New Book Recommendation

During December I finished the superb Millennium trilogy by Stieg Larsson.  As I put down the last book, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest, I felt an unusual sense of loss and began the long search for an equally enjoyable replacement.

This was easier than usual due to an inspired Christmas present, Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin, the story of the global financial tsunami outlining the fate of Bear Sterns, Lehman, Merrill Lynch and AIG.  It is written like a gripping novel and is unputdownable.

Here is an example of the writer’s style:

‘We just hit an iceberg’, Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, warned his men over dinner just 24 hours before Lehman Brothers would file for bankruptcy, Merrill Lynch would sell itself to Bank of America and the insurance giant AIG would teeter – all within one afternoon.  ‘The boat is filling and the music is still playing’.  There’s not enough lifeboats.  Someone is going to die’, he said with a wry smile, ’so you might as well enjoy the champagne and caviar.’

Too Big to Fail makes you realise that the skill level of most of the US bankers leaves a lot to be desired and has an inverse relationship to their salaries and bonuses.  I found this book very informative and I enjoyed it so much that I have added it to my Recommended Reading List.

Click on the following link if you wish to purchase Too Big to Fail.

Jim Slater