Nonfiction Book Club

This group is for nonfiction readers who enjoy thought-provoking discussions.  We vote on a book every month across a wide variety of genres from among recommendations from our group. For more information or to get monthly emails with details about upcoming meetings, contact DianeCosner@gmail.com or 352-259-9168

The book chosen for April 21, recommended by Patricia Shub, is Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou.

Description from Amazon:

The gripping story of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos—one of the biggest corporate frauds in history—a tale of ambition and hubris set amid the bold promises of Silicon Valley, rigorously reported by the prize-winning journalist. With a new Afterword covering her trial and sentencing, bringing the story to a close.

In 2014, Theranos founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes was widely seen as the next Steve Jobs: ab rilliant Stanford dropout whose startup “unicorn” promised to revolutionize the medical industry with its breakthrough device, which performed the whole range of laboratory tests from a single drop of blood. Backed by investors such as Larry Ellison and Tim Draper, Theranos sold shares in a fundraising round that valued the company at more than $9 billion, putting Holmes’s worth at an estimated $4.5 billion. There was just one problem: The technology didn’t work. Erroneous results put patients in danger, leading to misdiagnoses and unnecessary treatments. All the while, Holmes and her partner, Sunny Balwani, worked to silence anyone who voiced misgivings—from journalists to their own employees.

The author discusses his book at Politics and Prose : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rM7CwmKZaaw

Upcoming titles: 

  May 19 Source Code: My Beginnings by Bill Gates  

  Jun 16  TBD - We will vote on this title in April

  Jul 21  TBD - We will vote on this title in April

Have you read a great nonfiction book recently that would be a good choice to discuss among friends who will take the time and consideration to read it thoroughly?  Hope to see you at the next meeting!