Surviving Wall Street
A Tale of Triumph, Tragedy, and Timing
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4.4 • 5 Ratings
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- $18.99
Publisher Description
M&A dealmaker's real-life adventure tale tells the story of a turbulent period on Wall Street
Surviving Wall Street: A Tale of Triumph, Tragedy and Timing portrays the dramatic transformation of the investment banking business in recent decades through the tumultuous saga of one firm (Greenhill & Co., a specialist in mergers and acquisitions) and one man (Scott Bok, the longtime CEO of that firm). Written in the style of an adventure tale, this book is also a "coming of age" story for a naive young man who came to Wall Street—as thousands like him do each year—and managed to grab a front-row seat for a period of epic change.
Readers will gain an insider's perspective on:
A M&A firm's journey from start-up to wildly successful first-of-a-kind IPO and later to a sale to a major global bank Numerous crises that rocked Greenhill and all of Wall Street, including the dot-com crash, global financial crisis and pandemic How the creation of new firms and mergers or collapses of old ones have driven the evolution and growth of the industry The author's role in a battle for control of the University of Pennsylvania that featured activist shareholder and corporate takeover tactics
A firsthand account of deals and dealmakers told from inside the boardroom, Surviving Wall Street will captivate those wanting to understand the dramatic evolution and expansion of Wall Street, as well as younger readers hoping to chart their own path to success in this Darwinian industry.
Customer Reviews
An Honest Look at Life Behind the Glass Towers
Scott Bok’s Surviving Wall Street is a candid and insightful guide for anyone curious about the realities of investment banking. What makes this book stand out is its balance: it neither glamorizes the industry nor reduces it to horror stories.
Readers don’t just get a behind-the-scenes look at Wall Street—they gain practical lessons on resilience and self-awareness that apply far beyond finance.
The book is written for aspiring bankers and the simply curious. For students or young professionals considering finance, it’s invaluable for setting realistic expectations. For general readers, it provides an engaging window into a world often shrouded in myth.