• The Financial Crisis and the Free Market Cure

  • Why Pure Capitalism Is the World Economy’s Only Hope
  • By: John Allison
  • Narrated by: Alan Sklar
  • Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (331 ratings)

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The Financial Crisis and the Free Market Cure

By: John Allison
Narrated by: Alan Sklar
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Publisher's summary

Did Wall Street cause the mess we are in? Should Washington place stronger regulations on the financial industry? Can we lower unemployment rates by controlling the free market? Answer: no. Not only is free-market capitalism good for the economy, it is our only hope for recovery. As the nation’s longest-serving CEO of one of the top 25 financial institutions, John Allison has had a unique inside view of the events leading up to the financial crisis. He has seen what the government has done to the real estate market and how government regulations only make matters worse. Now in this controversial wake-up call of a book, he has given us a solution.

With shrewd insight, alarming insider details, and practical advice for today’s leaders, this electrifying analysis is nothing less than a call to arms for a nation on the brink. In the end, you’ll understand why it’s so important to put the “free” back into free market.

About the author: John Allison is the former chairman and CEO of Branch Banking & Trust Corporation. He currently serves as a distinguished professor at the Wake Forest University School of Business. He is an inductee of the North Carolina Business Hall of Fame.

©2012 John Allison (P)2012 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

What listeners say about The Financial Crisis and the Free Market Cure

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    5 out of 5 stars

Best analysis of the Financial Crisis

A lot has been written about the Financial Crisis, but nothing comes closer to an analysis of all the factors and their relative contribution to the crisis. What is more, John Allison's book is easy to understand for anyone, with or without a background in finance, and offers the necessary solutions to prevent a recurrence.

You will be surprised to learn that the top 3 culprits aren't the ones touted by the pols and the media, but if you really think it through, you'll agree.

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8 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars

Banking Info Excellent

Would you listen to The Financial Crisis and the Free Market Cure again? Why?

No--most of it was informative and interesting but he ended up talking about his other views, outside of banking, which were a bit weird

Would you be willing to try another book from John Allison? Why or why not?

NO--the banking part was interesting, even when he talked about his own bank, but the rest was boring

Any additional comments?

Most of the book was interesting, but seemed to be poorly edited, especially at the end. At one point the author pointed to poor education for minorities (when talking about minimum wage problems) and said that they could not get jobs so they ended up dealing drugs and then got thrown into jail. This should have been edited out or modified because it sounded very strange.

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6 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars

Almost listened to it entirely in one day!

Any additional comments?

For years I had known the government and irresponsible people were the cause of the financial meltdown; I just never knew the details. Such a great explanation and history of events by someone who has been there and come out the other side. Cynics and conspiracists will most likely say this book is propaganda, but they are just socialist like Obama. If you want businesses to compete and grow, leave them alone and let them fend for themselves. The market (the people of the United States) will determine who succeeds and who fails.

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    4 out of 5 stars

Authoritative, Curmudgeonly and Randian

The former CEO of one of the few banks that did not need the TARP bailout explains the ways banks and banking regulators failed to protect the rest of us from, and actually caused, the crash of 2008. A fascinating insider's viewpoint on US banking. Quite, quite obvious the author is a big fan of Ayn Rand, long before he said so himself.

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Profoundly insightful analysis

What did you love best about The Financial Crisis and the Free Market Cure?

The insight and analysis of the author. Also his deep understanding of economics and free market dynamics.

Who was your favorite character and why?

N/A

What does Alan Sklar bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Superb intonation and measured narration.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I bought 16 copies to send to friends and associates!

Any additional comments?

An incredibly good analysis of why free markets are the solution to economic stagnation and abuse. Our government has become so corrupted by special interests, on both sides of the aisle, that the true value of capitalism is being suffocated. The ignorance of basic economics by the masses adds to the problem.

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A must read for all Americans

Would you consider the audio edition of The Financial Crisis and the Free Market Cure to be better than the print version?

I have not read the print version. The audio version is outstanding.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Not applicable. This is a history.

What does Alan Sklar bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The audio book allows reading when it is impossible to access the text version.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Allison describes the ultimatum given by Paulson regarding TARP funds, I knew the federal government was committing an un-Constitutional act.

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3 people found this helpful

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Clear, reasonable and evidence-based

I'm an economics PhD. student who has been interested in the crisis for years but who, at the same time, hasn't been able to read a comprehensive and fact-based book on it.
I like the pace at which John Allison explains things, relating abstract principles to daily financial events.
I consider that both his explanations for the crisis and potential cures from it are creative and to the point (and very different from what it is taught in classrooms, because he is willing to say what PhDs aren't brave enough to tell).
The reading by Sklar is excellent, a good reader understands what he is reading and communicates it, for which Alan Sklar is very good.
I recommend this book to anyone who is willing to know the story of the crisis and what should an can still be done.

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BEST BOOK I HAVE READ THIS YEAR!!

If you could sum up The Financial Crisis and the Free Market Cure in three words, what would they be?

Of all the books I have read about The Financial Crisis that hit us in 2008, FREE MARKET CURE is hands down the BEST! Along with spelling out why it happened, John Allison also discusses the issues that our country needs to address to further promote our economic prosperity. GREAT BOOK!

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Informative & powerful vindication for Capitalism

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. Allison does a good job clearly explaining the pro & cons of two economic ideologies (Socialism and Capitalism) providing the reader with an understanding or education to see the political and social events playing out in our nation

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Excellent

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

(I am not Ellen. I am her assistant.) Yes. Excellent job of presenting a complex subject to both a lay audience and a reader having a professional interest in the subject.

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