Dumb Money, Ben Mezrich
Dumb Money, Ben Mezrich
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Dumb Money
The GameStop Short Squeeze and the Ragtag Group of Amateur Traders That Brought Wall Street to Its Knees (Previously Published as The Antisocial Network)

Author: Ben Mezrich

Narrator: Fajer Al-Kaisi

Unabridged: 7 hr 46 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/07/2021


Synopsis

From the author of the book that became the iconic The Social Network movie, here is the definitive take on one of the wildest stories ever --  the David-vs.-Goliath GameStop short squeeze, a tale of fortunes won and lost overnight, marking an unforgettable event in financial history.

Bestselling author Ben Mezrich offers a gripping, beat-by-beat account of how a loosely affiliated group of private investors and internet trolls on a subreddit called WallStreetBets took down one of the biggest hedge funds on Wall Street, firing the first shot in a revolution that threatens to upend the establishment.

It’s the story of financial titans like Gabe Plotkin of hedge fund Melvin Capital, one of the most respected and staid funds on the Street, billionaires like Elon Musk, Steve Cohen, Mark Cuban, Robinhood co-CEOs Vlad Tenev and Baiju Bhatt, and Ken Griffin of Citadel Securities. Over the course of four incredible days, each in their own way must reckon with a formidable force they barely understand, let alone saw coming: everyday men and women on WallStreetBets like nurse Kim Campbell, college student Jeremy Poe, and the enigmatic Keith “RoaringKitty” Gill, whose unfiltered livestream videos captivated a new generation of stock market enthusiasts.

The unlikely focus of the battle: GameStop, a flailing brick-and-mortar dinosaur catering to teenagers and outsiders that had somehow held on as the world rapidly moved online. At first, WallStreetBets was a joke—a meme-filled, freewheeling place to share shoot-the-moon investment tips, laugh about big losses, and post diamond hand emojis. Until some members noticed an opportunity in GameStop—and rode a rocket ship to tens of millions of dollars in earnings overnight.

In thrilling, pulse-pounding prose, DUMB MONEY offers a fascinating, never-before-seen glimpse at the outsize personalities, dizzying swings, corporate drama, and underestimated American heroes and heroines who captivated the nation during one of the most volatile weeks in financial history. It’s the amazing story of what just happened—and where we go from here.

Previously published as The Antisocial Network.

About Ben Mezrich

Ben Mezrich graduated magna cum laude from Harvard. He has sold over ten million copies of his twenty-four published books, including the New York Times Bestsellers The Accidental Billionaires, which was adapted into the Academy Award–winning film The Social Network, and Bringing Down the House, which was the basis for the hit movie 21. His current bestseller The Antisocial Network is being adapted into the feature film Dumb Money. Ben has written and produced for the hit TV show Billions on Showtime, and he travels the world speaking to audiences of all ages about writing books and the adventures he has experienced from each of his stories. He lives in Boston with his wife, two kids, and two pugs.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Emma on January 15, 2022

I felt like this book could have been cut in half, 70 pages of introducing characters and irrelevant tangents got very frustrating. Some sections (latter half) were great and very engaging. Was expecting more in such an interesting subject.......more

Goodreads review by Walt on October 02, 2023

Plenty of other readers are disappointed in this book. Many of them share the same problems: flowery language, tangents, fluff, a frustrating lack of detail. But most readers agree that Mexrich does offer a better understanding of the GameStop short squeeze than what is available through casual news......more

Goodreads review by Girish on April 30, 2022

"The Reddit crowd took that to mean that the only way to win was to try to tear that system down. What they didn't realise was that there was a simpler path to victory. You didn't tear the system down - you became the system. And once you were the system, the rules were there to protect you." Gamestom......more

Goodreads review by Cameron on October 14, 2021

Seems odd that this is the same guy that wrote other works such as Bringing Down The House. Interesting story but poorly written.......more

Goodreads review by Russell on October 06, 2021

Despite his somewhat breathless style, Mezrich tells a compelling story about the financial industry's coming to grips with its first encounter with organized small-investor stock purchasing. Long used to having the stock market run by, and for the interest of, large institutions, the binding togeth......more


Quotes

"Mezrich mans the conveyor belt at the factory that turns raw reality into its eventual slick cinematic depiction."—New York Times

"Mr. Mezrich, the author of bestsellers on topics ranging from the origins of Facebook to beating the odds at Las Vegas, tells the story of GameStop through the eyes of an array of characters, especially small investors who had little or no previous experience in the stock market."—Wall Street Journal

"The David vs. Goliath-esque GameStop short squeeze of Winter 2021 was undoubtedly one of the most entertaining stories of the year, and Mezrich brings new life to the whole thing in this look at the outrageous personalities and corporate drama that fueled it."—The New York Post

"Mezrich can conjure a scene so vivid that you not only feel like you know the people on the page, but feel as if you’re in the room with them."—Porchlight

PRAISE FOR BEN MEZRICH:

"A talented storyteller."—New York Times

"The reigning cowboy of creative nonfiction."—The Oregonian

"Mezrich's prose has a cinematic flavor."—Boston Globe

"Mezrich brings his characteristic cinematic flair... A number of characters come to life... the most page-turning part of the tale. This is a thrilling and comprehensive account."—Publishers Weekly