The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook: A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal
Written by Ben Mezrich
Narrated by Mike Chamberlain
3.5/5
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Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
Eduardo Saverin and Mark Zuckerberg were Harvard undergraduates and best friends-outsiders at a school filled with polished prep-school grads and long-time legacies. They shared both academic brilliance in math and a geeky awkwardness with women.
Eduardo figured their ticket to social acceptance-and sexual success-was getting invited to join one of the university's Final Clubs, a constellation of elite societies that had groomed generations of the most powerful men in the world and ranked on top of the inflexible hierarchy at Harvard. Mark, with less of an interest in what the campus alpha males thought of him, happened to be a computer genius of the first order.
Which he used to find a more direct route to social stardom: one lonely night, Mark hacked into the university's computer system, creating a ratable database of all the female students on campus-and subsequently crashing the university's servers and nearly getting himself kicked out of school. In that moment, in his Harvard dorm room, the framework for Facebook was born.
What followed-a real-life adventure filled with slick venture capitalists, stunning women, and six-foot-five-inch identical-twin Olympic rowers-makes for one of the most entertaining and compelling books of the year. Before long, Eduardo's and Mark's different ideas about Facebook created in their relationship faint cracks, which soon spiraled into out-and-out warfare. The collegiate exuberance that marked their collaboration fell prey to the adult world of lawyers and money. The great irony is that while Facebook succeeded by bringing people together, its very success tore two best friends apart.
The Accidental Billionaires is a compulsively readable story of innocence lost-and of the unusual creation of a company that has revolutionized the way hundreds of millions of people relate to one another.
Ben Mezrich, a Harvard graduate, has published ten books, including the New York Times bestseller Bringing Down the House. He is a columnist for Boston Common and a contributor for Flush magazine. Ben lives in Boston with his wife, Tonya.
From the Hardcover edition.
Editor's Note
Facebook Turns 15…
Launched in 2004 from a Harvard dorm, Facebook celebrates its 15th anniversary this month. For better or worse, the tech giant has changed the way we communicate. Go back to the beginning with the book behind the Oscar-winning “The Social Network.”
Ben Mezrich
Ben Mezrich worked variously as a cartoonist, legal researcher, communications specialist and television production assistant before writing his first novel Threshold, then Reaper. A Harvard graduate and X-Files fan, he lives in Boston.
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Reviews for The Accidental Billionaires
472 ratings265 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Halfway through the book I was kinda over it. It went from an exciting back story to everything you would expect from a power hungry genius. Interesting book nonetheless.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Not often I think the movie is better than the book but this is one of those times.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The White City portion of this book was, by far, the more interesting part of the story. Chicago, just before the turn of the century, was still a filthy, sometimes primitive city, just beginning to claw its way to modernity. The story of the 1893 Worlds Fair was an incredible story of overcoming insurmountable odds to create a dream. The economy of the entire country was in freefall, yet architects and city planners created this incredible exposition out of virtually nothing. Many firsts occurred here, and developments of this Fair had lasting impact on modern life (including being the reason we mostly use AC- alternating current, instead of DC- direct current.)
And yeah, there was a serial killer. Maybe I've read too many Koontz novels, or watched one too many episodes of Criminal Minds, but I didn't find the story of Mudgett (aka Holmes,) to be a very driving portion of this reading. I can't help but wonder if the story of Chicago's Exposition was the real passion for Erik Larson, and the story of the serial killer was the aside that made his book sell well. Don't get me wrong, it was interesting, but in some areas I found myself skimming the descriptions of a charming psychopath working his game, in favor of getting back to the real story of the race to build the White City. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5For a nonfiction piece, this was a great book. The story of the rise and fall of the World Fair in Chicago interspersed with the machinations of a psychopath. The author did extensive research (his endorsement for genuine library research in the author notes at the conclusion is worthwhile in itself) and the story benefitted from his toil. So many primary quotations make the historical account real for the reader. The other benefit is an effect that could not be achieved by an account written during or shortly after the event but requires the perspective of history: so many important historical people are linked into the account. These linkages make the Fair increase in its significance.
The account does suffer the loss of more historical documents relating to the affairs of its murderer, but our ignorance of his actuality plays into the ignorance of the Chicago police, the general public, and the fact that we don't really know what goes on in the life of psychopaths. The trust he gained from so many women is bone-chilling when I consider all the people I think I know...but do I really?
Anyone with an interest in history, architecture, true crime, or marketing is likely to enjoy this account. - Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I appreciated Larson's vivid details and his ability to place the reader into 1890s Chicago.
However, I was disappointed to find that the book dedicated about 65% of the text to the architects, the politics, and economics of the World's Fair and 35% of the story to the mysterious doings of H.H. Holmes. The entire story behind the disappearances was overall detached and lacking in emotion and motivation.
For the most part, the talk of the fair and the work to build it was too detailed and tedious. The story of the fair is kind of a let-down. Almost as if he weighted the book based on the research he was able to do, rather than what would make a compelling read. - Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5while the time, place and people highlighted in larson's book are fascinating in their own right, the style of writing and clunky editing really took away from my enjoyment of the read. repetition occurs - olmsted's age is noted as 73 twice - in sentences one immediately following the other, for example. in other places, odd bits of information are interjected in a few sentences, as stand-alone paragraphs with no bearing on whatever is currently being written about in the story. some moments in the narrative are very much over-written and other moments we are left dangling, wondering what that random comment meant. for example - a small fire occurs at one of the key fair buildings. damage is minor yet after an investigation a dangerous omission of construction is found and all insurance policies are cancelled by the insurance companies. the reader is not told what this deficiency is...for approximately 100 ish pages. the flow of the book was just awkward and, at times, disruptive. which is a shame because, as i already noted, each subject - the fair (and it's players) and holmes - is fascinating. so much more could have been done to make this book really WOW readers. it feels like a missed opportunity.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Erik Larson on how he conducts his research, page 395.
"I do not employ researchers, nor did I conduct any primary research using the Internet. I need physical contact with my sources, and there's one way to get it. To me every trip to a library or archive is like a small detective story. There are always little moments on such trips when the past flares to life."
Ah, another soul who understands the visceral joy of a library or archive. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I had to do this one on audio. I was hard to get into on book but that's me and nonfiction. I really don't get it because I enjoyed this book alot, Chicago story about human deviance and achievement. But yeah, had to audio.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Some say that truth is stranger than fiction; while I don't know about that I can say that at times, such as in the reading of The Devil in the White City, truth is more compelling that fiction. Thanks to Hollywood and the crazy killers found throughout the history of fictional thrillers it is easy to be jaded when your presented with a smooth talking pharmacist who preys on young women. It is easy to not be horrified until you remember the story is real.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5This was not a bad book in and of itself, it was just not my kind of book. I really only tried to read it for a book club, although the description made it sound interesting.
Unfortunately the book was a dry read for me - well written, but dry, as it mostly concerned the people, events, and architecture of the World's Fair and just a little bit about the serial murderer that was centered around it. There were some interesting tidbits, and I learned a few things in my glimpse into the past. But none of that was worth the amount of reading it took to get to them. As it stands, I speed-skimmed through the first half the book and barely read it. I really started reading when I thought I had gotten to the part about the murders, but even that left me disappointed.
I just can't bring myself to finish reading it, so it is going on my "abandoned" shelf. I feel a bit bad about rating a book when I haven't really even read it, but at the same time, the fact that I couldn't bring myself to read it kind of deserves the one-star rating I have given it. Mainly, I gave it one star because I am hoping that the suggestions algorithm that Goodreads has recently installed on their website will use it to help me avoid books like this in the future. - Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5This book annoyed me, almost beyond reason. The juxtaposition of the building of the Chicago world's fair with the murders was quite interesting, but this is fiction!!! Most of the footnotes are noting that no, the thing footnoted actually happened this other way instead of the way it's outlined in the book. So much is speculation and hardly any of the "research" is via primary sources. I wouldn't have been nearly as annoyed if it had not been presented as non-fiction, and if most of the reading public paid attention to the unreality of the story. You know those "based on a true story" movies or TV programs? That's what this is. Based on a true story--very, very, very, very, very loosely based.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Let's just put it out there that I'm not a huge fan of non-fiction. My book-club makes me do it once in a while. This book? It's actually two non-fiction books. Goody! (or not).
There are two stories, operating side by side, almost in the same time and almost in the same space.
The first is all about the World's Columbian Exposition (aka the Chicago World's Fair) and the second is about H. H. Holmes/H. Mudgett, one of America's first documented serial killers.
If the book were just about the World's Fair, I would have rated it another star. Surprisingly, I found this part of the book fascinating and the (sometimes seriously immature) drama behind how the World's Fair came to be and how it got built was very interesting. The people involved, the innovations that happened and how many ideas, imagery, people, and products shaped so much of America's life today was just amazing.
Then there was the serial killer storyline. I kept waiting... and waiting... and waiting for these two stories to somehow intersect or become more involved with each other; I could not comprehend why an author would throw these totally different, unrelated stories together. It's like the author wanted to write about the Fair, and his publisher demanded he put something seedy in there just so the book would sell more copies.
I also felt like the author was more invested in the World's Fair stories. Most of the book is about it (the chapters do not strictly alternate), and the passion seemed to be there. Once I gave up on trying to figure out how/when/where the two subjects would intersect, I could sit back and enjoy the Fair parts. The chapters about Holmes don't contain anything I hadn't already learned from a 45 minute documentary.
I did appreciate the novelization of this non-fiction account. I have no doubt there is a bit of speculation in the story, but it made it much more enjoyable than a dry account; as always, I appreciated the annotations and bibliography the author included at the end.
Architecture/Chicago's World Fair story? 3 stars. Easily.
H. H. Holmes? 1-2 stars. I was bored and completely un-invested. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A mildly interesting book about the World's Fair. The whole bit with H.H. Holmes and his murder castle seemed almost tacked on in order to rouse interest. The book would have been pretty good without it. Ah well.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pretty dense, but I liked it. I will have to try some of his other books later.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Extremely informative, and a bit creepy at times. Surprisingly poetic writing without being too grandiose. Sometimes the parts about the fair were more interesting! Really made me re-think the way I view modern architecture in America. I thought the ending was a bit rushed, though. The book seemed to fall flat with the epilogue. Could just be me, however, because I generally dislike epilogues. Overall, I recommend it.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I will confess, I stopped reading the book when I did a little research on HH Holmes, America's first serial killer. Reading about the enormity of his crimes and the methods by which he lured and killed his victims, I couldn't continue reading the very well written book by Erik Larson as I did not want to experience the gruesomeness of his crimes. But if you like serial killer books, I would say this one is engrossing, well written and holds your attention.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I enjoyed this book but with all of the rave reviews it would have hard to measure up to the hype. I had previously read "In the Garden of the Beasts" so I was aware of Larson's style. Although the stories made not have been clearly linked I thought that having them told together worked. A story strictly about either the fair or the serial killer would not have worked for me. I liked the balance but did find that the story surrounding the fair a little too detailed for my taste. I would like to have had more about Holmes but realized that Larson had more information about the fair. Being from Chicago, I realized how little I was taught about this part of my cities history. Larson did a good job of creating the feel of what life was like during the 1890's. All in all a good read.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5There are two interesting accounts being told in this book. However, it seems to me that the author established a tenuous connection between the episodes. I failed to see why these disparate stories HAD to be in the same book. A marketing decision to maximize buyers, perhaps?The lack of connection bothered me, but on the plus side, it is like buying two books for the price of one.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5THIS IS A REVIEW OF THE AUDIOBOOKLarson found two fascinating but disparate stories that happened concurrently (the creation of the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago and a serial killer who was murdering women just blocks from the fair site) and wove them together without letting one overshadow the other. This is how I like my history (weird, accessible, contextual), and I see why everyone raved about this book. Scott Brick was a brilliant narrator, but since I listened on audio, I had to Google photos of the fair and the killer to get the visuals that Larson so eloquently described. You know when the building of a fair and the building of a killing room are equally riveting that you’re in the hands of a good writer.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I read this in the lead up to my Chicago vacation and found it highly enjoyable. Or as enjoyable as a book that is half about a mass murderer can be. It traces the history of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair – the political and architectural struggles – along side the story of H.H. Holmes a businessman and swindler who built a horror-movie style hotel – gas jets in every room, a body furnace in the basement, etc - which he used to kill anywhere from 9 to a few hundred people. Larson writes a compelling narrative that moves quickly along without sacrificing detail. Obviously I was particularly taken with the portions dealing with the architectural design and construction of the pavilions and landscape. Though I do think he drastically overestimates the impact of the fair’s design on architectural styles. The Beaux Arts style of the fair was already the standard for high end design, not something the fair popularized. In fact, I would argue that the fair was a bit of a death rattle for Classicism – Europe was already sniffing at modernism, while electricity and the elevator would jump start it in the States.Still very highly recommended for those who like narrative nonfiction.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Although it’s a bit dry at times, The Devil in the White City is an engaging work of nonfiction that creatively combines the stories of two very different men - one a brilliant architect and the other a prolific serial killer - to paint a fascinating portrait of life in Chicago during the World’s Fair. The book leaves you with the sense of the remarkable highs and lows, the light and dark aspects of humanity, that coexisted alongside one another at this important moment in American history. It’s also beautifully written with a poetic, storytelling flare that makes it interesting and accessible if not precisely entertaining. I recommend it for fans of history, biography, and true crime.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A peculiar history of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair (World's Columbian Exposition), Director of Works Daniel Burnham and the serial murderer H. H. Holmes (Herman Webster Mudgett). The history of each of them is engaging enough. It seems like two separate books interleaved into one. The prose is doggedly correct and without style. The organization of the Fair management is predictably muddled. The central role of architects including landscape architect Olmstead is fascinating and soooo 19th century.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Loved this book immensely! Larson does a great job capturing his reader right away and keeps you're attention throughout.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Looking back, it was rather strange when I found myself standing and applauding Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America; and for a moment even Petey the Watts Bar Wonder Terrier was concerned. As two stories, The Chicago World’s Fair of 1983 and the crimes of Dr. H.H. Holmes, weave and intertwine, as the reader braces for their collision. The collision never comes, but the gravity of each story pulls on the other forever altering it’s path.The World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 became the stage on which the 19th century gave birth to the 20th century. For many in America, especially for those rural areas, the daily life they lived was virtually the same as their grandparents, or even great-grandparents. The fair offered a glimpse behind the curtain to see much of what the 20th century had to offer. The zipper, Cracker Jacks, Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, a device that enabled books to be printed in Braille, working electrical power and the Ferris Wheel all debuted at the fair. H.H. Holmes is believed by many to be the first serial killer in American history, and for him the fair became a siren’s call luring thousands, including many women, to Chicago hoping to avoid the economic depression of the day. God only knows the real number Holmes killed. Nine deaths were confirmed, but the number could be as large as 200. The limited communication of the day made it easy for someone to disappear.Larson’s telling of these stories is captivating as mixes the historically accurate with descriptions fuel the images of the imagination.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This weaves together two parallel stories: "The White City" is the 1893 Chicago World's fair, and "The Devil" a serial killer who preyed on visitors. Larson tells both stories beautifully, encapsulating the dark and bright of the Gilded Age. I knew nothing of either story and soon was astonished I didn't--especially about that historic world's fair. The fair was designed by the leading American architects of the day, landscaped by the designer of New York City's Central Park, Frederick Law Olmstead, opened by President Grover Cleveland, and visited by Archduke Francis Ferdinand, Houdini, Tesla, Edison, Joplin, Clarence Darrow, Woodrow Wilson, Susan B. Anthony, Teddy Roosevelt, Diamond Jim Brady, Lillian Russell, Helen Keller, Theodore Dreiser among other luminaries. It debuted the Pledge of Allegiance, introduced such products as Shredded Wheat and Cracker Jack, helped establish AC over DC as the standard for electricity, influenced the design of the United States capitol Federal Mall and the institution of Columbus Day. Walt Disney's father worked on it and Larson credits the impression it made with inspiring Disney's Magic Kingdom as well as inspiring visiting L. Frank Baum's Oz. It also had another innovative feature built to "out Eiffel, Eiffel" whose tower led glamor to the 1884 Paris World's Fair. Larson builds so beautifully to the reveal on that one I'll let you discover that great attraction for yourself. Larson in this book gives a great panorama of Americana. Oh, and the serial killer, H.H. Holmes? He makes Jack the Ripper look like a slacker. I can't complain about the pacing or the prose--both are first rate. If anything holds me back from a fifth star, it's that this is creative non-fiction, a genre that makes me wary. Truman Capote claimed to have invented that genre, what he called "the non-fiction novel," with In Cold Blood. In other words, creative fiction is a work that, though based on a true story, takes liberties with the facts and invents details, dialogue, and even entire events. Larson even cites In Cold Blood as an inspiration. There's just so much sensory detail and thoughts of historical figures in the book for me to find its facts reliable. One can suppose such details could be taken from contemporary newspaper articles, letters and diaries to some extent, but I don't find that plausible in many instances. On the other hand, I'll give Larson this, unlike Capote, he does supply notes--thirty pages of them. But I can't quite settle into this as a novel, and yet can't quite trust it as history as a result of his approach.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I listened to this book in audio format which worked well for me. Some reported getting bored reading the book, but I can't speak to that. I enjoyed it and it kept my interest at all levels and I learned a lot.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I downloaded this nonfiction account of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair/biography of H.H. Holmes, at my daughter's request, as she is currently reading "The Devil in the White City" for her "American Experience" class in high school. Pairing a historical account of the World's Fair with a biography of a serial killer seemed liked an odd combination to me, but I was willing to read along to help my daughter with her understanding of the events. Each chapter alternates between a detailed account of the preparation efforts that preceded the Chicago World's Fair and the life story of the famous serial killer, H.H. Holmes, who was present and busy murdering dozens of women and children during the years prior to the fair. This book was thoroughly researched, down to exasperating minutiae, so much so that I found myself bored and sleepy during the chapters about the fair. In contrast, I found myself disgusted and nauseus while reading the chapters about Holmes. In essence, I began to dread picking up the book at all! I am very suprised that my daughter's teacher picked this book to teach the class about life in that time period, as the grizzly murders by Holmes were disgusting and beyond what I would prefer my daughter spend her time reading. In all, I am giving up on this book at exactly the midpoint, because I am not taking the class and don't need nor want to find out the worst that Holmes did to his women (and children) victims. In all, not a pleasureable read.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I loved the dual plot lines. It's incredible how much detail about H.H. Holmes and his killings are provided in the book. I learned so much about the Chicago world fair as well. Great read!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I found this book riviting! I was so interested to both stories, the building of the Worlds Fair and H.H.Holmes/Mudgett. The internetprovides many pictures of the actual buildings and landscaping. I wish there had been more provided in the book.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A best seller telling the story of tehe World Fair in Chicago 1893 and teh serial killer who used the fair to lure unsuspecting women to their deaths. An engrossing story all the more so because it was all true. Three stars