A Global Life

As president of the Global Bank for a decade, James D Wolfensohn tackled global poverty with a passion and energy that made him a uniquely important figure in a fundamental arena of change.

In A Global Life, Wolfensohn tells his remarkable life story beginning with his boyhood in Australia. He became an Olympic fencer and a prominent banker in London and New York, eventually navigating Wall Street with uncommon skill. Chairman of Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center for many years, he is also an amateur cellist.

But it was his tenure at the World Bank that made him an international force. Wolfensohn motivated, schemed, charmed and bullied the constituencies at his command to broaden the distribution of the world's wealth. In 2005, he became in international envoy for Israel's disengagement from Gaza, overseeing a transition that tragically collapsed.

Now Wolfensohn bluntly assesses his successes and failures. He reflects on his intense and tumultuous decade at the Bank and on the causes of continuing poverty. Much more than a business story, this is a riveting account of a fascinating career and personality.