be beyond your wildest dreams. His creation Kayak, which merged with Priceline, set him up financially for the rest of his life. He became a very wealthy man.
The book begins describing him as a troubled young boy who continued to be troubled as a young man. He struggled with huge mood swings, and manic episodes. He was finally diagnosed with bi-polar disorder. He researched his mental illness to find out how to control it better without becoming a zombie from the medications. He resisted them because of their side effects, but over many years and many trials and errors, he finally found a woman who validated him and medications he could tolerate. Together, they could keep him centered. His illness worked to his benefit because it inspired him to keep thinking and doing and to not accept failure as a consequence, but to always rise up in the face of it and begin again. He often judged himself and found he fell short of the mark. This inspired him to do better. When his mom said “keep up the good work�, on her deathbed, he interpreted her remark to mean he, so far, hadn’t done well enough. His moments of depression, the alternate side of his bi-polar disease, never seemed to gain control of him. He always kept trying to do something else to change the world, to enter modernity with a bang.
He needed to always have a project in the pipeline, something on the drawing board, something to work on that would move him in a useful and a productive direction. He liked building teams of workers. He wanted to interact with others to get ideas, and even today, that need inspires him to use his own Tesla to drive for Uber, not for the money but because he likes to interact with people, to learn about their ideas. These may be the people he might someday consider hiring to work for him on a project. So, he always needed to keep busy, busier when he was in a mania phase of his bipolar disease, but it was his passion that stood out most for those people who worked with him or listened to him or attended his classes. His display of sheer excitement, when an idea came to him, and he promoted it, actually enticed people to join in his efforts and endeavors. Some were wary of his impulsiveness, at times, and tried to rein him in, but it also attracted the creative technocrats who admired his passion.
He was inspired to create an anti NRA organization for people who liked guns but thought there should be better controls for the industry. It failed, but not because of lack of good reasons, but more because of lack of interest. Some of his ideas failed, not because they were not good ideas, but because they were before their time. Another person would bring them to the world, like Uber and Trip Advisor and cars that could think and act to curtail speeding and prevent accidents. He brought aid to Haiti when he witnessed the sad state of affairs for the children. He investigated the homeless situation to find out how he could better help them, aside from simply donating money.
English is definitely one of the do-gooders in our time. He doesn’t waste too much time thinking about what he should do, he acts on his ideas promptly. He took time off to care for his father when his memory began to fail. Until it was necessary to put him in a facility, he was devoted. He is one of those people who is more interested in the value that his work brings to the world rather than in the money he receives for it or the money he pays for it. Fortunately, his successes have placed him in a financial position to feel that way. The results of his efforts are what actually inspire him. His need to help others less fortunate is genuine and he seeks out those who need help.
Paul English never stared defeat in the face, rather he looked askance at it, dusted himself off and sought another avenue to explore and build upon, another company, another group of people to support and to encourage in their endeavors.
English is driven by the idea of opportunity. His results, come what may, don’t deter him. If he fails he just keeps trying to succeed. The mania part of his illness works positively for him because it keeps him on his toes, thinking and creating constantly. The book is well written for what it is, but I really had no interest in it. The narrator did as good a job as one would expect for a book that was a bit dry, but I wasn’t inspired by it, although the subject of the books apparent “goodness� is admirable. I will soon have a hard copy and will give it another look-see, since I am going to an author breakfast with him. Perhaps in a hard copy, it will be more inspiring.
July 9, 2017
A slow start, but once I understood that this book was an impressionistic portrait of a man, a time and a place--Paul English (bipolar, inspired, flawed, kind), the internet age, Boston--it all made more sense. A thoughtful and honest portrait of bipolar disorder. A fascinating take on the history of computer science. A nostalgic read for me about MIT, Cambridge and the Boston area. The book grew on me as I read it.
December 9, 2019
I’m finding it so fascinating to compare the healthy corporate cultures that Paul English cultivates vs the toxic culture at Theranos, as described in Bad Blood by John Carreyrou, which I recently finished reading too.
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May 4, 2017Tracy Kidder does it again!
September 9, 2017
Not at all what I thought it would be, but my idol Tracy Kidder manages to make everything, even a technology millionaire, interesting.
April 28, 2025
Tracy kidder strikes again
September 21, 2023
I just wrote a review that suddenly disappeared due to digital deviltry. Bottom line is that (for me) this book ended abruptly leaving me with questions and curiosity about Paul English going forward. I liked Rough Sleepers, a profile of Dr. Jim O’Donnell, much better, and I’ll continue to read anything Tracy Kidder writes.
November 9, 2019
Overall I didn't find this book very engaging but what I found most interesting was the main character's struggles with mental illness.
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