Steve Jobs Biography Reading Notes
Part1
Steve Jobs' foster father was Paul Reinhold Jobs, who grew up on a dairy farm in Germantown, Wisconsin. Although Paul's father was an alcoholic and at times abusive, Paul developed into a gentle and calm person. After dropping out of high school, he joined the Coast Guard during World War II (WWII), where he discovered his mechanical talent through military service.
Steve Jobs' foster mother was born in New Jersey and grew up in San Francisco. Before she met Paul, she was a widow; her first husband had been killed in the war, which was a common experience during that time. When she met Paul, she believed that a happy life awaited her.
Like many ordinary individuals after the war, Jobs' foster parents chose to live a simple life. To save money, they lived with Paul's parents in Wisconsin during the early years of their marriage. Later, they moved to Indiana, where Paul became a car salesman. However, Clara still loved San Francisco, so in 1952, they moved back there and never left. Due to Clara's health issues, they were unable to have their own children, so they decided to adopt one.
Like Paul, Jobs' mother, Joanne Schieble, also came from a rural Wisconsin family. Unfortunately, her father was a very strict man who forbade her from loving anyone who was not Catholic. Therefore, when she fell in love with a Muslim teacher from Syria, it was as if fate intervened.
In the summer of 1954, after Jobs' parents traveled to his father's homeland of Syria, Joanne became pregnant. Under the threat of her dying father, she moved to San Francisco in early 1955, where a kind doctor sheltered and cared for her. It was there that Jobs was born.
However, the road to adoption was not smooth. Joanne had one essential requirement: her son's foster parents must have a college degree. The first candidates, a lawyer couple, changed their minds upon learning that the baby was a boy rather than the desired girl. When Joanne discovered that Paul and Clara had not completed their high school education, she was initially reluctant to sign the adoption papers. However, after Paul and Clara promised to save enough money to ensure that the boy could receive a college education, Joanne ultimately agreed and signed the papers. This foster couple named their son Steven Paul Jobs.
From a very young age, Steve Jobs knew he was adopted. When other children asked him why his parents had not wanted him, his foster parents would slowly repeat and emphasize the words: “We specifically picked you out.”
Abandoned. Chosen. Special. These three words defined Jobs' childhood and contributed to his growing independence. At the same time, he embraced his foster parents and felt grateful for their wise decision to adopt him.