A new edition of Elon Musk: Risking It All by Michael Vlismas – updated with new afterword – will be out this month from Jonathan Ball Publishers.

‘How did a bullied, introverted Pretoria schoolboy become the world’s richest person and arguably humanity’s greatest change agent? Vlismas’s extensively researched biography does a great job of unwrapping Elon Musk’s remarkable life story.’ – Toby Shapshak

Often in the news for his audacious business exploits and controversial tweets, Elon Musk is a polarising figure who inspires some and is loathed by others. Who is this boundary-pushing billionaire with grand plans of inhabiting Mars and turning Twitter into an everything app? What lies at the heart of his outsized ambition?

As an awkward Pretoria schoolboy who loved comics and science fiction, Musk’s early years and singular family background were crucial in his formation. Journalist and author Michael Vlismas, who attended the same high school as Musk, knows well the environment that shaped him and offers new insights into Musk’s development, including his troubled relationship with his father.

Now updated with an extensive interview with his father, Errol, this book traces Musk’s remarkable life, from his South African childhood to his move to Canada at 17 and then to the US – where he built Tesla and SpaceX into two of the world’s most famous companies.

This is the story of a man who is utterly unafraid of risk.

About the author

Michael Vlismas is an award-winning journalist and author of six books, including biographies with Gary Player, Schalk Burger Snr and Tim Noakes. He lives in Somerset West near Cape Town with his wife and two sons.

Categories International Non-fiction South Africa

Tags Elon Musk Jonathan Ball Publishers Michael Vlismas New books New releases