Rating: 
Summary: "Available used & new from $0.69"
Review: 'The Nudist on the Late Shift' is an above average commentary on life before/during the birth of the dotcom. This book includes numerous stories about life in Silicon Valley - the Shangra-La of geekdom. It was written during the boom period of the valley. Being a geek myself, I read the book a couple of years ago. It has some very humerous and interesting stories. Those in the software or computer profession, will probably relate to this book the best. Or maybe if you're not in the computer field, it will provide a slightly skewed glimpse into the industry.Po's 'The First $20 Million is Always the Hardest', a novel, is a better example of his work, and Cringely's 'Accidental Empires' is a better read on Silicon Valley.
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating -- But for the Wrong Reasons
Review: By way of profiles of a dozen or so people, this book chronicles the so-called dot com boom in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1990s. It was an exciting time for the computer industry. Venture capitalists were throwing money every which way, and even a paltry idea could make someone with computer know-how quite rich.
I found this book fascinating for all the wrong reasons. I picked it up in a used book bin for a couple of dollars and devoured it, marveling that people used to live this way.
Bronson describes a handful of self-styled entrepreneurs. Reading this book, it's easy to see why the dot com bubble burst. None of these people are particularly interesting to anyone whose interests don't lie in the computer field. They are all single-minded: they like computers and, even more so, they like money.
The author seems enamored of the Silicon Valley, but reading his account, you wonder why. There is no community in the Silicon Valley. The subjects of this book toil away at their computer projects without any regard for the life around them or the community they live in.
I would glady read a sequel to this book. It would make fascinating reading if Bronson were to look up the subjects of this book and find out what they are up to now. Did they learn anything from the dot com demise? Has their narrow outlook on the world expanded any?
These questions could well be asked of the author as well. This is an insular little book, but a fascinating record of the times.
Rating: 
Summary: A Book that stands up in Internet Time
Review: For an industry that moves as fast as it does and for a stock market that is even more fickle you would think this book would only be relavant fow a month or two after its release. However, I did not read it until this past June and found it to be a great look into a certain place that will still exist after the hype is long gone. Bronson's writing makes for a quick read and yes while it is true that there is not much in the way of technical detail in here, I never thought that would be in this book. If you want to technical stuff read a programming manual.
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating glimpse into Silicon Valley
Review: I cannot say enough good things about this book. Po Bronson tells the stories of the many people making up Silicon Valley-salesmen, newcomers, programmers, entrepreneurs, futurists and by doing so you gain an understanding of the tremendous pressures to make your numbers. He follows one company through its IPO. His writing is vivid. For example, he defines the various sales jargon. "Mindshare. As opposed to market share, When a salesman says 'he's building mindshare', what he means is he hasn't sold a thing. Or in describing the physical fitness of one newcomer. "He has less fat than an unflavored rice cake." He explains the headhunters. One girl criticized for being a job hopper (and thus unlikely to stay long enough for the headhunter to get his commission), replied "I'm a prisoner of ambition." The quality of the writing is such that even if you are not particularly interested in Silicon Valley, you will enjoy the book and by the time you finish the book you will be interested.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting insight into the Business side of Silicon Valley
Review: I enjoyed this book; I liked the way Bronson chose the themes for each Chapter, such as The Enterpreneurs, The Programmers, The Salespeople etc. It did show both how many of the people in Silicon Valley 'live on another planet', and it also showed how they've transformed this planet for many of the rest of us.
I particularly enjoyed the Chapter dedicated to the IPO of Actuate, not just because I'm an Actuate customer, but because until now I hadn't fully understood how IPO's happen, and now I feel I do (that Chapter in isolation would have rated a 5 from me).
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good book
Review: I felt this was a fairly interesting and relevant story. It seems that Bronson is trying to perform in the shadow of Michael Lewis and unfortunately finds himself as a second fiddle.
Although Bronson is a second rate author in this genre, I have to credit him for coming up with intriguing information and exciting first hand accounts of slithery success.
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Summary: A Reprint of His Best Wired Articles
Review: I love Po Bronson's writing -- really I do. Every time I see an article in Wired with his byline, I devour it. His descriptions, particularly those of the people involved, crystallize a wide range of details into focused and evocative prose. His characters are exceptionally memorable. Which is the problem. Most of the essays in Nudist appeared in similar form as articles in Wired. I know this because the details in those articles stuck with me. I remember the lady with emphysema and her gift for closing software sales. I remember George Gilder's knee swelling because of his caffeine-fueled excess on a hotel treadmill. I remember Danny Hillis. And on it goes. For someone who has not read all of the Wired articles, this book is great fun. Bronson's skill with details places the reader right smack in the middle of the chaos that is Silicon Valley. You can practically smell the hot asphalt. But if you are a regular Bronson reader, save your money. I wish I'd known ... but who can deny a guy a way to make a quick buck on work that's already done?
Rating: 
Summary: Worthwhile Reading
Review: I read this book in a day. Very enjoyable reading. Really well-written and contains fascinating info. I learned a lot. I like the way he takes the long view and puts the Technological Revolution into a historical context. He is an insider without being a tech-head, and he makes that whole world VERY accessible for the rest of us who aren't in the industry. He doesn't get carried away with the power and fast money of this world, and I enjoyed his clear-eyed analysis. He writes with affection and honesty about the people he comes across. For this reason, I think Bronson is best suited to write non-fiction, although I did enjoy The First Twenty Million Is Always the Hardest. He humanizes the Digital Revolution and without resorting to hype lets the passion, excitiment, and phenomenal risk associated with Sillicon Valley come through loud and clear. At the end of this book, it was all I could do not to pack my bags for California. Seriously.
Rating:
Summary: Now a Good Historical Account
Review: The economic and cultural situation in the San Francisco area around the turn of the 21st century has been described as being similar to that of the 1850's gold rush in the same area. Now that the boom is over, Po Bronson's book is just as entertaining as Mark Twain's tales of the gold rush days. As another "one who was there", I recognize the heady atmosphere, the excesses that seemed reasonable at the time, the temerity with which a bold few reached out to grab everything they could. One anecdote early in the book really hits home with me. Bronson mentions an article about Siebel Systems, one of the darling stocks of the 1999-2000 boom. He relates how, after the article first appeared, he received an e-mail from a Siebel employee about how working for the company was ruining his life. When I read the book, I was working for Siebel Systems and its stock was flying high. I laughed at Bronson's story. A year later, working for Siebel had ruined my life, and I left the company in early 2001... That's just the perspective of one disillusioned employee of one company, but the same story was repeated all throughout Silicon Valley, Silicon Alley, and the rest of the dot-com universe. This book gives you a great picture of life during the boom. For the "after" picture, just look at today's headlines.
Rating: 
Summary: Not terribly interesting
Review: The first few chapters were compelling, humorous and downright thoughtful. After that, the format became a bit tired. The characters portrayed here are homogenized to the point that you find the same story repeating itself, over and over. It just became boring after a while. Read the first two or three chapters and enjoy. From there, proceed with caution.
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