Brian Blum's deeply researched account is like playing a car-wreck video in slow motion: You can watch every stroke of bad luck, bad timing, and bad blood reduce a once-thrilling idea to dust. -- David Pogue, Yahoo Finance, former New York Times tech columnist
Brian Blum's got the wheel, and you get to ride shotgun. And you'd better hang on: this fast-paced, action-packed journey presents a side of the startup world that few ever get to see--much less survive. Blum's breezy style, muscular prose and impeccable research are a rare combination for any business book, but his eye for detail, character development and story are nothing short of genre bending. -- Gina Smith, author of iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon and former ABC News tech correspondent
TOTALED tells an amazing true story that reads like fiction. Shai Agassi is an endlessly fascinating, larger-than-life figure, and Brian Blum's TOTALED ferrets out every colorful detail. In the process, the book gives us vivid living history from the early days of today's electric vehicle revolution. -- Jim Motavalli, author of High Voltage and Forward Drive, columnist for Car Talk at NPR and longtime contributor to The New York Times
Brian Blum's TOTALED is a treasury of lessons for entrepreneurs, managers, and board members alike. Required reading for ambitious innovators everywhere. -- Dr. Ron Adner, author of The Wide Lens: What Successful Innovators See that Others Miss
The mystery of what really crashed electric car startup Better Place is finally unraveled. It's an account as fascinating as those that unfolded simultaneously at Fisker, Tesla and even GM. No one said getting into the 21st century would be a no-brainer--and with stories like this one, it's easy to see why it's already been such an epic ride. -- Chris Paine, director of Who Killed the Electric Car and Revenge of the Electric Car
Eloquent, sharp, insightful and entertaining, Brian Blum's autopsy of a lavishly financed venture's collapse is a must-read for inventors, investors, economists and anyone curious about the Israeli start-up scene's culture of adventure, inspiration and risk. -- Amotz Asa-El, commentator, Dow Jones MarketWatch
There are deep lessons to be learned from this consummate insider who writes more like an author of detective thrillers than business books. -- Jon Medved, venture capitalist and CEO, OurCrowd
Brian Blum tells a story of unfettered ambition, unchecked hubris, bad luck and worse timing with the skill and dexterity of a professional driver on a rainy course. TOTALED takes us on the wild ride that is the spectacular rise and fall of the most audacious startup of the last decade. -- Chris Shipley, executive producer, DEMO conference
Brian Blum documents this remarkable meltdown from transformative beginning to sputtering end. Without his voice, the Better Place story might have remained untold. TOTALED is a riveting narrative that had me glued to each page -- Karin Kloosterman, founder, Green Prophet
Using his deep reporting and research skills, Brian Blum brilliantly chronicles the fascinating story of this pioneering company. He makes us understand how difficult disruption is. If you love cars and are interested in change, you will be captivated reading this book. -- Sandy Schwartz, president, Cox Automotive
Better Place CEO Shai Agassi is "as compelling an antihero as found in any technology thriller. The book's as-it-happens narrative makes for riveting reading." -- Barry Silverstein, Foreword Reviews
