I completely loved this book but it won't be for everyone. I mean, who wants to read a book about the torturous details of the financial markets, for entertainment? But it is absolutely fascinating. I read it in a mammoth one day sitting because how else do you keep all the convoluted steps and acronyms in mind long enough to try and get a grip on what happened? It was recommended to me by a friend whose day job is medicine, but whose passion is the stock market (just like one of the real characters in this book). I asked if there was a book "GFC and the sub-prime crash for dummies" and this is what he gave me. Perfect! It does take commitment from a novice to anything to do with money or markets but it is worth it. Lewis makes it eminently readable by telling the story through the eyes of three main real life characters, who saw what was coming and made a killing. In turns machiavellian, clever, disturbing and greed filled, this book helped me to understand just what happened and how the actions of a few brilliant people, in a flawed system brought the world so closse to complete financial collapse. Just don't ask me to explain itto you myself!You will have to read the book. Brilliant coincidence - the evening before I picked this book up I watched "Moneyball", a film about a team's efforts to win at big league baseball by working the system. Also written by Micahel Lewis, as was "The Blind Side".