Page 28 - Blue Valley Issue 4_2022

BOOK REVIEWS

POWER PLAY: ELON MUSK, TESLA AND THE
BET OF THE CENTURY
BY TIM HIGGINS

lon Musk is among the most controversial titans of Silicon Valley. To some, he’s a genius and a
visionary; to others, he’s a mercurial huckster. Billions of dollars have been gained and lost on his
Etweets and his personal exploits are the stuff of tabloids. But for all his outrageous talk of mind-
uploading and space travel, his most audacious vision is the one closest to the ground: the electric car.

When Tesla was founded in the 2000s, electric cars were novelties, trotted out and thrown on the scrap
heap by car manufacturers for more than a century. But where most onlookers saw only failure, a small
band of Silicon Valley engineers and entrepreneurs saw potential and they pitted themselves against
the biggest, fiercest business rivals in the world, setting out to make a car that was quicker, sexier,
smoother, and cleaner than the competition.
A story of power, recklessness, struggle, and triumph, Power Play is an exhilarating look at how a team
of eccentrics and innovators beat the odds . . . and changed the future.

RECOMMENDED PRICE: R265.00

SABOTAGE: ESKOM UNDER SIEGE
BY KYLE COWAN

fter unknown saboteurs toppled a strategic pylon near Lethabo Power Station in the Free State
in November 2021, almost causing the country to plunge into stage 5 load-shedding, Eskom’s
AChief Executive Officer, André de Ruyter, declared: “This was clearly now an act of sabotage and
I think we can call it as such.” Who was behind this, and what is their ultimate goal?

Since his appointment in January 2020, De Ruyter has faced intense opposition from within the power
utility as he attempts to clean up corruption and return the power supply company to a semblance
of its former glory. He is not alone. Chief Operating Officer, Jan Oberholzer and other trusted allies in
Eskom have also come under intense fire. Amid this onslaught, it has become clear that their enemies
will take any measures necessary to have them removed from office.
Based on exclusive interviews with De Ruyter, Oberholzer and other key figures, Sabotage: Eskom Under
Siege is a story of conspiracy and subterfuge at South Africa’s ailing power utility, uncovering the
endless struggles that threaten the country’s very survival.
RECOMMENDED PRICE: R280.00

SURROUNDED BY SETBACKS
BY THOMAS ERIKSON

ot everything goes the way we want it to – the world or people around us sometimes just spin
out of control. So how do you handle everything life throws your way when you’d really prefer
Nto tell everyone to get stuffed?
Thomas Erikson will help you turn adversity into success with the help of the behavioural model made
famous in his previous book, Surrounded by Idiots. Starting by reminding us that life is as it is, Erikson
helps you see that it is, in fact, useless to try to control everything happening around you.
This book will help you pinpoint the approach that works for you and will entertain and empower you
in equal measure.
RECOMMENDED PRICE: R240.00

26 • Issue 4 2022 • BLUE VALLEY NEWS