Book Description
A journey inside the hearts and minds of the best bull riders in the world as they compete for their greatest prize--the championship gold buckle.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book to Read........2007-01-11
I've rode bulls for quite a while and thought this book was great.
Simply the best I've read!.......2001-12-08
I just finished the book and I have to say this is the best I've ever read. If you watch the PBR, you have to buy this book. Donnie Gay, Tuff Hedemann, Ty Murray, Charles Sampson, they are all here.
roughstock riders point of view.......2001-07-28
Just finished the hardback version. As a bullrider and saddlebronc rider I have never read anything as painfully accurate about our sport as this book. The only drawback is I couldnt put it down and as i finished I wanted MORE. I hope he writes a second book..because Jeff Coplon knows more about rodeo than some cowboys. NICE JOB.
more than a sport.......2000-10-30
Highly recommended, excellent book about a misunderstood sport. While Rodeo and Bull-Riding fans will enjoy this book, it is a great book for folks not familiar with Rodeo/Bull Riding and the culture that gave birth to it and sustains it. As the PBR circuit grows in popularity it will be interesting to see if the PBR stays true to it's Western Values and Culture. I hope so...
Finally, a great book about the world's greatest sport.......2000-06-20
This is a very good and captivating book and something every rodeo fan should read. If you want to learn more about bull riding legends like Don Gay, Myrtis Dightman, Wacey Cathey, Tuff Hedeman, Lane Frost, Jim Sharp and Ty Murray, this is probably the only place you can find it told so colorfully and honestly. It is also nice to read about the days when the world's top bull riders were cowboys and actually competed at rodeos, and not the pretentious PBR events. It also takes a look at how bull riding's popularity surged in the 90s. I just hope a similar book on bronc riders comes out soon.
Book Description
An intimate look at a fascinating subculture, its star personalities, and the death-defying confrontation between man and beast that has made bull riding the fastest growing sport in the world Just as spectators flock to a NASCAR race because of its inherent danger, bull riding possesses a blood-and-guts excitement that sells tickets. In Fried Twinkies, Buckle Bunnies, and Bull Riders, award-winning sports journalist Josh Peter takes readers along on the 2004 Professional Bull Riders (PBR) tour to witness the sports exploding popularityand discover why athletes in spurs, cowboy hats, and colorful chaps are hooking millions of fans across the country. The 2004 season begins like all PBR seasons, with 800 cowboys competing for a chance to be in the top 45 who ride in 29 major events during the season, with the best of the best taking home a $1 million bonus. Success is measured in secondsmanaging to stay on a bull for 8 seconds without getting tossed is likely to secure a rider a big score. Most riders fail. Many get seriously injured; some die. Josh Peter captures the high drama of the sport and introduces readers to a culture thats rife with colorful characters: the courageous riders chasing their dreams, the scouts, breeders, love-struck groupies, and a few of those very angry bulls.
Customer Reviews:
The business of bull riding . . ........2007-08-14
The one thing wrong with this book is the title. It's strictly about pro bull riders and the multimillion-dollar business that has raised bullriding from a feature rodeo event to a cross between NASCAR and the WWF. You'll learn little about fried Twinkies, buckle bunnies, and whatever they're supposed to represent.
Sports writer Josh Peter follows the 2004 PBR tour that crisscrosses the U.S. and ends with the finals in Las Vegas, drumming up excitement and suspense as he goes. He brings to life the widely divergent personalities of the riders, ranging from seasoned champion and family-man Adriano Moraes and the stereotypical drinking, cussing Justin McBride, to the withdrawn, almost spookily religious Mike Lee. Among them are a diversity of others, including rookies, old-timers hoping for a comeback, and competitors from countries as far away as Australia and Brazil. We learn that one out of 15 rides results in injuries requiring treatment, and much time is spent in the sports medicine room.
Meanwhile, we follow the drama of big business as differences between the men who run this show create a number of conflicts that lead to firings and the threat of a boycott by riders who feel they are being under-appreciated by their employers. Peter's revelation of these behind-the-scenes maneuvers will enlighten fans familiar only with the glitz and glamour of the sport and the men who are its stars. We learn about the stock growers and investors who raise, train, buy, and sell bulls. There's even a side trip to Brazil, where we visit the ranch Moraes has bought with his winnings. Readers will also enjoy the DVD "Rank," which is a compelling record of the 2004 season finals, focusing on Moraes, McBride, and Lee.
Dad liked it!.......2007-01-15
Gave this book to my dad who is a rodeo fan. He enjoyed it. Said it was a good read and he finished it in about 2 days.
I'm biased.......2006-12-26
OK, I must admit right off that I am a friend of the author's. He's a nice guy. More importantly, he's a good writer. I was deeply moved by some parts of this book, and that was before I met Josh.
I suspect the high ratings for this book might be because PBR fans tend to be awfully enthusiastic about the sport. If you are not a PBR fan but are curious, check it out.
Everything PBR.......2006-08-01
As an avid PBR fan, I greedily tore through the pages of Fried Twinkies. This book answered all of my questions about bull riding and provided information that I didn't know to ask about. Anyone who enjoys the marvelous sport of bull riding must purchase and read this book.
Real Good .......2006-04-10
Good reading about the PBR if your a bull rideing fan you'll love this book. Good behind the seen coverage. This book one that is hard to put down.
Average customer rating:
- Having a dream
- Matt's review
- Great Hi-Lo series
- Bull Rider
|
Bull Rider (Orca Soundings)
Marilyn Halvorson
Manufacturer: Orca Book Publishers
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ASIN: 1551432331 |
Book Description
Layne must face his greatest fear. (RL3.0)
Customer Reviews:
Having a dream.......2005-05-02
" What is it?" "An entry form for the rodeo next month." We all have dreams. Everyone should get a chance to fulfill his or her dreams at least once. That's the way a young man named Layne thinks. He has a dream to be a bull rider in the rodeo. But there are some problems to his dream coming true. Some people don't want him to accomplish this dream. Although this book is short it makes for a quick and easy read. It sure was a joy for me to read.
Layne's father was a bull rider in the rodeo, and he was a great bull rider. But a tragic accident happened. Layne wants to be a great bull rider in the rodeo like his father was. But Layne knows how his mother feels about the bull riding. His mother will not let him ride the bulls because she is only trying to keep him from getting hurt.
In spite of his mothers words and feelings about the bull riding. Layne has been sneaking behind his mothers back and has been riding the young bulls at his friend's farm. But in order to make it to the rodeo he will need some practice. So his friend's grandfather is willing to train him and get him ready for the rodeo.
There is a couple set backs in getting to the rodeo, but he finally gets there.
He gets a tough bull to ride but he does well. As he gets done with his ride someone shows up, a little mad but also very proud. The crowd goes wild. He had a great ride.
People have life long dreams, but you should also in mind your friends and your family. Do they approve of what you want? Is your dream something that could worry them? And will it hurt them in the end. These are some things that you should think of before you go through with it.
If you want a book that is a quick and easy read, but one that gives you some action, this would be a great book for you. This book is great for a person who likes a little action and drama. Also if you like animals this book would be great.
Matt's review.......2004-12-14
I read Bull Rider by Marilyn Halverson. I liked the book because it had a lot of cool parts in the book. I liked when Layne got bucked off a bull named Rhino and when they loaded the horse up in the back of the truck and the horse fell out because these party animals drove and shouted out the window. This story is about a boy that wants to become a professional bull rider but his mom won't let him. His mom won't let him because his father died riding. I think the person who would like this book is someone who likes action and bull riding.
Great Hi-Lo series.......2004-01-23
In Bull Rider, Layne defies his mother to tackle the sport that killed his father: bull riding. With the help of a mentor, he might just have a chance at landing a prize - or he might break his neck. Layne's moral dilemma would make a excellent topic for classroom discussion.
Ninety pages of enlarged typeface doesn't leave a whole lot of room for details such as setting and character development, but the quick pace, suspense, and sports action blended with a light "love interest" subplot will hold the reader's attention once the snazzy cover has hooked. While not quite as tightly written as those by Beth Goobie and William Bell (side note: when is Orca going to commission Don Trembath to write a Soundings book?), the series as a whole is highly recommended. The rodeo-themed Bull Rider may not do as well here in New England as in other areas; the Canadian settings generally don't limit the audience. Recommended for school and public libraries.
Bull Rider.......2003-12-05
This is an awesome book. We are currently reading as a family. My son who has reading difficulties and doesn't like to read, can't seem to put the book down. It has really got his attention. I would recommend it to anyone!
Book Description
Explores the origins and development of bull riding as a rodeo event, discussing the rules, the training, the judging, and the animal and human stars.
Customer Reviews:
If I was him I would be scared?.......2001-08-11
The book Bull Riding by author Josepha Sherman is about Bull Riding at a rodeo and it is the dangerous sport.
I think Alex Grant would be a bull rider.
If I was him I would be scared becuase Alex Grant might have been to Las, Vegas at The National Finals Rodeo but, not really.
Michael Sponigol would be an NFR qualifier and he's been there at The National Finals 4 times in Las, Vegas at that rodeo.
Just make believe!
Book Description
The most famous rodeo champion of all time tells his amazing true story -- and opens a fascinating window into the world of the professional cowboy.
Ty Murray was born to be a rodeo star -- in fact, his first words were "I'm a bull rider." Before he was even out of diapers, he was climbing atop his mother's Singer sewing machine case, which just so happened to be the perfect mechanical bull for a 13-month-old. Before long, Ty was winning peewee events by the hatful, and his special talent was obvious...obvious even to a man called Larry Mahan. At the time the greatest living rodeo legend, six-time champion Mahan invited a teenaged Ty Murray to spend a summer on his ranch learning not just rodeoing but also some life lessons. Those lessons prepared Ty for a career that eventually surpassed even Mahan's own -- Ty's seven All-Around Championships.
In King of the Cowboys, Ty Murray invites us into the daredevil world of rodeo and the life of the cowboy. Along the way, he details a life spent constantly on the road, heading to the next event; the tragic death of his friend and fellow rodeo star Lane Frost; and the years of debilitating injuries that led some to say Ty Murray was finished.
He wasn't. In fact, Ty Murray has brought the world of rodeo into the twenty-first century, through his unparalleled achievements in the ring, through advancing the case for the sport as a television color-commentator, and through the Professional Bull Riders, an organization he helped to build.
In the end, though, Ty Murray is first and foremost a cowboy, and now that he's retired from competition, he takes this chance to reflect on his remarkable life and career. In King of the Cowboys, Ty Murray opens up his world as never before.
Customer Reviews:
Glad I read it!.......2007-01-06
When I first saw the reviews for this book I shied away from it but then I decided to form my own opinion. I'm glad I did. Not only was it a look into his life but I also got a glimpse of other greats like Cody Lambert, Tuff Hedeman and Lane Frost. I don't believe he was bragging but saying things as they are. It's a very positve book and I had my teenage sons read it. He talks about living your dreams and doing your best. I think it's awesome he went to college and graduated cum laude. He has lived a most interesting and busy life. I don't know about "King of the cowboys" but he's most certaintly at the top the list.
MORE GAS THAN A BULL THAT'S BEEN EATING BAD HAY!.......2004-07-28
I used to be a Ty Murray fan and then I read this book. Where is the the tough but humble image that cowboys are famous for? And what is all of this about chasing down wild elk on snowmobiles? Perhaps he was coming off a three-kegger-Friday and didn't know what the heck he was doing! Or, more than likely, we can attribute his embarrassing behavior to one too many hits in the head by a well-meaning bucking bull.
Give me Dan Mortensen, the great Saddle Bronc champion. Give me Larry Mahan, the man who had all the records (and appropriate behavior) before Murray came along. And, given the track that he is on, Trevor Brazile, probably the greatest roper in rodeo history, is sure to break Murray's records in the All Around category. It will be good to forget Murray.
THE HORSEMAN
Comprehensive and a Well Deserved Ego.......2004-04-07
I'm amazed at how well Ty packed his life into such a neat little package. I feel as though I grew up next to him and followed his progress as close as a proud parent. Any rider with so many marked achievements is going to have positive and motivating things to say and though this may draw fire from some, I feel it's well deserved. If you are good enough to rack up the wins as consistently and methodically as Ty did, then you are good enough to be admired and ignore the sour grapes. Once again, I feel as though I were standing right beside Ty from the time he was a toddler to the day he retired from rodeo and I was able to cheer and cry at the appropriate times. I recommend this book to anyone interested in either Rodeo or Good Sportsmanship. Ty shows how hard work, taking responsibility, passion and determination pay off in the end and provides a good role model to all.
King of the Creeps.......2003-09-11
Ty Murray's undeniable talent starts and ends with staying atop bucking animals. In his self-patronizing autobiography, this spoiled rodeo superstar proves to be a redneck in the worst sense of the word, not a "cowboy" as he claims. His description of the time he chased down the elk on a snowmobile and then rode the exhausted animal in the deep Colorado snow would have been a mature mea culpa had he not used the incident instead to lash out at the wildlife officer and the newspaper reporter for doing their jobs and exposing him as a creep in a cowboy hat.
Braggadocio.......2003-07-19
When I was young and foolish and growing up in Wyoming I was on the rodeo circuit for a short while. The cowboys I met were tough but humble. Ty Murray is certainly not humble. If braggadocio is your thing, this is your book. If tough is chasing down female elk on snowmobiles and then riding them, Murray is one tough dude. Depsite what he claims, I don't think that is "the cowboy way." It was at this point in the book that I threw it in the garbage. Rather than buy this book, I suggest you send the money to some orgaization that protects wildlife from people like Ty Murray.
Customer Reviews:
Great Life Story!.......2001-05-17
This was a funny, touching true life story that I couldn't put down! Definitely a great book for anyone, whether you like rodeo or not.
This is an amazing book.......2001-05-09
I loved this book. It was one of the only books I have read with such a real life country setting. Not only was this guy a wonderful bullrider but was and is a good person at heart. Being raised around cattle and horses made for a great start for a bullrider. I think this book is very enlightening to the life of a bullrider and how hard they work to become what they are. It takes a very special person to climb on the back of a bull, and try to hang on for 8 seconds. They are faced with life and death everytime they nodd there head and come out of those chutes.
I couldn't put this book down. I would recommend this to anyone. Please take the time to read this book and you will soon appreciate the courage these guys have in taking on a bull.
EXCELLENT!!.......2001-05-09
The night my book arrived I burnt supper because I couldn't put it down. I found myself up at 2am reading it. I laughed, I cried and I laughed so hard that I cried reading the stories and remembering the people and places from this book. PeeWee, You did a wonderful job, I am soo very proud of you. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a look into the life and character of a cowboy!! Hurry up and write us another one!!
The Last Ride.......2000-12-31
I met Pee Wee Mercer when I was a senior in high school and we became very good friends and we traveled the high school rodeo circuit in 1985.Only living 10 miles from each other,we did alot of things that year.I went on and served my country, while my partner cont. with the rodeo circuit.This book was such an excellent story of a great bullrider and a wonderful person.Rodeo is a tough life and there's many bruises and broken bones along the way and when you start reading it, you discover what it takes to be a professional bullrider.I went to the hospital just after the accident and as I looked at my little buddy, I just couldn't imagen what the future held for him,but I can say that he's taken something awfully and has done what few people could even dream about . Pee Thanks for all the memories and the stories, will be looking forward to another book soon. Your friend Rowland Cortese
I wore my pants out.......2000-12-29
PeeWee Mercer took me on a wild ride in his "Last Ride." He had me on so many bulls he wore my pants out. If you ever dreamed about what it is like to be a professional bullrider, Pee Wee tells it like it is, with all the glamour and romance washed out. You will ride around the circuit racing from city to city for the opportunity to get up on that next bull. The pay stinks, and there is a lot of pain, but for Pee Wee it is the life to which he was born. Pee Wee's last ride is the hook that pulls you into his story. Can you imagine the world in which he found himself after breaking is spinal cord that fateful evening in 1995 when he rode his last bull? His life today is the "hardest" bull he has ever had to ride, yet he continues on with guts and a faith that is an inspiration to all.
Customer Reviews:
Ring of Fire - Last of the Rodeo Roots.......2007-01-27
I enjoyed reading Ring of Fire. Having been in and followed Rodeo for a great many years, Ring of Fire, is a look into the World of the Bull Rider, before it became a slick, Madison Avenue packaged production. At that time, the Rodeo roots were still alive and well and Hollywood had not yet taken over. The Book is well worth the money if you have your roots in Rodeo.
Quality Lacking.......2004-12-02
Essentially a picture book w/ limited text. Printing and design are dated and of average quality at best. A few great pics but lots of filler. Some day they will come out with a book that does justice to this fantastic sport...
Ring of Fire.......2003-04-02
This is a great book. It shows that bullriding is one of the most thrilling and exciting sports that there is. Even though bullriding has long been overlooked by the sports world, thePBR organization has made this sport one of the most popular and this book shows you why. The pictures are a fan's dream come true and the book is beautifully put together. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes excitement.
Great Book.......2001-06-07
This is one of my all time favorite books! It has so many pictures of bulls like Dillinger, Red Wolf, and Promise Land.
Beautiful.......2001-01-05
If you like Pro Bull Riding, this book is a must, a very beautiful, moving edition. If you aren't a fan, you should check it out anyway. The photography is truly fantastic and makes the sport look even more dramatic, intense, and personal than it already is.
Book Description
"A technical tour de force, destined to become the thinking bull's bible."-Kathryn Welling, Barron's
Renowned for her analytical brilliance and extraordinary forecasting ability, LOUISE YAMADA examines the forces that will shape the markets for the next ten years
"Few on Wall Street can match Louise Yamada for analytical ability as well as insight on the big issues affecting investors. We are fortunate she is willing to share the results of her thoughts and research with us."-Mark Haines, CNBC
"Louise Yamada has a special talent for anticipating future financial trends. Market Magic is a must read for investors as we prepare for the exciting decade ahead."-David Cork, F.C.S.I. author of The Pig and the Python: How to Prosper from the Aging Baby Boom
"Market Magic demystifies the voodoo of technical analysis and relates technical indicators to the real world of stocks and bonds and demographic and economic trends worldwide."-Oscar S. Schafer, General Partner
Cumberland Associates; Member, Barron's Roundtable
For updates on new and bestselling Wiley Finance titles: wiley.com/wbns
Customer Reviews:
A journey beyond the daily headlines, and stock of the day........1999-04-06
This book carries you beyond daily headlines and the siren song of the stock of the day. Ms. Yamada seeks to identify the underlying enduring trends, rather than tout a cookbook style prescription to current fads. This is a history lesson, making extensive use of comparisons with prior bull markets. As a result, the reader should expect to be an active participant by reviewing the the detailed charts and data. A page turner it is not. The core thesis and eventual conclusions are well worth the effort. After all it is your money.
PRINCIPLES TO INVEST BY.......1998-12-31
Reading this book teaches the reader that demographics play a vital role in this "new" economy. The future is completely predictable if we focus on logic vs emotion. A must reading for all long term investors.
A fascinating guide to the next ten years of investing.......1998-05-23
I was turned on to this book by theStreet.com's review which gave it five stars saying "Salomon Smith Barney technical analyst Louise Yamada has written a monumental book, one that all serious and professional investors should read." After a couple of times through Market Magic I couldn't agree more. The first part of the book reads like an analyst's detective story as Yamada exlains how she came to publish her 1994 prediction of 7680 for the Dow even though the average was then stalled at 3600. Yamada then takes on the future and describes the global macrotrends that are already shaping the world economy, and will continue to do so despite interim setbacks. This is not a beach book. It challenges readers to think anew and question outdated concepts. I can't imagine a more rewarding guide to the future.
Very disappointing work from a wonderful analyst.......1998-05-20
Louise Yamada is an interesting analyst. Although the book contains a lot of data, the data do not come together to form information or wisdom.
Thankfully, each chapter has a summary. The summaries make me feel like I covered the book and didn't completely waste my money.
Amazon.com
After five years at the National Security Agency, Paul Stiles, age 29, finds himself disillusioned with government service and wondering if there isn't a better way to make a life. A few months later, Stiles finds himself working as a trader for the world's largest security firm, Merrill Lynch.
In the year that follows, Stiles sees the Mexican peso, the Orange County disaster, and the intense and brutal politics that dominates Merrill Lynch. Riding the Bull is a fast-paced, well-written personal account that traces Stiles's short-lived career on Wall Street--from his first job interview to the day he was fired. During his short tenure as a bond trader, Stiles watches his life, marriage, and sense of well-being slowly crumble. If you ever thought that trading bonds might be a good way to make a living, Riding the Bull may convince you otherwise. You'll also get a good overview of how the bond market works and why.
Customer Reviews:
Thriving vs. Balance.......2006-07-30
I enjoyed the book, empathizing with the emotional struggles of being the low man on the totem pole lacking the clout to make positive changes while somehow your boss is an idiot making stupid managerial decisions based on a narrow self-interested view. At the same time, the final "dialogue" just bled liberal tree-hugger. At the same time, for an interesting read on the idea of America's consumer culture, try reading "The Paradox of Choice" which I thought was just great.
Anywho, I did enjoy the part of the book talking about how one can lose oneself if there's continual go-go-go without time for reflection, which seems to typidfy the Wall Street existence- and more and more the typical American existence. I think my dad said it best: America teaches you to thrive, but has nothing to say about balance.
By the Horns.......2005-11-24
Every now and then you come across a really inspiring rags-to-riches tale of Wall Street, a story of a streetwise poor kid full of ambition, raw brains, and moxie, who risks it all, works like a demon, and makes big money in the financial jungle.
This is not one of them.
Paul Stiles, Harvard grad, smart dude, worked at the National Security Agency for five years: by about 1994, he'd decided "good enough for government work" wasn't good enough for him. North of his little cottage near Annapolis, the trenches and bunkers of Manhattan, a great battle---fought with derivatives, and tranches of collateralized debt, and high-yield instruments of death and destruction---was being fought: a war with, potentially, far greater ramfications for the United States than all the post-Cold War subterfuge for pennies wielded in Washington DC.
So he did what all of us Wall Street hopefuls have done, once upon a time: he road the shuttle north, an interviewed like a banshee.
The first thing you'll pick up in "Riding the Bull" is the verve of the writing: Stiles has a gift for words, for framing a scene, for setting up Manhattan in the mid-nineties, in the heat of the Bull Market, and Stiles---after the agony of inquisitorial, mercurial, stress-driven interviews masterminded by the newest lords of the manor, the calculus-fuelled quants---secured a plum role in emerging markets debt at Merrill Lynch, whose sigil and symbol---the rampant bull---was emblematic of that intoxicating, wild-eyed age.
Stiles, then, is an alien---or an ape, your choice---in this brave new world of bond trading, the Mexican sovereign crisis, the convergence of High Finance, High Octane, and Super-Duper international skullduggery.
Oh, with a little aside on the craziness of trying to settle down in Brooklyn, New York, 20th century, on a pittance of 100 grand a year. Sheesh.
Now: as I said, Stiles has a gimlet eye: of his work in the trenches at Merrill, as he was handed a nasty, thankless assignment as, effectively, a minister without portfolio, a trader without a country, a hapless Gringo amid the so-called Latin Mafia that ran the South America debt operations---how he tried, failed, tried again, and got sacked---trying to carve out his own little kingdom in the jungle of the Bull.
It's fun reading. It's scandalous, witty, engaging, capable of beoing devoured on a red-eye flight from Boston to LA, and consummately engaging.
Moralistic? Possibly. Stiles nails the pyschology of Manhattan, the city that grows up, not out. An island with skeletal coastal development? Go figure, in a place where the eyes look to the sky, not to the sea.
Some might complain that a one-year tour of duty on Wall Street hardly qualifies for the jeremiad that is "Riding the Bull", but I disagree: in the wake of Enron, Tyco, Worldcom, Adelphia, and countless other Wall Street turmoils, "Riding the Bull" is a merciless little piece of pungent journalism, a fly-on-the-wall in America's boardrooms where the caviar is probably laced with salmonella and the Crystal is jacked up with arsenic.
Here be Dragons.
JSG
Great read for reader interested in financial world.......2004-05-28
Although the author's knowledge of Finance is fairly limited, the book's focus on the political environment inside a Wall Street firm provides valuable insight to the person interested into entering this field.
Many people pursue a career in Wall St. simply to make money; and this was the intent of the author. Furthermore, the author's background is quite similar to those who are entering the field some years after having finished college. Moving from the slow paced lifestyle to the hectic routine of a Wall st. analyst, the author is able to convey the difficult transition into Sales and Trading.
My only wish is that the author focused less on New York lifestyle and more on how a Wall St. firm works. It would have been nice to delve into the investment banking side and equity side. The author is limited by his lack of experience on the street and most of the writing is based on only a short-term experience. For those interested in pursuing a career in Bonds this might be a good read. Also, it is fairly long considering the author doesn't detail too much information. So you've got to look for the subtle things to make some kind of perception.
This is definitely not a read for anyone experienced in Finance. Solely for those interested in getting into the field.
Author's Update.......2002-12-02
I wrote RIDING THE BULL to provide a first-hand account of the corrosive effect of extreme capitalism on human society. The book is a true story of a year I spent working at Merrill Lynch in New York City. It has now been seven years since I was hired by Merrill Lynch, and five since the book was published. In that time Merrill Lynch has paid half a billion dollars in fines both for its role in the Orange County bankruptcy and in the fraudulent promotion of dot-com stocks; the phony technology bubble has burst, just as the phony emerging markets bubble burst; and an unprecedented series of corporate scandals has rocked the American economy, causing a historic decline in the stock market that has erased an estimated $45 billion from the GDP. The magnitude of the problem has even led that champion of the Big Apple, the New York Times, to finally see the light: "If you have to choose the primary breeding ground for the various business misdeeds now consuming national attention, New York, I'm afraid, is the place...if infectious greed is the virus, New York is the center of the outbreak." (City of Schemes, NYT Magazine, 10/6/02).
One is tempted at this point to issue a strong I-told-you-so. I won't.
Decent - but there are better books out there.......2002-10-23
Stiles made it a year in the derivatives business. What I found surprising was that he made into Merrill Lynch at all. Here was a guy who hasn't even taken his series 7 and he's wondering why he's completely lost.
The lack of communication apparent in Merrill Lynch is unfortunate, but no different than other large finance companies (I can attest to that.) I found it hard to understand why the bureaucracy drove Stiles nuts considering his previous job was with the government. Rather than explain it as it was, I couldn't help but think Stiles was looking for someone to point the finger at. It seemed to me the truth behind the corporate culture lies more along the lines of "we don't care what you do as long as it makes money." The "Latin Mafia" and the rest knew this and were playing the game using the cards they were dealt.
What I did enjoy were his escapades (or lack thereof) outside of work. Sorry New-Yorkers, even though I was born there, I cannot understand why anyone would choose to live there and this book reinforces the opinion. Stiles did a great job of conveying life in the Big Apple, from the sense of tension just getting to and from work, the rationalizations that come out when crime hits close to home, to a valid summary of why a dual income family making over $100K a year still has nothing to show for it. (Any Brooklynite reading this is probably thinking, "if you don't like it... leave" which is exactly the point.)
Whereas "Liar's Poker" is probably overly congratulatory, "Riding the Bull" is overly accusatory. I'm not sure if the author needed to sell his soul to continue working at Mother Merrill, but he should've realized he might have to make that decision before he took the job.
Book Description
Famed rodeo rider Ty Murray, "The King of the Cowboys," shares recollections of his amazing career in the roughstock events. These events-bareback, saddle bronc, and bull riding-are the most dangerous and physically demanding in the sport of rodeo. Murray recalls wild adventures on the road with rodeo buddies Lane Frost, Cody Lambert, Tuff Hedeman, and Jim Sharp, as well as the humorous antics and tragic accidents that have shaped their friendships. He discusses the business side of life on the rodeo circuit, from evaluating stock to managing a hectic traveling schedule. Murray explains what it takes to put his life on the line every time he crawls into the saddle to ride the meanest, toughest broncs and bulls.
Customer Reviews:
Good Ol'e Boy.......2002-03-26
this book was great on many different levles because we got to see a side of Ty that we can't when watching him preform. the pictures were great and his words told a story that only rodeo cowboys like me and him and many others will only know. even if you are not a rodeo cowboy/ or fan pick it up it's an easy read and will take you into a life of one grat one and maybe be the greatest. a life much of the world is afraid, and skepical of. ROCK ON TY.......
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