Review of UNEMPLOYABLE
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[Following is a volunteer review of "UNEMPLOYABLE" by Alysia Edith Silberg.]
UNEMPLOYABLE is a memoir written by Alysia Silberg, a leading venture capitalist in Silicon Valley. She has talked about her struggles since her early childhood, her passion for business, and how AI has transformed her work and life. She was born to Jewish parents, lived in Johannesburg, and experienced firsthand the poverty and crime prevalent in her neighborhood. She has talked about her father’s shop, his benevolence, his early death, and the huge debt he left behind. It is inspiring to learn how she started selling small items to her school friends, expanded her business with her mother’s help, and continued excelling at her studies. She describes her education in Canada and her return to Johannesburg, her teaching career only at the age of 19, her bachelor's degree in statistics and actuarial science, and her passion for math and statistical data.
The author has talked openly about her relationship with her mother and how her mother’s abusive behavior damaged her emotionally. She recalls the bond of love she shared with her father, how he gave away medicines to the poor, leading to poverty and debt, and how this infuriated her mother. But still, her father was an inspiration to her and always remained the driving force behind helping others. He was a migrant from Lithuania and knew what it meant to be poor and helpless. The author’s mother had been a beautiful ballerina, but an accident had ended her career. Her mother disowned her, but the author understood her behavior, and that is remarkable.
She talks about Darren Chertkow, a rich and successful businessman, who helped her cope with her emotional trauma and how they became business partners. She has described her various business ventures, her successes and failures, and what she learned from her experience. The most interesting part of the memoir is when she took a career suitability test at a financial training organization, and the result said she was suitable as a researcher and entrepreneur and hence unemployable. She took it positively, combined research and entrepreneurship, and decided to change the lives of others by becoming an investor. She started a real estate business with Darren in South Africa, moved to the US, and then nothing stopped her progress.
She has extensively described her professional journey of starting new businesses after closing or selling the previous ones. She describes how she worked with world-famous people and businesses and talks about her weekly online radio broadcast for entrepreneurs, the Global FiresideChat. This led to her being chosen as a UN Women Empower Women Global Champion. She talks about people who inspired, motivated, and helped her, especially Steve Jobs, her mentor Jeff Scott Goldman, and Darren. She has included key points for a successful business, a few inspirational stories of startup entrepreneurs, and some very useful tips and suggestions while reflecting on lessons from her own life. Knowing about her daily routine of meditation, yoga, a strict diet, and long working hours is very inspiring. There is nothing that I disliked about the book. The editing is excellent, and the book is completely free of errors and typos. My overall rating for the book is 5 out of 5 stars.
As the CEO and General Partner of the investment firm Street Global, helping and mentoring tech startups, she has discussed the role of AI in our lives and its future. I found the book engaging, useful, and inspiring. I would recommend it to new entrepreneurs as well as those who aspire to start a business venture.
******
UNEMPLOYABLE
View: on Bookshelves |
UNEMPLOYABLE is a memoir written by Alysia Silberg, a leading venture capitalist in Silicon Valley. She has talked about her struggles since her early childhood, her passion for business, and how AI has transformed her work and life. She was born to Jewish parents, lived in Johannesburg, and experienced firsthand the poverty and crime prevalent in her neighborhood. She has talked about her father’s shop, his benevolence, his early death, and the huge debt he left behind. It is inspiring to learn how she started selling small items to her school friends, expanded her business with her mother’s help, and continued excelling at her studies. She describes her education in Canada and her return to Johannesburg, her teaching career only at the age of 19, her bachelor's degree in statistics and actuarial science, and her passion for math and statistical data.
The author has talked openly about her relationship with her mother and how her mother’s abusive behavior damaged her emotionally. She recalls the bond of love she shared with her father, how he gave away medicines to the poor, leading to poverty and debt, and how this infuriated her mother. But still, her father was an inspiration to her and always remained the driving force behind helping others. He was a migrant from Lithuania and knew what it meant to be poor and helpless. The author’s mother had been a beautiful ballerina, but an accident had ended her career. Her mother disowned her, but the author understood her behavior, and that is remarkable.
She talks about Darren Chertkow, a rich and successful businessman, who helped her cope with her emotional trauma and how they became business partners. She has described her various business ventures, her successes and failures, and what she learned from her experience. The most interesting part of the memoir is when she took a career suitability test at a financial training organization, and the result said she was suitable as a researcher and entrepreneur and hence unemployable. She took it positively, combined research and entrepreneurship, and decided to change the lives of others by becoming an investor. She started a real estate business with Darren in South Africa, moved to the US, and then nothing stopped her progress.
She has extensively described her professional journey of starting new businesses after closing or selling the previous ones. She describes how she worked with world-famous people and businesses and talks about her weekly online radio broadcast for entrepreneurs, the Global FiresideChat. This led to her being chosen as a UN Women Empower Women Global Champion. She talks about people who inspired, motivated, and helped her, especially Steve Jobs, her mentor Jeff Scott Goldman, and Darren. She has included key points for a successful business, a few inspirational stories of startup entrepreneurs, and some very useful tips and suggestions while reflecting on lessons from her own life. Knowing about her daily routine of meditation, yoga, a strict diet, and long working hours is very inspiring. There is nothing that I disliked about the book. The editing is excellent, and the book is completely free of errors and typos. My overall rating for the book is 5 out of 5 stars.
As the CEO and General Partner of the investment firm Street Global, helping and mentoring tech startups, she has discussed the role of AI in our lives and its future. I found the book engaging, useful, and inspiring. I would recommend it to new entrepreneurs as well as those who aspire to start a business venture.
******
UNEMPLOYABLE
View: on Bookshelves |
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