Chapter 1: Learning to Value a Dollar Summary and Analysis

Sam Walton starts the book with the announcement that he is the richest man in America. As soon as the announcement is made, the press and media infiltrate the home and daily life of Sam Walton and his family. Although Sam says he's a "friendly fellow," he was not pleased by the attention and put a lid on the personal information released to the public. He believes that for this reason, a great deal of misinformation was released and taken as truth about him and his family. This book is his attempt to clear the misconceptions about him, his business and most importantly, his views on how to build a successful company.

Sam was born in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, in 1918 and stayed there until he was five. Since Sam was raised during...