Griftopia, Matt Taibbi
Griftopia, Matt Taibbi
3 Rating(s)
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Griftopia
Bubble Machines, Vampire Squids, and the Long Con That Is Breaking America

Author: Matt Taibbi

Narrator: Patrick Egan

Unabridged: 11 hr 56 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/02/2010


Synopsis

The dramatic story behind the most audacious power grab in American history
 
The financial crisis that exploded in 2008 isn’t past but prologue. The stunning rise, fall, and rescue of Wall Street in the bubble-and-bailout era was the coming-out party for the network of looters who sit at the nexus of American political and economic power. 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 for a generation, transferring wealth upward through increasingly complex financial mechanisms and political maneuvers. The crisis was only one terrifying manifestation of how they’ve hijacked America’s political and economic life.

Rolling Stone’s Matt Taibbi here unravels the whole fiendish story, digging beyond the headlines to get into the deeper roots and wider implications of the rise of the grifters. He traces the movement’s origins to the cult of Ayn Rand and her most influential—and possibly weirdest—acolyte, Alan Greenspan, and offers fresh reporting on the backroom deals that decided the winners and losers in the government bailouts. He uncovers the hidden commodities bubble that transferred billions of dollars to Wall Street while creating food shortages around the world, and he shows how finance dominates politics, from the story of investment bankers auctioning off America’s infrastructure to an inside account of the high-stakes battle for health-care reform—a battle the true reformers lost. Finally, he tells the story of Goldman Sachs, the “vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity.”

Taibbi has combined deep sources, trailblazing reportage, and provocative analysis to create the most lucid, emotionally galvanizing, and scathingly funny account yet written of the ongoing political and financial crisis in America. This is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the labyrinthine inner workings of politics and finance in this country, and the profound consequences for us all.

About The Author

Matt Taibbi is a contributing editor for Rolling Stone and the author of four previous books, including the New York Times bestseller The Great Derangement. He lives in Jersey City, New Jersey. 


Reviews

Goodreads review by Will

You don’t have to be Dorothy or “The One” to know that there is something foul going on behind the economic curtain. Matt Taibbi, a former contributing editor at Rollingstone, rips away the misinformation that cloaks some of the most nefarious behavior in American history. He looks at a few elements......more

This is the 6th book I've read about the recent financial catastrophes. Fools Gold, The End of Wall Street, The Big Short, How Markets Fail, All the Devils Are Here are all worthy books, but Griftopia tops the rest with its insights and outrage. Taibbi doesn't simply settle for exposition and analysi......more

Goodreads review by J.

When I finally put this book down I thought only one thing.... EVERYONE IN AMERICA SHOULD READ THIS DAMN BOOK! 'Griftopia' is about the people and institutions that are actively taking away your future. The greed and gluttony of the rich and powerful has never felt so perverse. If education is truly a......more

Goodreads review by Clif

I've read three books concerning the financial collapse. The other two were by Yves Smith and Joseph Stiglitz and, while perfectly understandable and, in Stiglitz' case, as a dignified and careful critique, they didn't leave me steaming like this account. Matt Taibbi goes the full mile in this book......more

Goodreads review by Paltia

Here is a book that invites anger. Anger and then hopelessness. I read for awhile and found myself becoming so angry I needed to set it down. This is an important book that will hopefully be read and draw people closer together as they recognise the true source of America’s downfall.......more


Quotes

“A stinging new history of the financial crisis that heralds a return of Menckenesque, dirt-under-the-fingernails American journalism.”—GQ

“A relentlessly disturbing, penetrating exploration of the root causes of the trauma that upended economic security in millions of American homes . . . a full-scale indictment of Wall Street and Washington.”—The New York Times Book Review
 
“Matt Taibbi is [Hunter S.] Thompson’s heir. . . . [Griftopia] is the most lucid, justifiably angry description of what happened and what continues to happen to our nation’s economy.”—Seattle Post-Intelligencer
 
“Taibbi chronicles the corruption of the political process with indignation and dark humor. The takeaway? Be angry, but blame the right culprits.”—Time