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A Passion to Win
A titan of modern media, Viacom Chair-man Sumner Redstone reveals how he battled his way to become the head of one of the world's great media empires, and the richest man in entertainment.
In one of the most fascinating business autobiographies of this or any other year, Sumner Redstone tells the unvarnished story of how he overcame every obstacle to build a vast media and entertainment engine that includes Paramount Pictures, MTV, Nickelodeon, Blockbuster, Simon & Schuster, and now CBS. A larger-than-life figure in the grand tradition of the Hearsts, Paleys, and Pulitzers, and voted in a recent survey of 600 corporate executives as the number-one most inspiring CEO, this is the man who can truly say, "I am Viacom."
A Passion to Win gives a riveting look behind the scenes at the highly charged negotiations that won Redstone both Viacom and Paramount. The book reveals the intense business calculations and strong emotions of Redstone's head-to-head confrontations with such adversaries as Barry Diller and H. Wayne Huizenga. A Passion to Win takes the reader along on the financial roller-coaster ride that began when Blockbuster went into the tank, risking Redstone's fortune and life's work. By the end of that ride, Redstone had righted his company and revolutionized the video industry. In a world of high-visibility corporate battles, Redstone pulls no punches. This is the man who faced down a pack of thugs when they threatened producer Bob Evans during the filming of The Cotton Club. And this is a book that shows the reader what it takes to win.
Behind it all is the same iron will that helped Redstone to survive a deadly fire at Boston's Copley Plaza Hotel by clinging with one hand to a third-story ledge before being rescued -- with burns so severe over nearly half his body that doctors feared he would die.
Born in a Boston tenement, he graduated first in his class at Boston Latin, went through Harvard in three years, was chosen for a special cryptography unit in the U.S. Army whose assignment was to crack Japanese codes during World War II, then, after Harvard Law School, successfully pleaded cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court -- all of this before embarking on his astounding business career.
Never before has Sumner Redstone revealed himself so candidly, and now, with the assistance of writer Peter Knobler (who co-wrote attorney Daniel Petrocelli's bestseller Triumph of Justice, about the O.J. Simpson civil suit), he has produced an inspirational life story that will command major attention.
In one of the most fascinating business autobiographies of this or any other year, Sumner Redstone tells the unvarnished story of how he overcame every obstacle to build a vast media and entertainment engine that includes Paramount Pictures, MTV, Nickelodeon, Blockbuster, Simon & Schuster, and now CBS. A larger-than-life figure in the grand tradition of the Hearsts, Paleys, and Pulitzers, and voted in a recent survey of 600 corporate executives as the number-one most inspiring CEO, this is the man who can truly say, "I am Viacom."
A Passion to Win gives a riveting look behind the scenes at the highly charged negotiations that won Redstone both Viacom and Paramount. The book reveals the intense business calculations and strong emotions of Redstone's head-to-head confrontations with such adversaries as Barry Diller and H. Wayne Huizenga. A Passion to Win takes the reader along on the financial roller-coaster ride that began when Blockbuster went into the tank, risking Redstone's fortune and life's work. By the end of that ride, Redstone had righted his company and revolutionized the video industry. In a world of high-visibility corporate battles, Redstone pulls no punches. This is the man who faced down a pack of thugs when they threatened producer Bob Evans during the filming of The Cotton Club. And this is a book that shows the reader what it takes to win.
Behind it all is the same iron will that helped Redstone to survive a deadly fire at Boston's Copley Plaza Hotel by clinging with one hand to a third-story ledge before being rescued -- with burns so severe over nearly half his body that doctors feared he would die.
Born in a Boston tenement, he graduated first in his class at Boston Latin, went through Harvard in three years, was chosen for a special cryptography unit in the U.S. Army whose assignment was to crack Japanese codes during World War II, then, after Harvard Law School, successfully pleaded cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court -- all of this before embarking on his astounding business career.
Never before has Sumner Redstone revealed himself so candidly, and now, with the assistance of writer Peter Knobler (who co-wrote attorney Daniel Petrocelli's bestseller Triumph of Justice, about the O.J. Simpson civil suit), he has produced an inspirational life story that will command major attention.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2001
24 people are currently reading
228 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 31, 2013
In the chapter where Redstone is telling us how smart he is, top of this class, top of that class, he writes (should I say ghost writes?) like a tenth grade athlete. I do have to give him credit, however for he does reveal his secrets to success: 1) Everyone is his friend unless they happen to disagree with him. Later, when he has "won" they might be his friend again. 2) He treats everyone like family at work as long as they work hard, long, and ignore their actual family. 3) When you can't get your way, feel like you have been wronged and go ahead and file suit. But hey, how do you argue with a billionaire even if he does own the publishing company and can publish his own mediocre book?
February 15, 2015
Unfortunately, the book was written in 2001. So much as happened to Viacom since then.
It was amazing to read about Sumner's early life -- Boston Latin, Harvard, Japanese code breaker, famous tax lawyer. However, the second half of the book, while providing great detail on the Paramount and Blockbuster deals, reads like a self-tribute to Sumner's genius. He is a egomaniac, even though he says several times that he is not.
It was amazing to read about Sumner's early life -- Boston Latin, Harvard, Japanese code breaker, famous tax lawyer. However, the second half of the book, while providing great detail on the Paramount and Blockbuster deals, reads like a self-tribute to Sumner's genius. He is a egomaniac, even though he says several times that he is not.
March 20, 2023
ISBN = 0743518217 Sumner Redstone
This is a fun book to read if you like deals. Sumner Redstone is a smart guy (Harvard educated lawyer) with natural toughness. He explains how he almost lost his life in a Boston Hotel fire. Sumner hung by his fingers off of the balcony until he was rescued. He was still badly burned and barely survived. I felt he was honest in his portrayal of himself with the exception that he is not inclined to litigation. It appears that he is very inclined to litigate. Nevertheless, a great story of a great company called Viacom.
Redstone merges Blockbuster and Paramount into Viacom and must Deal with Wayne Huizenga from Blockbuster (see my review on the Blockbuster book for more details). These two guys were very different, and the deal must have been a miracle. I can say that Sumner seems like a decent man with great drive and stamina. He does not enjoy the spotlight like, Martha, Trump, or Jack Welch. The book was easy reading and can be bought cheaply.
Mark D.
This is a fun book to read if you like deals. Sumner Redstone is a smart guy (Harvard educated lawyer) with natural toughness. He explains how he almost lost his life in a Boston Hotel fire. Sumner hung by his fingers off of the balcony until he was rescued. He was still badly burned and barely survived. I felt he was honest in his portrayal of himself with the exception that he is not inclined to litigation. It appears that he is very inclined to litigate. Nevertheless, a great story of a great company called Viacom.
Redstone merges Blockbuster and Paramount into Viacom and must Deal with Wayne Huizenga from Blockbuster (see my review on the Blockbuster book for more details). These two guys were very different, and the deal must have been a miracle. I can say that Sumner seems like a decent man with great drive and stamina. He does not enjoy the spotlight like, Martha, Trump, or Jack Welch. The book was easy reading and can be bought cheaply.
Mark D.
April 25, 2020
I enjoyed the stories in the book, however most of them are obtainable from free sources (like book reviews). That is a big part of why I gave 3 stars - this book is expensive ($17) and much of the content is available elsewhere for free.
It's a fascinating time to read this book (and other articles about ViacomCBS and the Redstone family) since Viacom and CBS merged in December 2019 and the equity value of the new company has lost ~60% of its value (as of April 2020).
Sumner Redstone is undoubtedly a successful business person (he grew up with modest means and successfully created a large media company). It's impossible to know about his character or the ethics of how he created his company, though. His history is full of lawsuits and public spats with family and business associates. That could be because he wronged others or it could be that they wronged him (or a mix of the two).
It's a fascinating time to read this book (and other articles about ViacomCBS and the Redstone family) since Viacom and CBS merged in December 2019 and the equity value of the new company has lost ~60% of its value (as of April 2020).
Sumner Redstone is undoubtedly a successful business person (he grew up with modest means and successfully created a large media company). It's impossible to know about his character or the ethics of how he created his company, though. His history is full of lawsuits and public spats with family and business associates. That could be because he wronged others or it could be that they wronged him (or a mix of the two).
October 26, 2019
Autographed copy
February 19, 2023
Great biography on who Sumner was and how he created his empire.
Read
July 6, 2025You’ll be out of your depth but get in the room.
Always always be up for a meeting & discussion.
Total immersion/commitment to the job.
Fearless and ambitious.
Don’t back down if it’s not right.
Be a transformational leader and never underestimate the importance of personal relationships amongst ppl.
Always always be up for a meeting & discussion.
Total immersion/commitment to the job.
Fearless and ambitious.
Don’t back down if it’s not right.
Be a transformational leader and never underestimate the importance of personal relationships amongst ppl.
April 26, 2016
A fairly dry - and now dated - telling of Sumner Redstone's meteoric rise in the media world. The book discusses his relationships and negotiations with relevant media/business players as he litigated his way to the head of one of the world's largest media conglomerates. An unpleasant character study.
August 17, 2016
I have fallowed Sumner Redstone in Vanity Fair and The Hollywood reporter . And in that light his life is another story then in this book. In the book he talks about his bound and love for his family . But in real life it has been another story . But i can`t take away his great success in business . He is a great businessman , but probely not that great husband and a father .
September 2, 2012
Interesting story of the man who acquired Viacom, Paramount, CBS, MTV, Blocker Buster, etc.
One of the major lessons that one can take away from reading this mans story is that one can get so fixated on achieving success in business and career that one neglects his or her family.
One of the major lessons that one can take away from reading this mans story is that one can get so fixated on achieving success in business and career that one neglects his or her family.
August 26, 2015
this book is simply great
April 7, 2014
I like how honest he was. Always love an American Dream story!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews