I didn't expect to be so entertained, even to the point of chuckling out loud, while reading this book: Liar's Poker:Rising Through the Wreckage of Wall Street.

The topic is hardly humorous, but Michael Lewis displays a flair for character description, clear communication, and generally all-round good writing in this memoir-style inside view into the culture and goings on of Salomon Brothers during the 1980s.


Author Lewis tells the larger story of a firm and an era using his own experiences and reactions during a couple years on the "inside," starting from his almost accidental recruitment in London, through his vividly portrayed New York acculturation/training months, and continuing on during his actual employment back in London until his decision to leave his job -- a job where he fumbles at the outset, yet succeeds,in the end, almost certainly beyond his own and others' expectations.

After all, Lewis was an art history major (albeit at Princeton) and appears to have stumbled into a future for which he was not suitably knowledgeable, nor prepared. Readers, on the other hand, should be prepared with this useful caution: expect to encounter plenty of potentially unfamiliar terms as the author tries to communicate his experiences in the investment banking world of mad bond traders and hijinks in high finance.

This book will not be for everyone, but a reader will know pretty quickly whether or not this book is a good match or not.

So, those who are curious about the topic, might consider giving this one a try. I'm not the wagering type, but I'll bet that few glimpses of this special world of high-stakes institutionalized gambling could be as vivid as the one offered here by Michael Lewis, and if the terms get in your way, carry on anyway --at least until you've figured out what Liar's Poker is all about -- or close the book and call it quits. What have you got to lose, anyway?