Griftopia: Bubble Machines, Vampire Squids, and the Long Con That Is Breaking America
by Matt Taibbi
# ISBN-10: 0385529953
# ISBN-13: 978-0385529952
PROS:
- Covers areas of financial fraud both well-known and obscure in the American economy over the last few decades.
- Surprisingly deep and human treatment of the issues and the politics helps you understand the people and the issues.
- Makes an attempt to explain the financial issues that often go unreported and mis-understood.
- Attempts to keep a sense of humor about some of these things as horrible as they are.
CONS:
- Explanation of economic issues really is not kept simple enough to explain to people without an interest in economics.
- The author's mixture of humor, outrage, and swearing may turn some off (while others will enjoy it immensely).
- Doesn't always dig deep enough into the patterns described.
- Has little suggestion on solutions to the problems.
SUMMARY: Griftopia is a flawed, but interesting, examination of decades of financial fraud in America. It is more for people who have the inclination and knowledge to dig further into the financial messes in the US.