Ratings93
Average rating4.2
The #1 *New York Times* bestseller: a brilliant account—character-rich and darkly humorous—of how the U.S. economy was driven over the cliff.
When the crash of the U. S. stock market became public knowledge in the fall of 2008, it was already old news. The real crash, the silent crash, had taken place over the previous year, in bizarre feeder markets where the sun doesn’t shine, and the SEC doesn’t dare, or bother, to tread: the bond and real estate derivative markets where geeks invent impenetrable securities to profit from the misery of lower- and middle-class Americans who can’t pay their debts. The smart people who understood what was or might be happening were paralyzed by hope and fear; in any case, they weren’t talking.
The crucial question is this: Who understood the risk inherent in the assumption of ever-rising real estate prices, a risk compounded daily by the creation of those arcane, artificial securities loosely based on piles of doubtful mortgages? Michael Lewis turns the inquiry on its head to create a fresh, character-driven narrative brimming with indignation and dark humor, a fitting sequel to his #1 best-selling *Liar’s Poker*. Who got it right? he asks. Who saw the real estate market for the black hole it would become, and eventually made billions of dollars from that perception? And what qualities of character made those few persist when their peers and colleagues dismissed them as Chicken Littles? Out of this handful of unlikely—really unlikely—heroes, Lewis fashions a story as compelling and unusual as any of his earlier bestsellers, proving yet again that he is the finest and funniest chronicler of our times.
Series
2 primary booksLiar's Poker is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 2010 with contributions by Michael Lewis.
Reviews with the most likes.
Having already watched the film based on this book I knew what to expect going in. Nonetheless I was very much interested throughout, especially the sections following Michael Burry. I must admit that most of the Wall Street jargon was still going over my head even by the end of the book, although I read this in one sitting on a flight which may well have affected my comprehension.
Very interesting and even more scary to see how this mess happened.
Too Big to Fail was written by a reporter and it was much more about what happened. Michael Lewis doesn't pull any punches with his thoughts on who he thinks is to blame and what he thinks of them in The Big Short.
I liked this a lot, and some of that is no doubt because I agree with Lewis on a number of points.
I had so much fun reading this book. What a roller coaster. What a disgusting, repulsive, terrifying, fascinating roller coaster.
Featured Prompt
2,097 booksWhen you think back on every book you've ever read, what are some of your favorites? These can be from any time of your life – books that resonated with you as a kid, ones that shaped your personal...