Too Big to Fail

The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System--and Themselves

By: Andrew Ross Sorkin

Narrated by: William Hughes

Andrew Ross Sorkin's website

Andrew Ross Sorkin's interview on Charlie Rose

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Andrew Ross Sorkin delivers the first true behind-the-scenes, moment-by-moment account of how the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression developed into a global tsunami. From inside the corner office at Lehman Brothers to secret meetings in South Korea, and the corridors of Washington, Too Big to Fail is the definitive story of the most powerful men and women in finance and politics grappling with success and failure, ego and greed, and, ultimately, the fate of the world’s economy.

“We’ve got to get some foam down on the runway!” a sleepless Timothy Geithner, the then-president of the Federal Reserve of New York, would tell Henry M. Paulson, the Treasury secretary, about the catastrophic crash the world’s financial system would experience.

Through unprecedented access to the players involved, Too Big to Fail re-creates all the drama and turmoil, revealing neverdisclosed details and elucidating how decisions made on Wall Street over the past decade sowed the seeds of the debacle. This true story is not just a look at banks that were “too big to fail,” it is a real-life thriller with a cast of bold-faced names who themselves thought they were too big to fail.

Critic reviews

"...comprehensive and chilling..."
-TIME

"...his action scenes are intimate and engaging..."
-The New Yorker

"Sorkin's prodigious reporting and lively writing put the reader in the room for some of the biggest-dollar conference calls in history. It's an entertaining book, brisk book...Sorkin skillfully captures the raucous enthusiasm and riotous greed that fueled this rational irrationality."
-The New York Times Book Review

"...brings the drama alive with unusual inside access and compelling detail...A deeply researched account of the financial meltdown."
-BusinessWeek

"...meticulously researched...told brilliantly. Other blow-by-blow accounts are in the works. It is hard to imagine them being this riveting."
-The Economist

"Sorkin's densely detailed and astonishing narrative of the epic financial crisis of 2008 is an extraordinary achievement that will be hard to surpass as the definitive account...as a dramatic close-up, his book is hard to beat."
-Financial Times

"Sorkin's book, like its author, is a phenom...an absolute tour de force."
-The American Prospect

"Andrew Ross Sorkin pens what may be the definitive history of the banking crisis."
-The Atlantic Monthly

"Andrew Ross Sorkin has written a fascinating, scene-by-scene saga of the eyeless trying to march the clueless through Great Depression II."
-Tom Wolfe

"...Sorkin has succeeded in writing the book of the crisis, with amazing levels of detail and access."
-Reuters

"Sorkin can write. His storytelling makes "Liar's Poker" look like a children's book."
-SNL Financial

Somewhat disappointing

Just 3 stars for this work covering an enormously important subject.
If you subscribe to "People" magazine, or it's ilk, this coverage of the melt down may be of greater interest to you. It is mostly about the background and nature of the people involved, not the detailed events and mistakes that caused this disaster.

We Got to Get Some Foam on the Runway

Too Big to Fail is Sorkin's telling of the global economic meltdown and the formation of TARP. This is some fine journalism and wonderful writing. Even if you don't follow all of the characters (which you probably will), just listening along with give you a feel and understanding of what was at stake and what was accomplished. Certainly, I found the characters humanized and now appreciate the struggles that Timothy Geithner and Henry Paulson faced. I appreciate what these men and others did to bring stability to the economy.

This book is well written and read. The research is great. If you are old enough you may see the Keystone cops running the streets. Lets just hope that the outcomes benefit us as much as the book informs and entertains.

it's like you were there

Sorkin does a great job bringing you right into the suv's, meetings and phone calls and heads of the heavy hitters involved in the meltdown.
Even though we all know how it turned out, the machinations Sorkin describes are fascinating. Terrific narration too.

Compelling story and excellent narration

I highly recommend this book. The detail is excellent and well researched. The complexities of the financial crisis is broken down so that even non-financially minded folks can understand the months leading up to the market meltdown of 2008. The narration is a huge plus as well.

Excellent Drama and Documentary

This is an excellent documentary that reads like a suspense thriller. Many sub-stories are played out in the book. This would make a great movie.