Boomerang
By Michael Lewis
- Release Date: 2012-09-04
- Genre: Economics
Description
“Lewis shows again why he is the leading journalist of his generation.”—Kyle Smith, Forbes
The tsunami of cheap credit that rolled across the planet between 2002 and 2008 was more than a simple financial phenomenon: it was temptation, offering entire societies the chance to reveal aspects of their characters they could not normally afford to indulge.
Icelanders wanted to stop fishing and become investment bankers. The Greeks wanted to turn their country into a piñata stuffed with cash and allow as many citizens as possible to take a whack at it. The Germans wanted to be even more German; the Irish wanted to stop being Irish.
Michael Lewis's investigation of bubbles beyond our shores is so brilliantly, sadly hilarious that it leads the American reader to a comfortable complacency: oh, those foolish foreigners. But when he turns a merciless eye on California and Washington, DC, we see that the narrative is a trap baited with humor, and we understand the reckoning that awaits the greatest and greediest of debtor nations.
Reviews
Excellent book - a must read!
5By ItalospeedFolks, if you want to understand what went down in Europe and how the obvious wasn't obvious enough to prevent a meltdown, well this is a book you must read! Easy read and not technical at all! Very inspirational from a strategy standpoint.Fun, but not great
4By Bike=goodLiked it, but not mind blowing.Entertaining but pointless
3By boatcaptainGreat illustrations of various financial collapses, wrapped in culture biased antidotes. However, the book really does not build a case or make a point. It is like reading the first half of c s Lewis....a great backdrop is painted but the main characters never finish their journey. That said, read the book. It is worth 3 hours of your time to add perspective to the financial condition of our time.i finally understand the financial collapse
5By DrMarkM3a colloquial, easy read that finally explains the financial collapse in Europe and America. Interesting characters and stories bring visual clarity into an otherwise confusing part of history. This is a surprisingly fun read.Boomerang
4By wetzupdocHAvMichael Lewis gives a very readable and clear account of how the current financial crisis unfolded, not as a sudden collapse, but rather as a series of events in many different countries over a period of time. Each country gets its own chapter, and this works great until he comes to Germany. Lewis then gets sidetracked into a character assassination of the German psyche, using well-known expressions involving certain bodily functions to support his thesis, expressions all of which have counterparts in our own (American) language, BTW. This section seems unfounded and unsupported and it undermines the credibility of the rest of the narrative, which seemed so clear up to that point. Still, it is a good read and I came away feeling that I had a much better understanding of how it all developed, that it didn't start with gross misconduct by our own bankers (who got off Scott-free compared to the Germans, who paid a price) but that it went back at least to the financial debacle in Iceland (remember that one?) and that cheating the system is apparently endemic in some cultures who deceived their way into the EU and even now seem to be clueless as to how they got there.Excellent read
5By LIZDVMMichael Lewis has done a wonderful job of outlining the quagmire we have all gotten ourselves into. At the end he makes it clear that we each must take personal responsibility for this. Working together to find a creative solution is our only hope.Boomerang
5By EMC2TLCA must read for anyone trying to figure out how we got into the financial mess we are in at the moment.Every voting Citizen should read Boomerang
5By reolawEvery American citizen entitled to vote should be required to read this book. It clearly summarizes that we are a nation of addicts who cannot delay gratification and are sold political dope by the two main political parties, the Democrats and Republicans. Americans are emptying the teapot, and if we don't wise up and do the grown up things, which is the logical long term thinking and action, instead of buying the pandering pablum peddled by both the Republicans and Democrats. A great book that explains our present ecconomic situationd and the foreshadowing that we have more pain to come.Fascinating Read
4By KR-SKExplains in simple english, causes for the crises in several nations and rounds out with how much of a hole we are in as a nation…Great read.
5By Jim CarnsGreat book.....this and the Big Short gave me great insight into what happened in the financial meltdown of 2007--2012. Jim CarnsOne of his best
5By Cha BoGreat follow up to Big ShortBoomarang
4By SongtsamA very easy to read and entertaining book. Many of the stories resonated well in what is happening around the developed part of the world. The basic theme is most folks in have lived way beyond their means and no sure how we can fix that.Insightful
5By etorres2606This had more knowledge of the current economical crisis the world is facing than sitting watching CNN. It has the root causes of why these countries are in the situation they are in and how each countries culture and history has influenced their decisions and actions. It's an easy read for a book dealing about finance.Right on
4By JbisharaMichael Lewis has a writing style that captures the human aspect of the financial life we all share. I wish more politicians would read and head.Not enough info
1By Ixchel DesignsNot what I expected, I thought it was going to be more about Wall Street investments than some insufficient conclusion, I think he didn't even get to the real story to begin... There should be more to it...Moderate
3By GWBUSINESSLots of stuff are irrelevant from the main point. Nice reading though. The ending is way toooopop fast.Boomerang
5By dsborz10Michael Lewis puts into the simplest terms the new crisis that ails America. I think every American should be forced to read the final chapter of this book "to fat to fly." Americans must become more knowledgeable about the reality's we face in the future. I encourage everyone who would like to learn more about the new financial crisis we face to read this book!Great Read!!!
5By Kminnesota1;Very I interesting view of the economic crisis. Well written and very entertaining!Boomerang
4By SewingCWIf your frustrated with the financial collapse in the U.S and how it left someone as small as yourself facing a longer time till retirement; then see how the rest of the world is being left to deal with their collapse. You have to laugh sometime and why not at the rest of the world's hindsight.
