A Ghost's Memoir: The Making of Alfred P. Sloan's My Years with General Motors »

John McDonald (1906-1998) was an editor and writer for Fortune magazine for three decades and the ghostwriter for Alfred P. Sloan's My Years with General Motors. He was also the author of books on business, game theory, and fly fishing.

The story of the ghostwriting of Alfred P. Sloan's best-selling memoir, General Motors's attempts to block the book's publication, and the author's eventual triumph over the corporation.

Library Journal

Between 1954 and 1959, McDonald, an editor and writer at Fortune magazine, helped Alfred P. Sloan write his groundbreaking classic on business management, My Years with General Motors. After the book was completed and a deal was made for Doubleday to publish, the lawyers at General Motors took over and forced Sloan to suppress the book. On the surface, this is the riveting story of the process by which the book was written, the ruthlessness of the lawyers who blocked its publication, the lawsuit by McDonald, and the compromise that paved the way for its publication in 1964. At a deeper level, it gives the reader a basic understanding of what it takes to write a book, the need for independence in such projects, and the chilling effect that fear of governmental intervention can have on such endeavors (GM's lawyers thought that the book could become evidence in an antitrust action against the company). It is essential reading for anyone considering undertaking a similar project or anyone who wants to learn and appreciate the key strategies that led General Motors to dominate the U.S. automobile industry. Recommended for both public and academic libraries. Norm Hutcherson, California State Univ., Bakersfield Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.