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Review: Shoe Dog by Phil Knight


If you've read the other book reviews on this blog, you know that I specifically focus on business-related books. I'm not particularly a big fan of fiction nor of nonfiction that isn't of that business field.

I really don't know what made me check out Shoe Dog. I suppose it's because I saw its overwhelming popularity on Amazon. Even so, I had no idea it was an autobiography. No idea it was about Nike.

And no idea how much I would love reading this book.

CAPTIVATING AND THOUGHTFUL

Shoe Dog is an autobiography written by the cofounder of Nike, Phil Knight. But it's not particularly written in the literary genre normally seen in other biographies. Rather, Knight writes this book more as a narrative. Surprisingly, he his a fantastically gifted writer. His means of conveying his message were thoughtful and almost poetic at times.

You can't help but get enthralled by the story of Nike's humble beginnings. Initially conceived as Blue Ribbon Sports, Knight walks his readers through many of the most key events in the company's history in exquisite detail. There were times the emotions experienced by Knight could almost be felt equally by the reader. From cover to cover, the book is a joy to read.

THE HERO AND THE ANTIHERO

Nike being the beloved brand that it is today, you can't help but walk into the book instantly cheering for Knight's success. Most of the time, this holds up pretty easily. Knight and his rag tag gang scrap their way through the competition as underdogs for many years.

But not all is sunshine and roses in this story. Knight is candid about some practices that do propel Nike's success, but they aren't necessarily honorable. At those points in the narrative, I couldn't help but think negatively of Knight. At times, even, I wished Nike hadn't become the titan it is today.

Perhaps I'm being too harsh, though. It seems to me that by the end of the book, Knight is well aware of all his actions. Aware of both the positive and negative consequences. I would like to believe he would make different choices if he could again, so I do believe he ultimately redeems himself in the end.

LESSONS TO BE LEARNED

This may not have been a business book, per say, but that's not to say I didn't learn a lot. I found Knight's relationships between the top brass at Nike to be particularly interesting. This is reinforced by the fact that Stanford and Harvard have studied Nike's leadership as a means of sharing how a group like this helped the organization to grow.

There are also lessons to be learned about life in general. I found the final section of the book to be particularly thought provoking, especially in terms of death. Now, Knight is still alive even today, but it's fair to say that he is now in his twilight years. The thoughts he shares in this last section made me think a lot about my own life. What do I want to do before I die? How do I live my life like Phil Knight? It was questions like these that permeate my thoughts even after closing the back cover.


Shoe Dog might not have been a business book, but it's still one I am very happy to recommend on this blog. Aside from it being a generally excellent read, there is value to be gleaned from Knight's life and Nike's rise to glory. I would definitely encourage anybody to take some time and check it out. 


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