Raul Rodrigo's book is doubly welcome not in terms of its formidable size, attractive design and superior craftsmanship, but in terms of its value and significance to the study of Filipino entrepreneurship. Its publication coincides with the commemoration of a memorable event - 40th anniversary of the Lopez Memorial Museum.

To write about the evolution of the Lopez family covering a period of 200 years is a challenge. Each generation of the family has produced key players in varying degrees of regional, national and international prominence. Just to sort out the wealth of sources both primary and secondary, plus numerous oral interviews, test them against each other, extract the nuggets of historical truths from the proverbial mines of information, synthesize and weave them into a meaningful narrative is a daunting assignment. This is precisely what the author has done. It is to his credit that he has produced a well-researched, well balanced and clearly written biography of a solid Filipino family.

The author makes use of the chronology, biography, and entrepreneurial format, dividing his study into four major parts, which all-together cover 16 chapters with well-thought out headings. Each chapter is subdivided into a number of sub-topics.

The story of the Lopez family is closely likened to that of the mythical Phoenix - a fitting and recurring theme which is set in the context of our unique case of multiple colonial experiences, epoch making events both internally and worldwide and the realities of a fast changing global order. In the words of the author, it is "a story that has always encompassed darkness and light, destruction and revival, upheaval and renewal, tragedy and triumph."

In the study, there are intense human drama, many instructive quotations, moving and unforgettable scenes, arresting anecdotes, enduring human values to be emulated, portrayals of the subjects' personal qualities and strikingly different traits, depiction of complex intra-personal relationships within the family and among close relatives, friends and colleagues in business and politics, and lengthy discussions on the intricate web of negotiations behind the building of the major pillars (Benpres Holdings, Meralco, ABS-CBN, Sky Vision, Rockwell Land, BayanTel, Maynilad, First Philippine Infrastructure Gas Plant, National Tollway and many others) of the Lopez business empire.