Griftopia
bubble machines, vampire squids, and the long con that is breaking America
Matt Taibbi
‘Taibbi has clearly spent months talking to and researching the political and business players and the system he ruthlessly dissects – and is helped by his lively prose and richly dark sense of humour.’
Paul Syvret, Courier Mail
The dramatic story behind the most audacious power grab in American history
The global financial crisis isn’t past but prologue. The fall and rescue of Wall Street was the coming-out party for the looters at the nexus of American political and economic power. The grifter class—made up of the largest players in finance and the politicians who do their bidding—has been growing in power for a generation, transferring wealth upward through complex financial and political manoeuvres. The crisis was one manifestation of how they’ve hijacked America’s political and economic life.
Rolling Stone’s Matt Taibbi unravels the fiendish rise of the grifters. He traces the origins to the cult of Ayn Rand and her most influential—and possibly weirdest—acolyte, Alan Greenspan. He reveals backroom deals that decided the winners in the government bailouts; shows how finance dominates politics, from investment bankers auctioning off America’s infrastructure to the battle for healthcare reform; and tells the story of Goldman Sachs, a ‘vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity’.
Taibbi combines deep sources, trailblazing reportage, and provocative analysis to create the most lucid, emotionally galvanising, and scathingly funny account yet of the American political and financial crisis. It is essential reading in order to understand the inner workings of politics and finance in America, and the profound consequences for us all.
Reviews
‘Taibbi maintains his outrage in a succinct, entertaining and informed fashion.’
Quantas; The Australian Way
‘ … a relentlessly disturbing, penetrating exploration of the root causes of the trauma that upended economic security in millions of American homes.’
Peter S. Goodman, New York Times
» All reviews for this title‘From the mortgage crisis to health care reform, Taibbi chronicles the corruption of the political process with indignation and dark humor.’
Alex Altman, Time Australia
