The Big Short

Book Description

Critics

• 'The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine' by Michael Lewis

  First things first. I am not a numbers person. I am not a finance person. I do not understand the inner-workings, or even the outer-workings, of Wall Street. But back in October 2005, Mr Reading Matters and I had a personal tour of the New York Stock ... (read full critics)

  readingmatters published on Mon, 30 May 2011

• The Big Short by Michael Lewis

  So. The subprime mortgage crisis, the worldwide financial crisis, people losing their jobs, their money, their houses, their security. Unregulated greed, that went on and on and on. And the people who caused it all got rich during and after, very few ... (read full critics)

  thebookbag published on Thu, 27 Jan 2011

6 Reviews

• 1 person find this helpful

  

  More than the financial crisis

  I enjoyed Liar's Poker, another book of Michael Lewis immensely and was very interested since I heard of this book. This book did not disappoint and I will recommend it to every one who is interested in the global financial crisis, or finance in general.

  As a student who have taken up quite a few f ... (continue)

  I enjoyed Liar's Poker, another book of Michael Lewis immensely and was very interested since I heard of this book. This book did not disappoint and I will recommend it to every one who is interested in the global financial crisis, or finance in general.

  As a student who have taken up quite a few finance courses, I know the names of the structured products already: CDOs, CDS, MBS etc. But I feel like I have never really understood them after I finish this book. In the lessons, I learnt what they are. In this book, I know why they are invented and why they are so bizarre to others outside the fixed income industry.

  it is intended to be complicated to rip investors off

  A great fun and great overview in this financial crisis. What I like even more is the description of different characters in the book: those with foresight, those speculators, those i bankers and those poor homeowners. I am especially touched by the part of Michael Burry, who guessed everything right yet didn't get what he deserved : respect from his investors.

  My feeling is that the whole crisis is caused by greed and ignorance. But sooner or later others may forget the lesson in this book as well as previous history. Just not sure when is that day.

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  Andrew Wong said on Dec 20, 2010 | Add your feedback

• 

  the one book to read on the 2008 financial crisis, if only one book you want to read on the issue. And you must read one to understand the world you are living in. Lewis gives an exhaustive explanations of the mechanisms that led to crisis, telling the stories of some heroes and few villains that de ... (continue)

  the one book to read on the 2008 financial crisis, if only one book you want to read on the issue. And you must read one to understand the world you are living in. Lewis gives an exhaustive explanations of the mechanisms that led to crisis, telling the stories of some heroes and few villains that develop ultimately into the doomsday of the US banks

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  Darlinghurst said on Mar 2, 2011 | Add your feedback

• 

  I am a bit disappointed by Michael Lewis' much anticipated work of I-bank, his first on the theme after "Liar's Poker". The Big Short depicts several investment gurus who made a lot of money from the financial tsunami in 2007/2008 by betting against the suprime mortgage market.

  I have read about ... (continue)

  I am a bit disappointed by Michael Lewis' much anticipated work of I-bank, his first on the theme after "Liar's Poker". The Big Short depicts several investment gurus who made a lot of money from the financial tsunami in 2007/2008 by betting against the suprime mortgage market.

  I have read about those individuals and their success stories in Andrew Ross Sorkin's "Too Big To Fail" and Gregory Zuckerman's "The Greatest Trade Ever". Hence, The Big Short has lost its novelty to me, and I think Sorkin and Zuckerman told a much better story than Lewis.

  The Big Short is just not that interesting.

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  Tracy W said on Feb 27, 2011 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

• 

  Fantastic - understand the crisis and the financial system, if you dare

  Best book on the Financial Crisis, no doubt. Michael Lewis follows different groups of people who took the time (and had the incentive) to understand subprime mortgage, ABSs and CDOs, from early in the Naughties to the dramatic events of 2007. 2008 and... well, they have not finished yet.
  The book i ... (continue)

  Best book on the Financial Crisis, no doubt. Michael Lewis follows different groups of people who took the time (and had the incentive) to understand subprime mortgage, ABSs and CDOs, from early in the Naughties to the dramatic events of 2007. 2008 and... well, they have not finished yet.
  The book is great: very clear (even though you need to have a strong desire to understand: things are not simple...), deep in the stories of real people and - believe it or not - even fun.
  Read it.

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  PaoloMix said on Dec 5, 2010 | Add your feedback

• 

  This is a story about different people who have anticipated the downfall of the subprime mortgage bond and how they put their bets. This is an eye opener for me to see how diversified speculation can be.

  Comparatively, I like this book more than Liar's Poker. Even though we have already known how ... (continue)

  This is a story about different people who have anticipated the downfall of the subprime mortgage bond and how they put their bets. This is an eye opener for me to see how diversified speculation can be.

  Comparatively, I like this book more than Liar's Poker. Even though we have already known how the story ended, the author is very skillful in unfolding how the crisis developed. It is a thriller to read!

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  Waleswong said on Nov 16, 2010 | Add your feedback

• 

  Wonderful description about the crisis, and how it originated. Worth reading it again.

  My lack of financial knowledge may intrude me to read this book again in the near future just to get a better sense of what exactly is happening that cause this crisis.

  Overall, wonderfully written, and I could ... (continue)

  Wonderful description about the crisis, and how it originated. Worth reading it again.

  My lack of financial knowledge may intrude me to read this book again in the near future just to get a better sense of what exactly is happening that cause this crisis.

  Overall, wonderfully written, and I couldn't have known so much more about those avaricious bankers out there.

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  Lyoeleex said on Jun 7, 2010 | Add your feedback

Book Details

• Rating:
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• English Books
• Hardcover 256 Pages
• Edition: 1
• ISBN-10: 1846142571
• ISBN-13: 9781846142574
• Publisher: Allen Lane
• Pub date: Mar 15, 2010
• Also available as: Paperback, Audio CD, Others and eBook

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ISBN	Edition	List	Sale	Seller
9781846142574	Hardcover	$41.00	--	The Book Depository
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