"The First $20 Million is Always the Hardest: A Novel" by Po Bronson
First off, I just love Po Bronson's writing style. It is very personal and eminently readable. Having said that, this book sat on my shelf for months before I read it. The title just didn't interest me as I assumed it was another interview book about Valley millionaires. Yes, I judged a book by its cover and (once again) was wrong.
Once I started reading the book I realized that it was in fact a novel. And I loved it. I got sucked into the story, the characters and the plot and I could not put the book down. I read it in two days because I just had to know what would happen next. (I also thought it might be a true story which got me even more excited.)
As someone that lived in San Francisco and worked in the tech industry at the time of the story, Po's tale brought back a lot of memories. It also brought into focus a lot of what I have learned about startups since then, both from my own experience and from business school.
This is an easy read and highly recommended. Especially for anyone considering a tech startup.
