Adults in the Room

By: Yanis Varoufakis

Narrated by: Leighton Pugh

Length: 20 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's Summary

A number one Sunday Times best seller transformed into an illuminating, dynamic audiobook.

What happens when you take on the establishment? In Adults in the Room, renowned economist and former finance minister of Greece Yanis Varoufakis gives the full, blistering account of his momentous clash with the mightiest economic and political forces on earth.

After being swept into power with the leftwing Syriza party, Varoufakis attempts to renegotiate Greece's relationship with the EU - and sparks a spectacular battle with global implications. Varoufakis' new position sends him ricocheting between mass demonstrations in Athens, closed-door negotiations in drab EU and IMF offices, and furtive meetings with power brokers in Washington, DC. He consults and quarrels with Barack Obama, Emmanuel Macron, Christine Legarde, the economists Larry Summers and Jeffrey Sachs, and others as he struggles to relieve Greece's debt crisis without resorting to punishing austerity measures. But, despite the mass support of the Greek people and the simple logic of Varoufakis' arguments, he succeeds only in provoking the fury of Europe's elite.

Varoufakis' unvarnished memoir is an urgent warning that the economic policies once embraced by the EU and the White House have failed - and spawned authoritarianism, populist revolt, and instability throughout the Western world. Adults in the Room is an extraordinary tale of brinkmanship, hypocrisy, collusion, and betrayal that will shake the global establishment to its foundations.

A must-listen for anyone interested in current events and the delicate web of global economics.

©2017 Yanis Varoufakis (P)2017 Macmillan Audio

Critic Reviews

"Leighton Pugh narrates this work as if it were an unsolved mystery...In a voice of nuanced emotion, Pugh creates muted characters to paint a vivid picture of what the author was up against as he tried to save his country." ( AudioFile Magazine)

The best listening book ever

This has been the most enjoyable book to listen to ever. The author gives play-by-play chronological account of the Greek radical left government's negotiations with the European troika in 2015 to re-structure the Greek debt. This book "listens" like a thriller or spy novel, it kept me on the edge of my seat. I could not put it down and I listened to the whole thing straight through, till wee hours of the morning. I was extremely disappointed that the book ended. What the book has to say about how the key EU institutions function will blow your mind, including the fact that the all-powerful European Commission [which is part of the troika] is completely and utterly subservient to German interest to which it is both a fig leaf and a door mat. You will be blown away to find out the Europe is run not by democratically elected institutions but by so-called advisory bodies where all the power is held and all members are "graduates" of Goldman Sachs.

The huge downside is that now I am pessimistic about being able to find an audio book that will keep me as captivated as this one. I listened to quite a few audio books and I can tell that chances of that happening are very small. My biases? - I have been extremely interested in the subject of Greek debt as I think it is and will continue to be among the most significant political and economic stories of our time. The fate of Europe and its democracy, and by extension the fate of the entire world, will for generations be shaped by how the Greek crisis will eventually be handled. That said, [and Varoufakis will tell you this himself], the story of the Greeks is by now over as it is indeed just beginning. We now have DEM 25, an all European democratic party that might save and remake Europe forever. Hope this review was helpful. Best, JL

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

A sad but important story

The reading is top quality. The story is, unfortunately, both sad and pivotal for the understanding of Europe’s solidarity crisis. Enjoyed every bit, despite the heartbreaking ending - if only Varoufakis wasn’t the only adult in the room...

Loved it

A must read for any hopeful European. I wrote a review on my blog: http://www.blaicarandell.com/2018/08/29/a-pessimistic-story-for-the-hopeful-european/

Riveting, A modern day Greek Tragedy

Mr. Varoufakis is a highly skillful word crafter. What could have been a tedious polemic against the EU turned into a riveting, and sometimes terrifying and depressing, tale about the powerful social and economic forces that are clashing today. The faceless cruelty of extreme wealth, the voracious greed for power at any cost, the real and tragic consequences to an entire nation, the relentless machine that chews up everything in its path and is unstoppable even by the owners of the machine; I literally could not stop listening.
As an American, I cannot help but see the parallels to what is going on in my own country.
I hope many, many people read this book.

Fascinating insights of the inner world of politics

May not add much concretely to one's life...but if one cares to know how the inner world of politics and democracy (or lack of) works...this is a must read. Varoufakis is definitey rare a breath of fresh air. Thanks for writing it

An Extraordinary and Very Important Story

A rare outsider's expose of the secret inner workings that dominate western democracies. Highly recommended.

A critically important expose of the forces - actors, mindsets and tactics - that now rule.

By detailing a moment-to-moment chronical of his battle with the European and U.S. ruling, financial and political establishment, Yanis Varoufakis reveals not only the role and motivations of those setting policy, but also of their henchmen (& women). This is a valuable and timely expose of the moral and practical bankruptcy of that establishment which also points a way forward for a true people’s democracy - in the face of rising economic devastation and xenophobic nationalism. A must-read for those favoring democracy or opposing fascism. Quite an amazing contribution.

Yanis speaks for us.

A brilliant book to understand the inner workings of Europe’s most powerful institutions scheming to enslave entire populations.

Every European needs to read this book.

The Euro has fundamental flaws that were inserted into it's bylaws from the offset. Those are flaws are needlessly damaging the European experiment. This book gets in to the nitty gritty of those flaws and exposes the ridiculous tactics of its institutions. It's an important book.

Interesting perspective

Interesting book though sometimes it is difficult to empathize with an author who is always the smartest adult in a room an whose only mistakes were being too honest and naive.