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'Who Wants to be a Billionaire? is the story of James Packer's desperate battle to win his father's love and respect. It's also a tale of billion-dollar bets gone disastrously wrong. But above all it's the portrait of a troubled relationship between a dominant father and dutiful son.
'In this powerful sequel to his number one bestseller, The Rise and Rise of Kerry Packer, Paul Barry shows how James's father kept his grip on the empire even as he lay close to death. And he reveals what drives his heir. As a child James was derided by Kerry as too soft, too close to his mother, or simply "a loser". Since then he has struggled to make his father proud - in the only way the Packers know - by making money.
'Having seen Kerry lose hundreds of millions in the world's casinos, James chose to bet billions of dollars on buying them instead. Then came the global financial crisis and he almost lost the lot. As markets hit rock bottom in early 2009, Australia's richest man was $4 billion poorer and no longer on top of the heap. He was smoking again, putting on weight and shutting himself off from friends.
'Years earlier, far smaller losses in One.Tel had pushed him to the brink of a nervous breakdown and made him seek salvation in Scientology. Can James survive this time? Will he bounce back? Or was his father right? (From the publisher's website.)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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James Loved His Father : Friends Hit Back at 'Vicious' Book
2009
single work
column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 10-11 October 2009; (p. 1, 2) -
All About My Father
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 28 November 2009; (p. 23)
— Review of Who Wants to Be a Billionaire? 2009 single work biography -
Flawed Portrait of a Celebrated Son
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 14-15 November 2009; (p. 32-33)
— Review of Who Wants to Be a Billionaire? 2009 single work biography -
A Bit Rich
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Australian Literary Review , November vol. 4 no. 10 2009; (p. 11)
— Review of Who Wants to Be a Billionaire? 2009 single work biography ; Richard Pratt : Business Secrets of the Billionaire behind Australia's Richest Private Company 2004 single work biography -
Like Father, Like Son
2009
single work
column
— Appears in: The Adelaide Review , November no. 357 2009; (p. 8)
-
A Bit Rich
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Australian Literary Review , November vol. 4 no. 10 2009; (p. 11)
— Review of Who Wants to Be a Billionaire? 2009 single work biography ; Richard Pratt : Business Secrets of the Billionaire behind Australia's Richest Private Company 2004 single work biography -
Flawed Portrait of a Celebrated Son
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Sydney Morning Herald , 14-15 November 2009; (p. 32-33)
— Review of Who Wants to Be a Billionaire? 2009 single work biography -
All About My Father
2009
single work
review
— Appears in: The Age , 28 November 2009; (p. 23)
— Review of Who Wants to Be a Billionaire? 2009 single work biography -
ABC Rejects Packer Author's 'Free Packer'
2009
single work
column
— Appears in: The Australian , 12 October 2009; (p. 32, 29) -
Like Father, Like Son
2009
single work
column
— Appears in: The Adelaide Review , November no. 357 2009; (p. 8) -
James Loved His Father : Friends Hit Back at 'Vicious' Book
2009
single work
column
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 10-11 October 2009; (p. 1, 2)
Awards
- 2010 winner Ashurst Business Literature Prize
- 2010 winner Blake Dawson Prize for Business Literature