Elon Musk

Risking It All

By: Michael Vlismas

Narrated by: Saul Reichlin

In 2022, Elon Musk—one of the richest and best-known people on earth—made headlines worldwide with his bid to buy Twitter, and he is often in the news for his entrepreneurial exploits and his controversial tweets. Who is this boundary-pushing billionaire with grand plans of inhabiting Mars, and what lies at the heart of his vision? Why is he so utterly unafraid of risk?

As an awkward Pretoria schoolboy who loved comics and science fiction, Musk's early years and singular family background were crucial in forming his stellar ambitions. Journalist and author Michael Vlismas, who attended the same high school as Musk, knows well the environment that shaped him and offers new insights into Musk's development, including his troubled relationship with his father.

Tracing his remarkable life, from his South African childhood to his move to Canada at 17 and then to the US—where Musk made millions out of PayPal and built Tesla and SpaceX into two of the world's most famous companies—this is the revealing new story of a man driven to preserve the optimism he sees in humanity and find a future for humans "out there among the stars".

©2022 Michael Vlismas (P)2022 W.F. Howes Ltd

Very different than I thought it would be.

Most of the other books that I read on Elon Musk have been a lot more interesting. This one was a bit dry.

Enjoyed story telling style

I had already listened to the other Elon musk book from 2017 so this was the second and it supplemented my knowledge well, making it a fun listen with the story telling. It might have been a little too harsh with the criticisms of him at the end but it is nice to hear a well-rounded assessment.

I wouldn’t recommend it.

I was disappointed by this biography. I didn’t like the writing style, I struggled listening to the narrator and since the author didn’t get any input from Elon himself (he states this in the book), it’s more of a commentary about what the author thinks is going on rather than what is actually going on.

It’s not a terrible book but in hindsight I wish I wouldn’t have purchased / read it.

Good Book Overall

Was a good read to review Elon’s life up to the writing. Thought it went into sufficient depth to be a good biography.

balanced, brilliantly researched, and palatable

The author did a fine job and presenting a balanced review of the world's most fascinating man. The research and background was impeccable and helpful in building context in your own opinion of Musk.