This is a thoroughly researched look into the life and tragic death of the founder of the online shore store Zappos. I found it incredibly sad that Tony Hiseh was unable to conquer his demons and died so young. Here's my piece for DailyMail.com US https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12011521/Singer-Jewels-tough-love-letter-late-Zappos-founder-Tony-Hsieh-revealed-new-biography.html

I full on hated this book and most of the people in it. I was shocked to learn about the bullshit behind the scenes. He just kills himself. He didn’t even believe his bs. Waaay too much detail about what people were wearing or made up dialog. I couldn’t take it anymore

This book is the fascinating–and ultimately tragic-tale of the rise and death of Tony Hsieh, founder of Zappos, the once mighty shoe e-tailer. Despite his vast fortune and achievements, he found his happiness by abusing drugs and alcohol. And like so many addicts, "he knew better." The real victims in this book are his family and friends, who tried to help him over and over again. I felt just kind of frustrated at the end, what a messed-up guy. Ugh. Still, it was a riveting read and very well told and researched by the authors.

I don't know that I can truly give an unbiased review of this book, but I will try my best.

I worked for Zappos for years. I knew Tony. He was one of the most brilliant, generous, and inspirational people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.

There have been many articles, opinion pieces, and books on Tony's ultimate downward spiral and this by far has been the most straightforward account of these events. There was no sensationalizing of events; just the facts as best they could be told through the sources used by the authors.

There was not a moment while reading this that I thought, "there's no way this happened."

I wish there was a happy ending to this story, but I'm thankful that I can count myself among the many who were fortunate enough to have been inspired by Tony.

A very well-researched and well-written biography about the CEO of Zappos.

I didn't know much going into this about either Tony Hsiech or Zappos, but after finishing this, I'm surprised I hadn't because he clearly had such a distinct personality and made such a huge impact on the tech scene and on Las Vegas.

The first half or so focuses on Tony's climb and then it shifts towards his downward spiral. The second half of this was incredibly difficult to read, so I can only imagine how difficult it must have been to write. Tony's increased drug use combined with his wealth created such a difficult situation. It was heartbreaking both how his loved ones tried desperately to get him help while simultaneously others were taking advantage of Tony.

Definitely worth a read, especially if you're interested in biographies. Tony's life and story will be sticking with me.

Wonder Boy is a book about Tony Hsieh who was an entrepreneur at a young age and went on to found Zappos. This book is meticulously researched and detailed so that you feel you are in the room with him throughout the book. Tony was known for creating a company culture of employee empowerment - customer care employees could stay on the phone as long as necessary to build rapport with customers (unlike most call centers that measure how long you are on a call with the goal to be as efficient as possible in solving the customer's problem and getting them off the phone). I remember ordering shoes from Zappos and getting in a conversation with the agent about my upcoming milestone birthday and needing new shoes for my upcoming vacation. I came back to work after my vacation and was laid off along with others. The next day (completely unrelated to my lay off) a big beautiful bouquet of flowers arrived wishing me a happy (milestone) birthday! Those flowers made my week!

So as I read this book thinking about the impact Tony and his company had it saddens me to see his unraveling - part from undiagnosed mental illness perhaps and by excessive substance abuse. Overtime, he surrounded himself with "yes people" who were enriching themselves at his expense and vulnerability. Reading about these parasites is sickening. Jewel (the singer) is the one person who stands out as trying to help him and make him aware that he was surrounded by selfish and deceitful people. I wonder what additional impact Tony would have made on the world if he had not spiraled out of control and died at such a young age.

Thank you to Netgalley and Henry Holt & Company for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wonder Boy is a biography which follows the life of Tony Hsieh, the tech entrepreneur who founded LinkExchange and was the CEO of Zappos. The book gives a detailed description of Hsieh’s entire life, starting with his early childhood, high school, college, his success during the dot-com boom of the late 1990s, and continued endeavors. The book also describes Hsieh’s descent into substance abuse and addiction and the circumstances surrounding his death. It is hard to read at times but very relatable to anyone who has dealt with a friend or relative struggling with addiction.

This book is well-researched and gives a journalistic and unbiased account of Hsieh’s life. Hsieh was an amazingly creative and altruistic individual. He was enthusiastic about building businesses and helping others achieve their personal goals. I enjoyed learning about how he interacted with others and getting an idea of how his mind worked.

Thank you NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for the copy of Wonder Boy. This book was meticulously researched. It was obvious that Tony was driven to succeed even as a child, and that he was brilliant. I really enjoyed reading about his entrepreneurial journey, and it’s a good lesson to keep trying, even if your first startups don’t result in instant success. I also appreciated how important connections and having a network is highlighted.
Reading about the last year of his life was painful and I admit I had to skim some of it because it broke my heart. Years ago, a friend snuck me into the managers meeting when my company hosted Tony and Jenn Lim on the Delivering Happiness tour. She knew I loved Zappos and Tony because I couldn’t stop talking about the Zappos tour I had taken. I was thrilled to meet Tony and Jenn and get a tour of the DH bus. I was devastated when I read of Tony’s death because I admired him so much.
The best thing to take away from this book is not how he died, but how he lived - how he ushered in a time where culture and happy employees were key to a thriving company and how customer service is crucial and something employees should focus on.