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

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Horrifyingly Excruciating

I was prompted to read this book after listening to an interview by Daniel Denvir on Jacobin's "The Dig" podcast with Varoufakis and Brazilian presidential candidate Fernando Haddad at the New School in New York City. I've already read "And the Weak Suffer What They Must?" but have yet to read his latest title.

This is play-by-play of Varoufakis' six months as Minister of Finance in Greece in 2015, surrounding their third bailout.

Varoufakis' goal as finance minister was to restructure Greece's debt so that it was more sustainable. For reasons which this book does not adequately elucidate, this was not an objective of the troika. Given this scenario, Varoufakis planned on Grexit, but his prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, chickened out on the plan and repeated the failures of the previous administration.

The narrative is excruciating. There are moments of hope repeatedly through the text, chronically dashed. If you're interested in learning about international finance, it is a worthwhile text.

The surprising hero of the book in Bernie Sanders, who repeatedly had Greece's back. Apparently Sanders and Varoufakis recently launched an initiative called the Progressive International as a tonic to the spread of rightwing nationalism.

I'm left wondering what the Venn diagram of Varoufakis, Mark Blyth, Mary Mellor, and Andrew Ross might look like.

In conclusion, it seems we're much closer to World War III than I would have wished. Trump's election is entirely explicable given Greece's story.

Big WOW!

If everyone took the time to read/hear this book, the world would be a better place...

best book I've read/listened to this decade

It is an eye-opening account of the events in Greece and Europe. the examples of sound economic analysis being rejected time and again - it's quite impressive in it's own negative way

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.