<DIV>Mike Bloomberg has repeatedly defied the standard models for success. He has never won a crowd over with his speaking prowess. Rooms do not hush with anticipation when he enters. Celebrity stalkers do not haunt him. But his unparalleled achievements drip with the dynamism that his public persona lacks. His penchant for problem solving and impressive ability to chart his own path has led to his great success as a business genius, self-made billionaire, and influential mayor. In this brilliant biography, former <i>New York Times</i> columnist and editor Joyce Purnick unravels this great American enigma from his childhood in the suburbs of Boston, to his rise on Wall Street and the creation of Bloomberg L.P., to his mayoral record and controversial campaign trail for a third term.</DIV>