The Big Short

An international bestseller on an incredibly timely and important topic. In this book, journalist Michael Lewis tells the story of four traders who outplayed major banks and made fortunes during the global financial crisis of 2007–2009.

Lewis was intrigued by the mysterious and constantly mounting losses in the mortgage-lending market that large Wall Street banks were suffering. In an atmosphere of total collapse and chaos, personal tragedies unfolded: the best, brightest—and definitely the most selfish—employees across the world started taking their own lives in large numbers.

Someone had to break this system! A few traders who knew almost nothing about bonds and mortgages managed to do it and earned billions of dollars. How? They saw what even experts couldn’t. Their success story—thrilling like a detective novel—reads in one sitting.

Why the book is worth reading

A film based on the book with the theatrical tagline “When it comes to money, the conscience goes silent,” starring Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling, and Christian Bale:
1) it was nominated for “Golden Globe” and “Academy Award”;
2) it won the award of the American Film Critics Guild as Best Film of the Year;
3) it collected favorable reviews and coverage in major media outlets and film blogs.