Griftopia
A Story of Bankers, Politicians, and the Most Audacious Power Grab in American History
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4.3 • 170 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
A brilliantly illuminating and darkly comic tale of the ongoing financial and political crisis in America.
The financial crisis that exploded in 2008 isn’t past but prologue. The grifter class—made up of the largest players in the financial industry and the politicians who do their bidding—has been growing in power, and the crisis was only one terrifying manifestation of how they’ve hijacked America’s political and economic life.
Matt Taibbi has combined deep sources, trailblazing reportage, and provocative analysis to create the most lucid, emotionally galvanizing account yet written of this ongoing American crisis. He offers fresh reporting on the backroom deals of the bailout; tells the story of Goldman Sachs, the “vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity”; and uncovers the hidden commodities bubble that transferred billions of dollars to Wall Street while creating food shortages around the world.
This is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the labyrinthine inner workings of this country, and the profound consequences for us all.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Taibbi eviscerates Wall Street for what he considers frauds perpetrated on the American people over the last ten years. Delving into complicated financial history and lingo, Taibbi deftly lays the subject bare, rendering heretofore-dense subject matter simple without being simplistic. Blame for the recent mortgage collapse, commodities bubble, and tech bubble are laid at the feet of a relatively small number of bankers and traders who, in the author's opinion, act without fear of reciprocity from a U.S. government no longer representative of the American people. He begins by awarding the title "Biggest Asshole In The Universe" to former-Fed Chief Alan Greenspan, taking him to task for willfully or stupidly disemboweling what little regulation the financial markets may have had before his tenure. This theme resounds throughout, and Taibbi asserts that the collusion between Wall Street and the White House has effectively turned the United States into a massive casino, in which working Americans are regularly bilked out of their savings and homes while the wealthy are repeatedly rewarded for their graft. It's an important and worthy read, but not for the Randian disciple or Goldman-Sachs alum.
Customer Reviews
Great
Great work but very depressing as the author lays out the sodomizing of the American people.
Thorough and crucial
Want to know how commodities markets are manipulated to drive up oil prices? Want to know just how low Goldman Sachs stoops to? Want to know how Ayn Rand figures into a completely corrupt financial system? Read this book.
Griftopia
Excellent book. Wish there were more people like Taibbi