I Love You One Thousand Houses

A retired corporate mogul details his search for meaning only to realize too late that he had it all along in the family he neglected in his single-minded quest.
We all know somebody like Preston—the old classmate, cousin, co-worker who made it to the top of the company ladder. We may envy his big house and fancy cars. How the hell did he get there? In this candid memoir, a debut, Preston pulls back the curtain on his climb from the slums of Newark to the helm of an international conglomerate. Details of his early life are sketchy though chosen with care. He tells more about his ambitionless, alcoholic father than his strong, loving mother, since it was his father’s failure that fueled his own determination to succeed. Most of the memoir, like Preston’s life, centers on his career. He writes at length of the challenges he embraced juggling a dozen companies around the globe. He also tells of the pleasure he found in the cars, boats, pools and other trappings of wealth that he might still enjoy today, if not for a series of tragedies that shattered his world. Ironically, Preston’s losses—of his mother, sister, wife and millions of dollars in lousy stocks—are his readers’ gains, as they inspired his memoir. Although he ultimately expresses regret over putting business ahead of family, Preston’s words are sincere, never maudlin or preachy. He understands to show, not tell. He ends his memoir unsure where his life will lead but aiming once again for the top. Hopefully, it leads to another memoir.
Wise words from a man who’s learned the hard way.