In the high-stakes world of corporate strategy and financial wizardry, Jim Ling emerged as a self-made titan, crafting his own rules in the game of business with a mix of audacity and ingenuity. "Ling" by Stanley H. Brown dives into the remarkable story of the man behind Ling-Temco-Vought, once the 14th largest corporation in America, through its meteoric rise and the eventual fall that reshaped the corporate landscape. Without formal education beyond high school and armed with only his wits and experience as a Navy electrician, Ling concocted a financial alchemy known as Project Redeployment, dazzling Wall Street and challenging conventional wisdom about growth and success. Brown's narrative captures the essence of an era where innovation met hubris, exploring not just the financial maneuvers that made Ling a legend but also the personal convictions that led to his downfall. Unlike the notorious players of the corporate world, Ling operated with a belief in the integrity of his vision, a trait that both propelled him to heights and precipitated his loss, leaving him and his family with nothing. This book is not just the chronicle of one man's journey to build an empire in the shifting sands of finance but also a reflection on the ephemeral nature of success in the American corporate saga.