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Not as satisfying as some of his other books like Moneyball or the Blind Side because it's multiple short superficial narratives instead of one long one. Whole thing comes off as a sort of a comical travel log because of the glib tone and outrageous characters he selected to focus on. It is entertaining. But paradoxically it is less informative than his much narrower take on the same topic in the Big Short. Ascribing the global financial collapses to flaws in national character takes away respon
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*Before I start, yes I know he already published free articles on-line of these stories but I am too busy/lazy to read through them all and constantly come back to it so this a bit more convenient/wast of money for me. Review will start after I read the whole book.
O.K. I was generally impressed at how Lewis broke down in the featured country how they dealt with the crash I did learn a lot at how the Eurozone came tumbling down. I doubt I'd have learned much if I had tried to follow from what T. ...more
O.K. I was generally impressed at how Lewis broke down in the featured country how they dealt with the crash I did learn a lot at how the Eurozone came tumbling down. I doubt I'd have learned much if I had tried to follow from what T. ...more
Jul 09, 2012
Marieke
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
travel,
journalism-opinion,
non-fiction,
united-states,
global,
business-econ-financial,
2012
One criticism: No real conclusion to wrap things up.
Michael Lewis on the ongoing financial crisis is my favorite reading. I'd even give up my beloved mysteries for him. This one doesn't have the depth and complexity of the Big Short but, for me, it has something of equal importance. Rather than being peopled by ruthless, greedy bankers, the cast of characters comes from those economically desperate countries--Iceland, Greece, Ireland and the one country that holds the cards, Germany. In each case he chooses to show us how the culture of each coun
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Michael Lewis is certainly the most entertaining writer among those attempting to explain/describe the worldwide financial mess we currently are in. His travels to Iceland, Greece, Ireland, Germany and California to discover 'where it all went wrong' were fascinating, and what he found, truly frightening. Though the Icelandic story was so comedic, it was not quite so bleak and numbing as other parts. This is a great read, especially as we see Greece, Germany and the EU in the news practically ho
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A great analysis of the economic crisis and its various national nuances. Lewis exposes various countries for their fiscal irresponsibilities, while linking these to unique cultural traits. However, as someone who has lived in a foreign country for more than 7 years, I felt that Lewis's short stay in each country can only offer a superficial analysis of societies which have rather complicated social structures and histories. Furthermore, it is true that most of his sources derived from interview
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A color-coded map of American personal indebtedness could be laid on top of the Centers for Disease Control’s color-coded map that illustrates the fantastic rise in rates of obesity across the United States since 1985 without disturbing the general pattern. The boom in trading activity in individual stock portfolios; the spread of legalized gambling; the rise of drug and alcohol addiction; it is all of a piece. Everywhere you turn you see Americans sacrifice their long-term interests for a short
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Lewis travels to check out how the cultures of those most affected by the credit crisis are reacting to it, making for a timely read as the crisis continues to unfold in Europe. The stories he wrote were compelling, engrossing, funny and scary.
Oct 03, 2011
Rodney Ulyate
marked it as to-read
Oct 11, 2011
Jessica
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Oct 13, 2011
Jennifer
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Oct 16, 2011
Al Rowell
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Oct 30, 2011
Rob L
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Nov 19, 2011
Karen
marked it as to-read
