The Wages of Genius
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Book Overview
Almost a century after the birth of a big-headed man who altered our conceptions of light, energy, mass, space, and time, a boy with a similarly large head was born in Ionia, Wyoming. Meet Edward, a self-proclaimed genius who considers the parallels between his life and Albert Einstein's proof of his exceptional brilliance. Nearly twenty-six (Einstein's age the year he discovered E=MC2), he is getting nowhere with his wildly expanding dissertation on science's evolving conception of the void--in short, the modern scientific history of nothing. Convinced that he is on the verge of a major breakthrough, he leaves graduate school and lands an entry-level job at an innovative new company, hoping his intelligence will be put to better use there. Although he's not sure exactly what the company does, Edward believes that with his keen mind and original ideas he will revolutionize everything from cubicle culture to the global marketplace. Told in Edward's endearing, delusional voice,The Wages of Genius is not only a hilarious parody of corporate culture a la Walter Kirn's Up in the Air, but a sympathetic portrait of a hapless young man (think Ignatius J. Reilly) with poor judgment, bad luck, and the best of intentions.
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:0786711361
ISBN13:9780786711369
Release Date:April 2003
Publisher:Carroll & Graf Publishers
Length:208 Pages
Weight:1.22 lbs.
Dimensions:1.1" x 6.4" x 9.3"
Customer Reviews
5 ratings
entertaining, thought-provoking, very statisfying
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 21 years ago
Mone's debut is a wonderful collection of amusing characters, engaging scenes, and authentically interesting observations about how human minds work, woven together into a thoroughly satisfying read. There is a lot under the surface of this book that can be missed in the first time through. I'm looking forward to diving back in for a third time.
Einstein's Baby
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 21 years ago
This is a fun book. At once, it humanizes Einstein and satirizes the "analysts" and others who bought into the dotcom mantra. As one reviewer analogized, this is "The Confederacy of Dunces" turned loose in Silicon Valley. The result is hilarious and the prose is magnificent.
This is a MUST READ !!![.]
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 21 years ago
This hilarious and witty post-mortem of the "new economy" revolutionary who balked at the traditional business model, substituting promise and potential for profitability, uses the father of modern physics and a modern-day delusional self proclaimed genius as an excellent analogy to keep the reader entertained on every page. I cannot wait for the movie and can already visualize several prominent actors portraying the complex yet loveable characters in this tome.This is a MUST READ !!!
E = G.Mone ^2
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 21 years ago
A subtle, yet scathing indictment of contemporary business life. Mr. Mone adeptly points out America's paranoid focus on the "commercial" individual. The author is uniquely close to the e-business wave, while at the same time cooly detached and brilliantly satirical. Office daydreamers will see the "Edward" in themselves! Rarely can an author effectively grasp the forefront of pop culture and relate it so creatively to our scientific history.
Thanks for expanding my universe Greg!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 21 years ago
In "The Wages of Genius" Greg Mone without a doubt captures the mood of the people and companies in the Bay Area during the height of the Internet boom. His characterization of the 'synergistic' web company Gleebs is simply dead on the mark, and the employees of Gleebs are caricatures of caricatures. To be honest, however, the creators of startup.com and others have already demonstrated much of this. But what Greg really does differently and what makes the book well worth reading are the vignettes throughout the book that defy explanation. From the story of Edward's birth to his daily 'commutes' while in grad school (not to mention the unbelievably funny company wide meeting towards the end of the novel) there is a depth of humor, both ironic and subtle, that movies and NPR stories are unable to capture. I congratulate Greg on this first novel and I look forward to reading many more.
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