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Losing My Virginity | 
 enlarge | Creator: Sir Richard Branson
Publisher: HarperCollins Audio
Category: Book
This item is no longer available
Avg. Customer Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 2258909
Format: Audiobook
Media: Audio Cassette
Discs: 4
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 5.4 x 4.2 x 1.3
ISBN: 0001055941
Dewey Decimal Number: 790
EAN: 9780001055940
ASIN: 0001055941
Publication Date: August 9, 1999
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 Fascinating read of popular history April 14, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a must read for anyone who wants an inside account of one of today's most prolific entrepreneurs's life stories. For generation X, he was right there creating history for us and it's simply fascating to read his experiences. For those who cherish family values, a wonderful confirmation of how the support from parents can encourage children to be successful and socially responsible citizens.
Sir Richard was born at just the right time and he grabbed every opportunity that came his way. His good fortune, through a tremendously strong will to survive and prosper - together with a healthy dose of luck and (perhaps) divine guidance - have positively affected millions. His writing is engrossing, very informative and inspiring.
The only dark spot in the book comes toward the end when he describes Bill Gates as a tremendous example for other entrepreneurs. Not much of a computer person himself, Sir Richard is perhaps unaware of the illegal activities conducted by Microsoft that continue to haunt it and its co-founder Bill Gates, and of the suffering that millions of computer users worldwide had to endure while they fell for Gates's trap to buy cheap, unreliable PCs with poorly written Windows code that unfairly penalized the competition. Microsoft's plundering of rival competitors's market share surpasses the dirty tricks that British Airways used to play on Virgin Atlantic and which Sir Richard so eloquently describes as having overcome - eventually. Bill Gates may be contributing his money to worthy causes, but it is ill-gotten money. Sir Richard praises a criminal for his good work. I wish he would wake up to the folly of his thinking for he does some mighty good work himself.
His roots are well explained December 11, 2007
This is one very good book for young people who are searching for the entrepreneur in themselves. He explains and describes in detail what he was going through and how his mind worked in his early years when he was building his businesses. And also, how he enjoyed his life while doing all these things. He illustrates few unique qualities... having fun while working, taking risks like a maniac... and most importantly, fearlessness.
I assume the story here is genuine and there are so many things that the reader will learn. Basically, this book changed my life.
One limiting thing in this book is that there is not enough details about his recent achievements and businesses. They are all explained in a hurry. The people who want to know every thing up to the point of the writing this book will be little disappointed. Thats why I've given one star less.
 Just Great October 26, 2007
This book is fantastic. It's written by a man, who has achieved so much more than we, the readers, have achieved. He leads the Virgin empire with a lot of honesty, integrity, and fun. His life is truly inspirational and very educational.
In a nutshell, one can become a peer of Richard Branson's when one:
1. Never accepts "no" for an answer
2. Tries everything at least once
3. Lives life to the fullest one day at a time
4. Challenges the status quo
5. Loves his family and friends more than everything else
6. Embraces competition
7. Works, works, works
8. Grows, grows, grows
9. Has fun
10. Gives
If we all do these 10 things, the world would be a paradise. Richard Branson has clearly created his own paradise with Virgin. God bless him.
Losing My Virginity November 1, 2005
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
It was a great inspiration to me as an entrepneur, abeit not so successful. Nevetheless, I enjoyed it so much I have suggested to many friends and employees that they read this one! His life has been a great adventure, a great inspiration to experience life to the fullest. Let every moment count.
truly inspirational August 12, 2005
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
Warning: Don't get carried away by the title of this book, it is purely metaphoric.
When you are handed a 600 page autobiography of an entrepreneur, at first, you may wonder whether such a piece is worth even leafing through. Who has the time to read stuff like this?
LOSING MY VIRGINITY is an extraordinary book written by an extraordinary man, Richard Branson. One may actually have some reservations about reading about a not exactly well-known business magnate (I am talking about India, of course). But rest assured, once you read through the author's bio and the very impressive blurbs, you will realize that it is far from a conventional (boring, if you like) memoir.
Branson is one of a rare breed, a paragon of British entrepreneurship, and a genius who has revolutionized British culture and lifestyles. Throughout this book, one can find a real humility in Branson's narrative of himself and his experiences. Like most contemporary memoirists, Branson uses the confessional mode of writing, which has allowed him to do things that a conventional novel will not. Branson's style of writing is so good-humored and his perceptions so remarkable that this book is worth a read even if you don't have the slightest interest in business. As one critic wrote about this book - Heavy but impossible to put down.
The book is written in a chronological fashion, and the chapters have rather stimulating titles. The chapters are actual chunks taken from Branson's life, and provide a rich visual and verbal experience to the reader. Some 130 photographs (both color and black & white) are there, and they complement the narrative beautifully.
It is fast paced, and has an honesty which is a little trivial at times. Branson reveals much about himself. Towards the middle, he gives a passionate account of his devotion towards music. His other great passion, adventure (some of which have been near-death experiences), is also dealt with in detail. Branson's love for ballooning, which he calls the most exhilarating of all sports, got him an entry into the Guinness Book of World Records, a real tribute to his daredevilry.
Branson's tale is novel, and is filled with instances of courage, the courage to break away from tradition. At age 16, Branson started a student's magazine and then ventured into music, which was a big hit. Richard Branson recounts this as a sad moment in his life when he had to sell Virgin Records to Thorn EMI in order to keep a floundering Virgin Atlantic Airways afloat. Today, apart from Virgin Atlantic, the Virgin Group owns Virgin Cola, Virgin Vie, Virgin Brides, Virgin Mega-stores and many more such ventures, which cater to everything any person would want in his daily life. Now, after conquering the world, he wants to fly you to space.
I would hate to spoil the read for you, so suffice it to say that LOSING MY VIRGINITY is a real, inspirational story that can only be told by the man himself. Such is the popularity of this book that it has become a byword for 'What they don't teach you at Business Schools'. From another perspective, it is a comic recollection of life's ups and downs juxtaposed with anecdotes about rock stars, politicians, friends and foes.
One finds no moral story in the end, no grandfatherly advice to the young blood. Instead, one is left with a deep feeling of admiration and a constant mulling over his adventures. If you ever want to know how much a single guy can achieve with "talent, initiative and good ideas", read this book. It comes as close to providing the real experience as any book can, and for this reason alone it should be coveted.
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