Book Review: Zenobia

‘Zenobia: The curious book of business’
By: Matthew Emmens and Beth Kephart
Tata McGraw-Hill Edition

I would reproduce the book’s description from the back cover:

“Written by the CEO of a $14 billion pharmaceutical company and an award winning author and poet, this extraordinary book reminds us that imagination is one of the most powerful, and most overlooked, elements of business success. Moira, an enterprising young job aspirant, winds her way through a strange, sclerotic bureaucracy, never discouraged by what is, remaining tenaciously true to her vision of what could be. In the process, she inspires those she meets to help in her quest to revitalize the once-mighty but now moribund Zenobia Corporation.”

Well, I agree with the description but have to add that this was a very different book that I ever read. The story of Moira, a young lady going to do something different and change the status quo, is told in a symbolic manner. When I started reading, I found it too weird. But the later part was very perfect and it kept on getting a better read, as we the readers become habitual to the symbols used in the story. It is a story of courage and it is a story of hope. It is a story which tells us that everything can change, just we have to have the right attitude.

Should I recommend it to others? Yes, if you are curious about this curiously symbolic story. It is a small book running into about 100 pages. And it is fun reading.

- Rahul