30 Books like Walt Disney

DisneyWar

by James B. Stewart • 2005

Disney's peacemaker died in a crash, and Eisner declared war on his own executive suite.

4.12

9k+

🏢 Boardroom Battles 🎬 Hollywood Business 🎨 Creative Leadership 🔍 Corporate Intrigue 🎞️ Animation History

DisneyWar 95%

Disney's peacemaker died in a crash, and Eisner declared war on his own executive suite.

by James B. Stewart 2005

4.12

9k+ ratings

🏢 Boardroom Battles 🎬 Hollywood Business 🎨 Creative Leadership 🔍 Corporate Intrigue 🎞️ Animation History

To Pixar and Beyond

by Lawrence Levy • 2016

Goldman Sachs rejected Pixar. Its CFO took a different road to a billion-dollar IPO.

4.24

8k+

🎬 Animation Industry 🔄 Corporate Turnarounds 🎨 Art Vs Commerce 🎯 Creative Leadership 🍎 Steve Jobs

To Pixar and Beyond 93%

Goldman Sachs rejected Pixar. Its CFO took a different road to a billion-dollar IPO.

by Lawrence Levy 2016

4.24

8k+ ratings

🎬 Animation Industry 🔄 Corporate Turnarounds 🎨 Art Vs Commerce 🎯 Creative Leadership 🍎 Steve Jobs

The Gambler

by William C. Rempel • 2018

Eighth-grade dropout, WWII pilot: he turned a small airline into Vegas and MGM, three times.

4.36

1k+

🏗️ Tycoon Biographies 🤝 Negotiation Tactics 🎲 Calculated Risk 📉 Value Investing 🎰 Las Vegas History

The Gambler 93%

Eighth-grade dropout, WWII pilot: he turned a small airline into Vegas and MGM, three times.

by William C. Rempel 2018

4.36

1k+ ratings

🏗️ Tycoon Biographies 🤝 Negotiation Tactics 🎲 Calculated Risk 📉 Value Investing 🎰 Las Vegas History

It's Never Too Late to Begin Again

by Julia Cameron • 2016

A London workhouse boy invented the world's most famous character. Then the world demanded he speak.

4.12

1k+

🎞️ Silent Cinema 🎭 Comedy Theory 🎨 Creative Autonomy 🤸 Slapstick Comedy 🎬 Hollywood History

It's Never Too Late to Begin Again Summary

It's Never Too Late to Begin Again 92%

A London workhouse boy invented the world's most famous character. Then the world demanded he speak.

by Julia Cameron 2016

4.12

1k+ ratings

🎞️ Silent Cinema 🎭 Comedy Theory 🎨 Creative Autonomy 🤸 Slapstick Comedy 🎬 Hollywood History

Giants of Enterprise

by Richard S. Tedlow • 2001

Seven titans built American business. The power they won then turned on them.

4.25

2k+

📜 Business History 🇺🇸 American Capitalism 🏭 Industrial Innovation 🛍️ Consumer Culture 🏷️ Brand Building

Giants of Enterprise 92%

Seven titans built American business. The power they won then turned on them.

by Richard S. Tedlow 2001

4.25

2k+ ratings

📜 Business History 🇺🇸 American Capitalism 🏭 Industrial Innovation 🛍️ Consumer Culture 🏷️ Brand Building

The Idea Factory

by Jon Gertner • 2012

A phone monopoly's lab produced the transistor, the laser, and the digital age. How it worked.

4.21

9k+

🏭 Innovation History 🏢 Corporate History 💡 Invention Stories 🔬 Scientific Discovery 🧬 Organizational Culture

The Idea Factory 92%

A phone monopoly's lab produced the transistor, the laser, and the digital age. How it worked.

by Jon Gertner 2012

4.21

9k+ ratings

🏭 Innovation History 🏢 Corporate History 💡 Invention Stories 🔬 Scientific Discovery 🧬 Organizational Culture

The Second Coming of Steve Jobs

by Alan Deutschman • 2000

Fired at thirty, Jobs failed a decade before returning to remake the company that rejected him.

3.95

3k+

🔄 Tech Turnarounds 🌉 Silicon Valley 🎭 Second Acts 🎨 Product Design ✨ Creative Perfectionism

The Second Coming of Steve Jobs 92%

Fired at thirty, Jobs failed a decade before returning to remake the company that rejected him.

by Alan Deutschman 2000

3.95

3k+ ratings

🔄 Tech Turnarounds 🌉 Silicon Valley 🎭 Second Acts 🎨 Product Design ✨ Creative Perfectionism

When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead

by Jerry Weintraub • 2010

He walked into Colonel Parker's office uninvited and walked out managing Elvis. That was act one.

4.13

4k+

🎬 Entertainment Industry 🎥 Hollywood Memoir 🤝 Deal-Making 🔗 Networking 🔄 Reinvention

When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead Summary

When I Stop Talking, You'll Know I'm Dead 92%

He walked into Colonel Parker's office uninvited and walked out managing Elvis. That was act one.

by Jerry Weintraub 2010

4.13

4k+ ratings

🎬 Entertainment Industry 🎥 Hollywood Memoir 🤝 Deal-Making 🔗 Networking 🔄 Reinvention

Steve Jobs

by Walter Isaacson • 2011

Unfiltered access, no editorial control: the biography where genius and cruelty share the page.

4.16

1.4M+

🏢 Tech Titans 💻 Silicon Valley History 🔄 Corporate Turnarounds 🎨 Design Thinking 🚀 Innovation Culture

Steve Jobs 92%

Unfiltered access, no editorial control: the biography where genius and cruelty share the page.

by Walter Isaacson 2011

4.16

1.4M+ ratings

🏢 Tech Titans 💻 Silicon Valley History 🔄 Corporate Turnarounds 🎨 Design Thinking 🚀 Innovation Culture

Wright Brothers, Wrong Story

by William Elliott azelgrove • 2018

Wilbur Wright solved flight alone. Orville Wright spent decades burying that fact.

3.66

130

🛩️ Aviation History 🔍 Revisionist Biography 🔧 Inventor Biography ⚖️ Patent Wars 🌟 Unsung Genius

Wright Brothers, Wrong Story 92%

Wilbur Wright solved flight alone. Orville Wright spent decades burying that fact.

by William Elliott azelgrove 2018

3.66

130 ratings

🛩️ Aviation History 🔍 Revisionist Biography 🔧 Inventor Biography ⚖️ Patent Wars 🌟 Unsung Genius

The Truth About Trump

by Michael D'Antonio • 2015

A Queens developer's decades-long project of self-invention, and how it conquered America.

3.54

795

🏛️ Political Biographies 💼 Business Moguls 👨‍👦 Family Dynasties 🗳️ Populist Politics 📺 Media Manipulation

The Truth About Trump 92%

A Queens developer's decades-long project of self-invention, and how it conquered America.

by Michael D'Antonio 2015

3.54

795 ratings

🏛️ Political Biographies 💼 Business Moguls 👨‍👦 Family Dynasties 🗳️ Populist Politics 📺 Media Manipulation

Netflixed

by Gina Keating • 2012

Blockbuster could have bought Netflix for $50 million. They passed. What followed took down a giant.

3.97

2k+

🎬 Entertainment Business ⚔️ Corporate Rivalry 💡 Disruptive Innovation 🔄 Digital Transformation 🚀 Startup Stories

Netflixed 92%

Blockbuster could have bought Netflix for $50 million. They passed. What followed took down a giant.

by Gina Keating 2012

3.97

2k+ ratings

🎬 Entertainment Business ⚔️ Corporate Rivalry 💡 Disruptive Innovation 🔄 Digital Transformation 🚀 Startup Stories

Michael Jackson, Inc.

by Zack O'Malley Greenburg • 2014

He bought the Beatles' catalog against all advice. It's now worth a billion dollars.

4.22

338

🎵 Music Business 🎩 Music Moguls 📜 Music Publishing ⚖️ Intellectual Property ⭐ Celebrity Branding

Michael Jackson, Inc. 92%

He bought the Beatles' catalog against all advice. It's now worth a billion dollars.

by Zack O'Malley Greenburg 2014

4.22

338 ratings

🎵 Music Business 🎩 Music Moguls 📜 Music Publishing ⚖️ Intellectual Property ⭐ Celebrity Branding

Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho

by Stephen Rebello • 1990

Bored with his own glamour, Hitchcock gambled his fortune on a cheap psycho thriller and won.

3.91

2k+

🎬 Film Production 🔪 Horror Cinema 🧠 Psychological Horror 🎞️ Auteur Theory 🖤 True Crime Origins

Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho Summary

Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho 91%

Bored with his own glamour, Hitchcock gambled his fortune on a cheap psycho thriller and won.

by Stephen Rebello 1990

3.91

2k+ ratings

🎬 Film Production 🔪 Horror Cinema 🧠 Psychological Horror 🎞️ Auteur Theory 🖤 True Crime Origins

The Real Mad Men

by Andrew Cracknell • 2011

Why you never saw a VW ad with tail fins: the revolt that birthed modern advertising.

3.56

302

📰 Advertising History 🎨 Creative Industries 📋 Advertising Cases 💬 Soft Sell Advertising 💼 Advertising Professionals

The Real Mad Men 91%

Why you never saw a VW ad with tail fins: the revolt that birthed modern advertising.

by Andrew Cracknell 2011

3.56

302 ratings

📰 Advertising History 🎨 Creative Industries 📋 Advertising Cases 💬 Soft Sell Advertising 💼 Advertising Professionals

The Crisis of the Old Order 1919-33

by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. • 1957

An aristocrat's reluctant turn toward populism, set against the crash of an economic order.

4.19

455

🇺🇸 Presidential Biography 🗽 Interwar America 🌱 Political Origins 🌊 Progressive Era 🏛️ Aristocratic Legacy

The Crisis of the Old Order 1919-33 Summary

The Crisis of the Old Order 1919-33 91%

An aristocrat's reluctant turn toward populism, set against the crash of an economic order.

by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. 1957

4.19

455 ratings

🇺🇸 Presidential Biography 🗽 Interwar America 🌱 Political Origins 🌊 Progressive Era 🏛️ Aristocratic Legacy

Wizard

by Marc J. Seifer • 1996

Electrified the world, outsmarted by rivals, bankrupted by a giant tower: the Nikola Tesla story.

3.73

7k+

📝 Inventor Biography ⚡ History Of Electricity ⚔️ War Of Currents 💰 Gilded Age 🎩 Eccentric Inventor

Wizard 91%

Electrified the world, outsmarted by rivals, bankrupted by a giant tower: the Nikola Tesla story.

by Marc J. Seifer 1996

3.73

7k+ ratings

📝 Inventor Biography ⚡ History Of Electricity ⚔️ War Of Currents 💰 Gilded Age 🎩 Eccentric Inventor

Steve Jobs

by Karen Blumenthal • 2012

Garage startup. Public firing. Decade in exile. The return that produced the iPod and iPhone.

3.95

7k+

⌨️ Computer History 💻 Tech Founders 🎨 Product Design 🔄 Corporate Turnarounds 🌸 Counterculture Tech

Steve Jobs 91%

Garage startup. Public firing. Decade in exile. The return that produced the iPod and iPhone.

by Karen Blumenthal 2012

3.95

7k+ ratings

⌨️ Computer History 💻 Tech Founders 🎨 Product Design 🔄 Corporate Turnarounds 🌸 Counterculture Tech

The Sound of Music Story

by Tom Santopietro • 2015

Critics scorned it. The studio feared ruin. Then it ran in theaters for four straight years.

3.76

627

🎬 Film Production 🎵 Hollywood Musicals 🎥 Behind The Scenes 🎭 Stage To Screen 🎞️ True Story Films

The Sound of Music Story 91%

Critics scorned it. The studio feared ruin. Then it ran in theaters for four straight years.

by Tom Santopietro 2015

3.76

627 ratings

🎬 Film Production 🎵 Hollywood Musicals 🎥 Behind The Scenes 🎭 Stage To Screen 🎞️ True Story Films

The Marvel Studios Story

by Charlie Wetzel • 2020

Bankrupt, Marvel bet the house on Iron Man and a troubled leading man.

3.69

192

📚 Comic Book History 🎬 Hollywood Business 🔄 Corporate Turnarounds 💡 Intellectual Property 🔗 Franchise Strategy

The Marvel Studios Story 91%

Bankrupt, Marvel bet the house on Iron Man and a troubled leading man.

by Charlie Wetzel 2020

3.69

192 ratings

📚 Comic Book History 🎬 Hollywood Business 🔄 Corporate Turnarounds 💡 Intellectual Property 🔗 Franchise Strategy

iCon

by Jeffrey S. Young • 2005

Fired at thirty from Apple. Twelve years later, he returned to rescue it.

4.06

11k+

🚀 Startup Stories 🔄 Corporate Turnarounds 🎨 Design Thinking 👁️ Product Vision 💡 Innovation Culture

iCon 91%

Fired at thirty from Apple. Twelve years later, he returned to rescue it.

by Jeffrey S. Young 2005

4.06

11k+ ratings

🚀 Startup Stories 🔄 Corporate Turnarounds 🎨 Design Thinking 👁️ Product Vision 💡 Innovation Culture

Hard Drive

by James Wallace • 1992

The $50,000 operating system Gates bought and resold to IBM: the deal that built Microsoft.

4.12

2k+

🖥️ Pc Revolution 📋 Corporate Biography 🚀 Tech Entrepreneurship ⚔️ Business Rivalries 💾 Software Industry

Hard Drive 91%

The $50,000 operating system Gates bought and resold to IBM: the deal that built Microsoft.

by James Wallace 1992

4.12

2k+ ratings

🖥️ Pc Revolution 📋 Corporate Biography 🚀 Tech Entrepreneurship ⚔️ Business Rivalries 💾 Software Industry

The Fish That Ate the Whale

by Rich Cohen • 2012

Penniless at fourteen, he built a banana empire that toppled governments and coined banana republic.

4.11

9k+

🍌 Banana Republics 🏛️ Corporate Imperialism 🧳 Immigrant Entrepreneurs 🇺🇸 American Imperialism 💼 Corporate Power

The Fish That Ate the Whale 91%

Penniless at fourteen, he built a banana empire that toppled governments and coined banana republic.

by Rich Cohen 2012

4.11

9k+ ratings

🍌 Banana Republics 🏛️ Corporate Imperialism 🧳 Immigrant Entrepreneurs 🇺🇸 American Imperialism 💼 Corporate Power

One Little Spark!

by Marty Sklar • 2015

Ten principles from Disney Imagineering that turn ideas into attractions millions love.

3.96

694

🎢 Theme Park Design 🌟 Creative Leadership 📐 Design Principles 🏰 Guest Experience Design 🤝 Creative Collaboration

One Little Spark! 91%

Ten principles from Disney Imagineering that turn ideas into attractions millions love.

by Marty Sklar 2015

3.96

694 ratings

🎢 Theme Park Design 🌟 Creative Leadership 📐 Design Principles 🏰 Guest Experience Design 🤝 Creative Collaboration

The Salon of Exiled Artists in California

by Núria Añó • 2020

Santa Monica living room: Garbo, Mann, Einstein sheltered from war. McCarthyism ended it.

4.21

🎬 Hollywood History 🌍 European Exiles 📚 Literary Salons 🎭 Weimar Diaspora 🎥 Women In Film

The Salon of Exiled Artists in California Summary

The Salon of Exiled Artists in California 91%

Santa Monica living room: Garbo, Mann, Einstein sheltered from war. McCarthyism ended it.

by Núria Añó 2020

4.21

14 ratings

🎬 Hollywood History 🌍 European Exiles 📚 Literary Salons 🎭 Weimar Diaspora 🎥 Women In Film

Tesla

by W. Bernard Carlson • 2013

The same mental discipline that electrified the world also led Nikola Tesla to ruin.

3.87

2k+

📚 Inventor Biographies ⚡ History Of Electricity 🏛️ Gilded Age 🧠 Mental Modeling 💡 Disruptive Innovation

Tesla 91%

The same mental discipline that electrified the world also led Nikola Tesla to ruin.

by W. Bernard Carlson 2013

3.87

2k+ ratings

📚 Inventor Biographies ⚡ History Of Electricity 🏛️ Gilded Age 🧠 Mental Modeling 💡 Disruptive Innovation

Steve Jobs

by Patricia Lakin • 2011

Before the iPhone, Jobs took a calligraphy class. That strange detour explains everything.

3.85

384

🚀 Tech Entrepreneurship 🎨 Product Design 💻 Silicon Valley 👁️ Visionary Leadership 💡 Design Thinking

Steve Jobs 91%

Before the iPhone, Jobs took a calligraphy class. That strange detour explains everything.

by Patricia Lakin 2011

3.85

384 ratings

🚀 Tech Entrepreneurship 🎨 Product Design 💻 Silicon Valley 👁️ Visionary Leadership 💡 Design Thinking

Tesla

by Margaret Cheney • 1981

How the inventor of the twentieth century wound up alone with a white pigeon.

3.71

7k+

💡 Inventor Biographies ⚡ History Of Electricity 🔬 Scientific Biography 🧠 Eccentric Genius 📻 History Of Radio

Tesla 91%

How the inventor of the twentieth century wound up alone with a white pigeon.

by Margaret Cheney 1981

3.71

7k+ ratings

💡 Inventor Biographies ⚡ History Of Electricity 🔬 Scientific Biography 🧠 Eccentric Genius 📻 History Of Radio

The Ride of a Lifetime

by Robert Iger • 2019

Disrupt yourself first, preserve what you buy, lead with optimism: a Disney CEO's playbook.

4.40

97k+

🏢 Corporate Leadership 🎬 Entertainment Business 🎨 Creative Management 🤝 Mergers And Acquisitions 💡 Innovation Strategy

The Ride of a Lifetime 91%

Disrupt yourself first, preserve what you buy, lead with optimism: a Disney CEO's playbook.

by Robert Iger 2019

4.40

97k+ ratings

🏢 Corporate Leadership 🎬 Entertainment Business 🎨 Creative Management 🤝 Mergers And Acquisitions 💡 Innovation Strategy

Return to the Little Kingdom

by Michael Moritz • 2009

A Los Altos garage, two unlikely partners, and the unfiltered early years of Apple.

4.00

1k+

🏞️ Silicon Valley History 🚀 Tech Startups 🏛️ Company Origin Stories 🎨 Design Thinking 🏢 Corporate Culture

Return to the Little Kingdom 91%

A Los Altos garage, two unlikely partners, and the unfiltered early years of Apple.

by Michael Moritz 2009

4.00

1k+ ratings

🏞️ Silicon Valley History 🚀 Tech Startups 🏛️ Company Origin Stories 🎨 Design Thinking 🏢 Corporate Culture

Compare Features	Free	Pro
📖 Read Summaries Read unlimited summaries. Free users get 3 per month
🎧 Listen to Summaries Listen to unlimited summaries in 40 languages	—
❤️ Unlimited Bookmarks Free users are limited to 4	—
📜 Unlimited History Free users are limited to 4	—
📥 Unlimited Downloads Free users are limited to 1	—

People love SoBrief

Join our global community of 600,000+ readers

★★★★★

This site is a total game-changer. I've been flying through book summaries like never before. Highly, highly recommend.

— Dave G

Worth my money and time, and really well made. I've never seen this quality of summaries on other websites. Very helpful!

— Em

Highly recommended!! Fantastic service. Perfect for those that want a little more than a teaser but not all the intricate details of a full audio book.

— Greg M