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52nd out of 113 books
—
26 voters
Ugly Americans: The True Story of the Ivy League Cowboys Who Raided the Asian Markets for Millions
by
Ben Mezrich
Ben Mezrich, author of the New York Times bestseller Bringing Down the House, returns with an astonishing story of Ivy League hedge-fund cowboys, high stakes, and the Asian underworld.
Ugly Americans is the true story of John Malcolm, a hungry young Princeton grad who traveled halfway around the world in search of the American dream and ultimately pulled off a trade that c...more
Ugly Americans is the true story of John Malcolm, a hungry young Princeton grad who traveled halfway around the world in search of the American dream and ultimately pulled off a trade that c...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
April 26th 2005
by William Morrow Paperbacks
(first published January 30th 2004)
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Ugly Americans by Ben Mezrich is billed as “The true story of the ivy league cowboys who raided the Asian markets for millions.” However, it comes across as fiction. I realize that certain details had to be changed to protect sources. I think that he did manage to get a lot of the details right, but from a market perspective I couldn’t tell you what those were really. However, after reading Rogue Trader, the book about Nick Leeson, who brought down Barclay with his trading in Singapore-and he ge...more
Ugly Americans: the title - calls out to anti-heroes and capitalists, and gives a fair hint at what to expect inside. American expats portrayed as cowboy-empire builders but in our own times and in the unique culture of Japan. Modern day Japan itself is described as a heady mix of old and new where instead of clashing the two are complementing each other. Crime and business, lust and family, American and gaijin, rainmaker and barbarian.... Even the image on the cover shows these cowboys in bespo...more
The Ugly Americans is the story of John Malcolm, an Ivy League graduate who, when a football career does not pan out, decides to work in the finance industry. He begins his career as a Kidder Peabody trader working out of their Osaka, Japan office, but through an accounting glitch, which is not all his fault, he loses the job. After this point, however, he begins making deals in the stock market that define his career and earn him the moniker of the "young American gunslinger".
I really enjoyed t...more
I really enjoyed t...more
Another non-fiction adventure from must-read author Ben Mezrich, this time following the adventures of the swashbuckling Ugly Americans as they pillage financial exchanges in the Far East. And once again he latched onto a story full of drama, greed and life and death consequences.
The MIT blackjack books got me started with this author, but Ugly Americans and Rigged The True Story of an Ivy League Grad's Wild Adventures from Wall Street to Dubai were even more engrossing.
From what I've read, a nu...more
The MIT blackjack books got me started with this author, but Ugly Americans and Rigged The True Story of an Ivy League Grad's Wild Adventures from Wall Street to Dubai were even more engrossing.
From what I've read, a nu...more
Loved Bringing Down the House, so I picked up Mezrich's follow up book about some Wall Street boys and their adventures in Tokyo.
Interesting book, perfect to eat up time on that flight to Japan.
Worthwhile and surely of interest to those intersted in Asia, finance, a blend of historical personalities included in the story, seedy side of Osaka and a heaping spponful of the yakuza (Japanese mob) thrown in.
Interesting book, perfect to eat up time on that flight to Japan.
Worthwhile and surely of interest to those intersted in Asia, finance, a blend of historical personalities included in the story, seedy side of Osaka and a heaping spponful of the yakuza (Japanese mob) thrown in.
Depending on your level of credulity, you may have trouble taking the subtitle of Ugly Americans seriously. Whether the story of Mezrich's Ivy League cowboys and their influence on the Asian stock market collapse is entirely true is something only he knows
This is supposed to be a well-researched, nonfiction account of what the western hedge fund cowboys did in Japan during the lat 90's. The book doesn't quite capture the essence of the American expatriate, but if you are one it might incite a little self reflection. It also provides some insight for gaijin who are curious about that lifestyle or pondering working in Asia. However, it provides less insight into Japanese culture and gets some things just plain wrong. Mezrich prides himself on being...more
This is a riveting story based on true events about the lives of several American securities traders in Japan. The reality of the massive movement of wealth through the securities industry with no purpose except to seek more wealth under tremendous risk (risking the livelihoods of tens to hundreds of thousands of people), the reality of the massive amount of greed and waste, the reality of the massive illusion in which the industry is absorbed is so pathetic. Mezrich maintained a very focused na...more
More hype than substance story of ex pats stock trading in Japan. Having spent time living as an ex-pat, although not in Japan, I was not astounding by the amazing story. Guys were doing the same and more on Wall Street at the time. The story is almost an extended magazine article and ends with the American expressing his distrust for a foreign culture which he doesn't really get (or the author doesn't really get.)
The story is supposed to be a true recreation, although the coincidences are just...more
The story is supposed to be a true recreation, although the coincidences are just...more
This is a just-OK book; I did enjoy it it but it's written (as the author points out) for people who don't read much. It represents a new genre of "guy chick-lit"; thrillers with a focus on getting rich quick and beating the system. If you are interested in Japan, being an "expat", and general risky business: this may a good book for you. If you are looking for character development, a real plot, and intelligent prose: not so much. I probably will not read any more of Mezrich's books, but I'm in...more
Enjoyed the book and having lived in Japan through that period I could recognise the archetypes, the foreigners in Tokyo in the late 90's really could be a bit OTT. The story moves along at a good pace and I really got involved in all the little side elements of the story and that (unfortunately) is what let me down in the end. Just as I feel the book is coming to a climax it ended, leaving me with a handful of unanswered questions. In all though, a good read, and would recommend it if you have...more
Good book, light reading, funny and a great story to tell, yakuza characters and Japanese sex stories, well worth the read. This is not an instructional book about how markets collapse or a Michael Lewis-type book that will be misconstrued as a path to ibanking. It's a story. A bit of hero worship, but a fine story, well told. You do have to wonder how many people read it and thought, 'I wonder if that's still going on.... and where do I apply?' Worth reading for a cultural look at Anglo-Japanes...more
I read Mezrich’s other novel two years ago (Bringing Down the House) – a “nonfiction” account of Ivy League Whizkids who’d developed a method for winning millions from Vegas by counting cards. Consider Ugly Americans that book’s sequel on speed. Instead of casinos, we have Ivy League Whizkids gaming the Asian markets to rake in hundreds of millions of dollars of profit for a profiteering hedge fund. This somewhat fictionalized account of true events follows John Malcolm (pseudonym), a Princeton...more
I wanted to take a step out of the primarly business drive books I have been reading lately and read a book that contains all the excietment of mobs, money and women. This book does it, but wasn't earth shattering. I thought overall the book was entertaining and somewhat enlightening as it delved into the Japanes markets as well as the peculiar characteristics of the Japanese society as a whole. Certainly invokes a strong urge to get on a plane and got to Japan.
This book was very exciting. I read it on a plane ride to the east coast. It was a 5 hour flight and I didn't put the book down once - not even to grab a bag of peanuts. Now, I don't read all that much so, that says a lot.
It wasn't so much about the writing as the true story of these young, impressionable, filthy rich boys who were immersed into a culture they could hardly grasp.
If you have any interest in the stock exchange, I suggest this book.
It wasn't so much about the writing as the true story of these young, impressionable, filthy rich boys who were immersed into a culture they could hardly grasp.
If you have any interest in the stock exchange, I suggest this book.
This book was really well-written. I have read other books by this author, four total, and he does an excellent job of painting a picture of what is going on with the characters in question. Since these characters are actual people, it is nice to get into the lifestyles in which he depicts. Thought I am sure they are overly dramatized at times, it really does a service of telling the story. This story is no exception.
I did not really understand all of the technical lingo that went along with th...more
I did not really understand all of the technical lingo that went along with th...more
The language a bit crass, but they are ugly Americans. The underground Japanese culture also something I would never know about if it were not for books like this. I wonder how much is true... human trafficking, unfortunately, is probably very much alive. All of this is only a backdrop for the real story, which is pretty compelling.
Mezrich (Bringing Down the House) tells another story about smart kids gaming the system to get rich and live the high life. This time it's the Japanese stock markets rather than the Vegas casinos. A bit choppy because it was the abridged version, but worth a listen if you liked his Vegas stories. Looking forward to his Facebook book.
Ben Mezrich is the master of creative non-fiction. He has a bit of Arthur Hailey in him and well, it is a compliment. Ugly Americans is a well-written book. I'm not too aware of financial terminology, but then I didn't miss a beat. It is not blinded with science. The style is engaging and racy. I loved it!
A quick read from Ben Mezrich (same author who wrote the Social network) about crazy hedgefund guys who get in over their head in the Asian markets. It is a real page turner and gives you an insight into the American business man living in Asia- guys living like rock stars who think that no rules apply.
An engrossing read about hedge fund cowboys in Asia. A pre-cursor to Mezrich's more popular books, which I admit I haven't read. I absolutely hated the corny ending but who knows if Mezrich or someone in the pub industry wanted it that way. Otherwise, a well-written and engrossing read.
Mezrich never disappoints. He has this uncanny ability to find the most interesting and compelling subjects and people. This book sucks you in to the criminal underbelly of the Japanese yakuza and various business dealings with young Americans. He, Mezrich that is, is a literary genius. He introduces the everyday person to fascinating worlds of intrigue and keeps you wanting more and more and more.
A great financial read about exploiting the Osaka markets using arbitrage. Unfortunately it is more financial than thriller, and even the finance is a bit down to earth. They didn't do anything grand but simply let the Japanese get ripped off on both the buy and sell side due to the fact that in the 1980's Japan didn't have a clue how the financial exchanges worked. Nothing smart, nothing new, just a con game in a different continent exploiting the ignorance of post-war Japan. And the Japanese m...more
Interesting story of how a group of young Ivy Leaguers made a fortune on the Japanese stock market...though not quite as compelling as some of Mezrich's other subjects (Bringing Down the House, Accidental Billionaires, etc.). Still, a quick and fun read.
Great book for financial read, but as for the fiction about the character, I don't truly beleive it. Turned out to be great for a 24 year old..millions, beautiful wife who he truly loved, great house. Either its all BS or life really is too good for a few chosen once.
another great book from Ben. i gave this a lower star rating due to i am a business junkie and most people are not. not as much action in his other books but the way he describes toyko it makes me wanna visit so much.
Having run out of books to read, I picked this up in a Positano pharmacy, on the strength of Mezrich's first effort about MIT blackjack card counters, Bringing Down the House.
The book is based on a true story, and is about an American kid--alias John Malcolm--who goes to Japan to work for a hedge fund. Malcolm ends up making millions while living the fast driving, high-flying moneyed, sexed-up lifestyle of rich ex-pats in Japan.
The story is compelling, but not particularly enriching. It's a so...more
The book is based on a true story, and is about an American kid--alias John Malcolm--who goes to Japan to work for a hedge fund. Malcolm ends up making millions while living the fast driving, high-flying moneyed, sexed-up lifestyle of rich ex-pats in Japan.
The story is compelling, but not particularly enriching. It's a so...more
Ben Mezrich does it again and continues to impress me as an author. His detailed description of the Japanese Stock market is a strong story with adequate explanations but not to the point of boredom. Great novel!
Mezrich again hypes up and exaggerates many details (index arbitrage is not gun-slinging, investment capital does not flow easily like water, etc.) Book is entertaining, but not at all realistic and more fiction
I like Ben Mezrich. You need to be careful reading them as "non-fiction" because he takes great liberties with his facts and characters, but he tells great stories and they make for really fun reads.
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Ben Mezrich is an American author from Boston, Massachusetts, who started out writing fiction but now has made his foray into non-fiction. He graduated magna-cum-laude from Harvard in 1991. He has since published eight books which have together sold over a million copies in nine different languages. Some of his books have been written under the pseudonym Holden Scott.
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