He actively sought chances to go in that direction, such as taking jobs with firms involved in Eastern Europe and making colleagues aware of his interest. He didn’t know how he would get there, but having that goal made him ready to jump on opportunities as they arose.

The author decided early in his life that he was going to be a capitalist and early in his career that he wanted to do business in Eastern Europe. I’m not suggesting rebellion just for the sake of rebellion, but we should have the courage to choose the path that fits us best rather than simply complying with tradition.Ĭhoose a destination even when you don’t know how you will get there He wasn’t afraid to break that mold by becoming a capitalist. His grandfather was a Communist and his parents leaned far left.

Here are a few lessons I learned from the book.īrowder came from a long family history of far left political views. This is this short version of an incredible story that I recommend you read yourself. This leads to a retaliatory law passed by Putin’s government banning Americans from adopting Russian children. His efforts to make the perpetrators pay leads to Congress passing a law imposing sanctions on Russian officials. His Russian lawyer gets arrested, tortured and eventually murdered in prison. Instead of backing down, he embarks on a crusade to fight the corruption.Īfter discovering and trying to expose a massive fraud by government officials, he gets banned from the country and his local companies stolen. He becomes wildly successful, which made him the target of corrupt Russian oligarchs and even Putin himself. After having difficulty convincing his employers to invest in Russia, he sets up his own hedge fund. He saw huge opportunity to invest in Russian privatization. While based in London and working on consulting projects in Eastern Europe, he discovers companies being privatized at insanely low valuations. It’s important (and interesting) to understand how the author rebelled against his American Communist leader grandfather and far left-leaning parents by becoming an ardent capitalist who built the biggest hedge fund in Russia.Įarly in his career he becomes interested in Eastern Europe at around the time the Berlin Wall came down. It would make a great fiction novel, but the crazy thing is that it’s a true story. Makes me appreciate the life that I have? Check. Gripping like a Mitch Rapp or Jack Reacher spy novel? Check. Teaches about interesting history? Check. Inspires to be a better person and do good in the world? Check.Ĭontains lessons about investing and business? Check. It combines almost everything I like reading about all into one book. “Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder, and One Man’s Fight for Justice” by Bill Browder just became one of my all-time favorite books.

Red Notice by Bill Browder