Review by Sarah Dsouza -- Underdog Thinking by Atul Vir
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Review by Sarah Dsouza -- Underdog Thinking by Atul Vir
[Following is a volunteer review of "Underdog Thinking" by Atul Vir.]
In a world where it's trendy to "Be your own boss" and display a fancy work title like "Entrepreneur" next to your name on social media, Underdog Thinking gives you a reality check of what it's like to be in it for the long haul. The author, Atul Vir, packs a wealth of insider wisdom in this comprehensive read, as he candidly drives us through his very own professional journey of over 30 years in the industry.
Born into a minimalistic Indian family, Atul attended a military boarding school, where the adage "Never Give In" was thoroughly instilled in him. Formerly fascinated by African culture, it was a dream come true when he received an opportunity to work, as a financial auditor unraveling ongoing embezzlements, for a London-based company with offices on the African west coast. As he settled in and things started to progress, he soon found himself unemployed due to a violent coup.
Resorting to start afresh, he migrates to the USA with his family, in hopes of achieving The American Dream. Insecurities plagued him as he was laughed out of interviews, and told he knew nothing about the American business. Soon, he takes the entrepreneurial world by storm, facing a deadly combination of economic doldrum and unforeseen stings of betrayal head-on.
Although I sincerely admire his perspective and bold venture into the cutthroat sphere of business, I believe this book's writing style did not do justice to his legacy. As a reader, I was disappointed to encounter prolonged and tangential descriptions in many instances, disrupting the fluidity of the text. I refer to occasions, such as the "caste-comparison", where he goes off-track describing an unrelated concept for a whole page, until you lost interest in the original storyline. Many sentences appeared to be simply paraphrased and essentially repeated. I had to put in an extra effort not to snap out of my attention span while wading through excess words.
I wish that he dwelled more on some areas that held more interest and required more information to fill in the picture. Some plots left me with more questions than answers. For example, how exactly did he structure his company? Using what parameters did he hire his employees? Those details matter. When he brought up the lawsuit against a top-dog company, the plot got intriguing. He then abruptly switches to his childhood memories, the history of Sir Henry Lawrence, and Offshoring 101. There is nothing wrong with these topics, but it should've been either positioned before or after the legal proceedings to retain curiosity.
There was one specific issue that didn't sit right with me. In the book, he mentions attending three tradeshows in search of a manufacturing company that could produce a peculiar commodity for his company. Coincidentally, there was always just one for every show, with the booth inconspicuously located right at the end when he was about to lose hope. Was it really a matter of chance, or merely a well-crafted situation to excite the reader? Also, whatever happened to the RV business he was handed? He left us on a cliff hanger with that! For all these reasons, I feel the need to deduct two points from the score.
Nevertheless, I appreciated his transparency throughout the book. His resilient character was remarkable, seeing how he overcame his hurdles in business by trusting over and over again, which ironically was one of the reasons he lost ground in between. The ideology of a customer-centric enterprise makes sense and reveals the author's empathy. Despite the superfluity of the content; Underdog Thinking is well-edited with the grammar, diction and word choices being mostly on point.
Certain subjects, like his company product or customized building, were passionately elaborated; moving me to stop reading, look it up online to see the real deal, and then resume. Although the concepts were well-explained, I must compliment his schematic inclusions in an attempt to further enlighten the reader. His insights on the Yin-Yang philosophy in business were an eye-opener, and I have to give it to him, he generously divulges first-hand, thought-provoking life lessons.
Despite the flaws, I feel his book is worth the read and suitable for readers who are contemplating career choices, regardless of the field they're in. His integrity and futuristic approach inspired me, and I'm sure it would positively impact other readers too. Overall, a score of 2 out of 4 stars seems fitting.
******
Underdog Thinking
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
In a world where it's trendy to "Be your own boss" and display a fancy work title like "Entrepreneur" next to your name on social media, Underdog Thinking gives you a reality check of what it's like to be in it for the long haul. The author, Atul Vir, packs a wealth of insider wisdom in this comprehensive read, as he candidly drives us through his very own professional journey of over 30 years in the industry.
Born into a minimalistic Indian family, Atul attended a military boarding school, where the adage "Never Give In" was thoroughly instilled in him. Formerly fascinated by African culture, it was a dream come true when he received an opportunity to work, as a financial auditor unraveling ongoing embezzlements, for a London-based company with offices on the African west coast. As he settled in and things started to progress, he soon found himself unemployed due to a violent coup.
Resorting to start afresh, he migrates to the USA with his family, in hopes of achieving The American Dream. Insecurities plagued him as he was laughed out of interviews, and told he knew nothing about the American business. Soon, he takes the entrepreneurial world by storm, facing a deadly combination of economic doldrum and unforeseen stings of betrayal head-on.
Although I sincerely admire his perspective and bold venture into the cutthroat sphere of business, I believe this book's writing style did not do justice to his legacy. As a reader, I was disappointed to encounter prolonged and tangential descriptions in many instances, disrupting the fluidity of the text. I refer to occasions, such as the "caste-comparison", where he goes off-track describing an unrelated concept for a whole page, until you lost interest in the original storyline. Many sentences appeared to be simply paraphrased and essentially repeated. I had to put in an extra effort not to snap out of my attention span while wading through excess words.
I wish that he dwelled more on some areas that held more interest and required more information to fill in the picture. Some plots left me with more questions than answers. For example, how exactly did he structure his company? Using what parameters did he hire his employees? Those details matter. When he brought up the lawsuit against a top-dog company, the plot got intriguing. He then abruptly switches to his childhood memories, the history of Sir Henry Lawrence, and Offshoring 101. There is nothing wrong with these topics, but it should've been either positioned before or after the legal proceedings to retain curiosity.
There was one specific issue that didn't sit right with me. In the book, he mentions attending three tradeshows in search of a manufacturing company that could produce a peculiar commodity for his company. Coincidentally, there was always just one for every show, with the booth inconspicuously located right at the end when he was about to lose hope. Was it really a matter of chance, or merely a well-crafted situation to excite the reader? Also, whatever happened to the RV business he was handed? He left us on a cliff hanger with that! For all these reasons, I feel the need to deduct two points from the score.
Nevertheless, I appreciated his transparency throughout the book. His resilient character was remarkable, seeing how he overcame his hurdles in business by trusting over and over again, which ironically was one of the reasons he lost ground in between. The ideology of a customer-centric enterprise makes sense and reveals the author's empathy. Despite the superfluity of the content; Underdog Thinking is well-edited with the grammar, diction and word choices being mostly on point.
Certain subjects, like his company product or customized building, were passionately elaborated; moving me to stop reading, look it up online to see the real deal, and then resume. Although the concepts were well-explained, I must compliment his schematic inclusions in an attempt to further enlighten the reader. His insights on the Yin-Yang philosophy in business were an eye-opener, and I have to give it to him, he generously divulges first-hand, thought-provoking life lessons.
Despite the flaws, I feel his book is worth the read and suitable for readers who are contemplating career choices, regardless of the field they're in. His integrity and futuristic approach inspired me, and I'm sure it would positively impact other readers too. Overall, a score of 2 out of 4 stars seems fitting.
******
Underdog Thinking
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Latest Review: Strong Heart by Charlie Sheldon
