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126 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 20, 2017
Am a bit unsure how to proceed w/ this review. I think what will be relevant in regards to this work will be the previous level of understanding the reader has about wtf happened w/ the financial "collapse" of 2008. (Read "collapse" here as: take-over, intentional restructuring, or straight-up, coordinated theft, according to your own view of what exactly went down.)
If one has no clue whatsoever re: the new world paradigm that was set into motion in 2008, this book will do the job in getting a start toward wrapping one's brain around some measure of explanation. Sadly, there is no way to do that w/o eventually having to be in the middle of a bunch of financial terminology. The author here does his best to include what is relevant financially, with explanation, w/o having it bog things down any more than is avoidable. That bit was the hardest of this to get through. Not b/c it wasn't relevant or well-enough done, but rather b/c, in the end, the whole lot of all that financial mess is just a bunch of shit we made up, & therefore I have the hardest time forcing myself to give a damn. It is a necessary part to cover, however, of the events & how they played out. It was also a short section to have to read, & very doable. Alternatively, if one was paying attn. at any point after mid-2009, as I was, then the details provided herein will likely not reveal any information or insight not yet known.
I am also undecided as to the way this book was set-up. It presents as 2 persons talking their way through the global experience of these financial changes, which is just as good a way to cover it as any other. At certain points I found this to be somewhat annoying, but at others I found it to be entirely appropriate. So I don't know what to tell you about that, other than to let the potential reader know it may be an issue.....or maybe not. It was never an issue that made me wish I hadn't opened the book, so it's a minor thing.
To put this type of material in an easily-digestible format is no easy task, so I will give full props for that. It was a small, accessible read, & I am not aware of any other attempt to make these events into anything that might be within comprehensible reach of the average person. That said, what might become a slight issue of relatability for some readers would be that the characters are approaching the events from an Italian background. That perspective does not alter what happened in any way, & is of course relevant, but some people might find it to be that much more distance for their minds to span. Certainly it's no reason to keep away from this material.
Two things I personally want to throw in here. First, the finance guy in this tale uses the excuse that if he he hadn't done it, someone else would have. That's literally the same excuse the Clinton's (& oh so many other people shrugging off responsibility for personal gains) have used many times for b.s. they've done. I'm sick of hearing it come out of people's mouths. Secondly, the author is clear to point out that real people suffer for things they have no control over. What I want to note in relation to that, is the response that all these nations had to this mess, & invite the readers to contrast those responses w/ that of Iceland & its citizens. That, my friends, to use a turn of phrase from my corner of the world, is how shit gets handled. People were held accountable. Changes were made. The economy was altered so as to be anchored to tangible, real-world things that actually frickin' exist. They told other countries trying to bully them into sinking their ship alongside the countries of the rest of the world to smooth fck off. In doing so, they went their own road & are better for it. The rest of us (except those on the yachts, of course) are just holding on to our flimsy life-rafts waiting for the next strong wave to send us churning out in all directions....again. If this book makes a reader curious to know more, I would refer that reader to look toward Iceland. I found it fascinating. Also, a recently published book, The Creative Destruction of New York City: Engineering the City for the Elite, by Alessandro Busà, while not as accessible for the average reader, does a good job at witnessing in the microcosm of a modern city more or less the same principles that were applied globally. This is what the plan, as decided by the only people w/ the power to do so, is going forward. (Spoiler alert: it’s not exactly a paradise.)
So, the summation is that this book is a great attempt at breaking down a confusing thing. It's well-timed, as 10-years on is perfect to catch those who have just now stopped stopped reeling from the repeated blows long enough to be able to start trying to understand what on Earth just happened. Very readable in a day, on a short trip, or in short sections, as may suit the readers circumstances.
Oh, final side note to those who put this together: great job on selecting both the title & the cover image. Perfect. It’s exactly what made me pause at this long enough to see what it was about.
In the end, 4-stars overall. 5-stars for being what it is, minus 1-star for those times the conversational format irritated me, although I can't honestly say I've any idea how it might have been done better & remained as readable. Perhaps I will regret this & return to give 5-stars, as my complaint is likely more an issue of personal taste. We'll see.