Of all the books that fall under the “success memoir” umbrella, In Through the Window had the odds stacked against it. We’ve all read stories where someone starts with nothing, works hard and eventually builds something remarkable. They’re inspiring, sure, but they can also start feeling interchangeable. Lintao Lu’s story doesn’t.
What makes this memoir stand out isn’t the success itself. It’s where that story begins.
Lu grew up in rural China during the Cultural Revolution, in a community shaped by poverty, uncertainty and famine. From there, he goes on to study, travel, build businesses across multiple countries and eventually lead an international company. On paper, it’s an incredible journey. But what stayed with me wasn’t the scale of his achievements. It was the quiet determination running beneath them. The book never feels like it’s trying to impress you. It simply lays one chapter of his life after another and lets the story speak for itself.
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The title becomes more meaningful the further you read. “When the door is locked, go in through the window” isn’t just a clever metaphor. It becomes a mindset. Again and again, Lu finds himself in situations where the obvious path isn’t available to him. Instead of waiting for permission or giving up altogether, he finds another way forward. Other times it is just sheer persistence. Other times it is just not giving up on yourself when you know there is always hope behind that closed door.
It is also good that the book does not become an instruction manual midway through. Yes, there are lessons of leadership, perseverance, and determination but they are woven naturally from the experience itself, and are not just a list of tips and pointers. The Chinese sayings that preface every chapter of the book could have been repetitive, but instead serve to enhance the story.
What gives the memoir its emotional weight is the balance between cultures. Lu never asks readers to choose between Eastern philosophy and Western ambition. Rather, he describes how the two influenced the man he is today. There’s a subtle humility with which he talks about his success, something that has become uncommon among leadership books.
My one criticism of the book would be that I wished I had spent more time at some points. Some significant events in his life fly by faster than they should for such life-changing moments.
In Through the Window is ultimately less about business than it is about possibility. It’s a reminder that the path you’re expected to take isn’t always the one that gets you where you’re meant to be. Sometimes the window really is the better way in.