The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine

Michael Lewis

Feb 2011 · W. W. Norton & Company

About this ebook

The #1 New York Times bestseller: "It is the work of our greatest financial journalist, at the top of his game. And it's essential reading."—Graydon Carter, Vanity Fair The real story of the crash began in bizarre feeder markets where the sun doesn't shine and the SEC doesn't dare, or bother, to tread: the bond and real estate derivative markets where geeks invent impenetrable securities to profit from the misery of lower- and middle-class Americans who can't pay their debts. The smart people who understood what was or might be happening were paralyzed by hope and fear; in any case, they weren't talking.

Michael Lewis creates a fresh, character-driven narrative brimming with indignation and dark humor, a fitting sequel to his #1 bestseller Liar's Poker. Out of a handful of unlikely-really unlikely-heroes, Lewis fashions a story as compelling and unusual as any of his earlier bestsellers, proving yet again that he is the finest and funniest chronicler of our time.

Ratings and reviews

I absolutely love this a lot and so much with all of this money and wealth that I'm completely so obsessed with it like crazy & I just love money, cash and dollar bills so much in this picture that I want to have me stacks of cash, piles of cash, mountains of cash, thousands of dollars, millions of dollars and even billions of dollars one day in real life so I can be a thousandnaire, a millionaire and a billionaire in life living in luxury, paradise and financial freedom with all of this cash around to play with this money have peace with this money & have good times with all of this money and cash right in my suitcase, briefcase, duffel bag, plastic bag, cardboard box, safe, table, bed, chair, floor, bathroom, backpack, clothes pockets stuffed with money, shirts stuffed with money, money belt, money truck, money gun, raining down dollar bills and cash everywhere, money machine and a wheelbarrow filled up with all of this cash and dollar bills

As an A-paper mortgage broker who had little to do with the sub-prime market, I wondered how it was that I didn't see the crash coming. Now, thanks to Michael Lewis I feel vindicated after learning that the Wall Street banks didn't see it either, even though several had warned them in clear enough detail. Anyone, who after reading this book continues to gamble with the scum bags on Wall Street, or believing anything anyone who says anything positive about Wall Street, deserves the inevitable losses that will occur. They might just as well put Dr. Kevorkian on their speed dial right now. As a FINRA designated Certified Financial Educator, CFEd., my biggest enemies towards helping people see the truth, are "common sense" which is backwards, and Wall Street and the magical, high octane myth surrounding it . Hooray for Michael Lewis. I hope that one day he has another calling to write about the great deal of wealth that will be accumulated by financial real estate teams out there buying homes today as we are now. Earl Brown

He's very good at telling a story, and this is a great story. A very few people saw the crash coming, and made a fortune because of it. They truly couldn't believe nobody else saw what they saw, and it's sadly thrilling to watch as the economy collapses around them. Lewis also does a very good job of explaining, looking at both the big picture and at fine detail, what happened and who the villains are. One guy lost $19 BILLION!, clearly never understanding at any point the risks he was running - and he never had to give back a dime of the millions he was paid upfront.

About the author

Michael Lewis is the best-selling author of Liar’s Poker, Moneyball, The Blind Side, The Big Short, The Undoing Project, and The Fifth Risk. He lives in Berkeley, California, with his family.