The hotly anticipated biography "Becoming Steve Jobs" debuted on Tuesday to set the record straight on Apple's cofounder and upon launch rocketed to the No. 1 spot on Amazon's Rich & Famous Biographies list.
Co-authored by longtime tech journalist Brent Schlender and Fast Company executive editor Rick Tetzeli, "Becoming Steve Jobs" is an intimate look into the life of Apple's cofounder, one that looks to dispel common myths about who he was and how he lived. Much of the book comes from Schlender's personal notes, a bulk of which were not suitable for publishing while Jobs was still alive.
A number of revelations have already been shared through "leaks" and early previews, including the fact that current Apple CEO Tim Cook once offered Jobs part of his liver in hopes of saving the ailing tech guru's life. Jobs adamantly refused.
Other topics include Jobs' final years and the legacy he left at Apple.
The book is peppered with interviews from top-ranking executives like Cook, who agreed to be part of the biography due to Schlender's longtime connection with Jobs (Jobs used to introduce Schlender as his friend) and a compulsion to influence their former chief's public image. For example, Cook calls Walter Isaacson's official biography, which came out in 2011, a "tremendous disservice."
"We decided to participate in Brent and Rick's book because of Brent's long relationship with Steve, which gave him a unique perspective on Steve's life. The book captures Steve better than anything else we've seen, and we are happy we decided to participate," Apple representative Steve Dowling said.
"Becoming Steve Jobs" is available for for $11.99 on Kindle or $19.83 on hardback through Amazon.com and $12.99 on the iBookstore.