Too Big to Fail

The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System--and Themselves

By: Andrew Ross Sorkin

Narrated by: William Hughes

Length: 21 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System - and Themselves

A real-life thriller about the most tumultuous period in America's financial history by an acclaimed New York Times reporter. Andrew Ross Sorkin delivers the first true, behind-the-scenes, moment-by-moment account of how the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression developed into a global tsunami.

From inside the corner office at Lehman Brothers to secret meetings in South Korea and the corridors of Washington, Too Big to Fail is the definitive story of the most powerful men and women in finance and politics grappling with success and failure, ego and greed, and, ultimately, the fate of the world's economy.

"We've got to get some foam down on the runway!" a sleepless Timothy Geithner, the then-president of the Federal Reserve of New York, would tell Henry M. Paulson, the Treasury secretary, about the catastrophic crash the world's financial system would experience. Through unprecedented access to the players involved, Too Big to Fail re-creates all the drama and turmoil, revealing neverdisclosed details and elucidating how decisions made on Wall Street over the past decade sowed the seeds of the debacle.

This true story is not just a look at banks that were "too big to fail"; it is a real-life thriller with a cast of bold-faced names who themselves thought they were too big to fail.

©2009 Andrew Ross Sorkin (P)2009 Penguin Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Andrew Ross Sorkin pens what may be the definitive history of the banking crisis." ( The Atlantic Monthly)
"Andrew Ross Sorkin has written a fascinating, scene-by-scene saga of the eyeless trying to march the clueless through Great Depression II." (Tom Wolfe)

Excellent read

This book is well-organized, informative, interesting and even a little alarming. It provides an unbiased analysis of the financial meltdown. I highly recommend it!

Great Story

This is a great book chronicling the events of the biggest financial crisis in our lifetime. This is a must read for anyone interested in our financial system.

Great Book -- The Read's Pacing is too Brisk

I thoroughly enjoyed Too Big to Fail, however, I felt the information-dense material could have used a slower pacing between important lines. The audio editor did not leave enough room between paragraphs to let the material sink in. I found myself rewinding this book to catch missed details moreso than any other I've listened to on Audible. The editor also left in so many breaths that they become a source of constant distraction. Half the number of breath noises and an editor more skilled in the art of pacing (or less rushed, you pick) would have served the material better.

The narrator did a fairly good job. I would rate his performance a 3.5. The two stars I listed above are for the editing.

Masterpiece of American history and literature

Andrew Sorkin paints a vivid picture of the entire US financial system during its worst months. This story utilizes drama and humor to deliver an entertaining and detailed recount of what might have saved the US economy from ruin.

Somewhat disappointing

Just 3 stars for this work covering an enormously important subject.
If you subscribe to "People" magazine, or it's ilk, this coverage of the melt down may be of greater interest to you. It is mostly about the background and nature of the people involved, not the detailed events and mistakes that caused this disaster.

We Got to Get Some Foam on the Runway

Too Big to Fail is Sorkin's telling of the global economic meltdown and the formation of TARP. This is some fine journalism and wonderful writing. Even if you don't follow all of the characters (which you probably will), just listening along with give you a feel and understanding of what was at stake and what was accomplished. Certainly, I found the characters humanized and now appreciate the struggles that Timothy Geithner and Henry Paulson faced. I appreciate what these men and others did to bring stability to the economy.

This book is well written and read. The research is great. If you are old enough you may see the Keystone cops running the streets. Lets just hope that the outcomes benefit us as much as the book informs and entertains.

it's like you were there

Sorkin does a great job bringing you right into the suv's, meetings and phone calls and heads of the heavy hitters involved in the meltdown.
Even though we all know how it turned out, the machinations Sorkin describes are fascinating. Terrific narration too.

Compelling story and excellent narration

I highly recommend this book. The detail is excellent and well researched. The complexities of the financial crisis is broken down so that even non-financially minded folks can understand the months leading up to the market meltdown of 2008. The narration is a huge plus as well.

Excellent Drama and Documentary

This is an excellent documentary that reads like a suspense thriller. Many sub-stories are played out in the book. This would make a great movie.

Just a stellar book

Too Big Too Fail is a truly outstanding book. It focuses in great detail (more than 500 hours of interviews were conducted while researching the book) on the characters and events that determined the outcome of one of the most pivotal times in modern U.S. history. Nonpartisan and sincere this book chronicles the late night meeting and last minute deals that brought the country back from the brink. Gripping, fascinating and illuminating, in my opinion Too Big Too Fail is an instant classic in popular financial literature.