Liar's Poker

In Liar's Poker, Michael Lewis provides a riveting account of his time on Wall Street during the mid-1980s, capturing both the exhilaration and the excess of the era. As a young and naïve trainee at Salomon Brothers, one of the most powerful and profitable merchant banks of the time, Lewis is thrust into a world defined by intense competition, merciless ambition, and staggering wealth.

Through his vivid storytelling, Lewis takes the reader on a journey from the intensive training programme, where he starts as a mere trainee and navigates through the corporate hierarchy to become what is irreverently known as a "Big Swinging Dick" – a top tier trader with considerable influence. Along the way, he experiences the chaotic energy of the trading floor, the unpredictable dynamics of high finance, and the ethically questionable behaviours that were often rewarded with immense financial gain.

Liar's Poker is more than just an autobiography; it is a revealing exposé of the greed-driven culture that dominated Wall Street. With a blend of humour and cynicism, Lewis paints a picture of a frenzied and heartless environment, where money is worshipped above all else and the drive for profit can lead to both fortunes and downfalls. This unfiltered narrative offers readers a behind-the-scenes look at the absurdities and excesses of the financial boom of the 1980s.

Often described as a true-life counterpart to Tom Wolfe’s Bonfire of the Vanities, Liar's Poker is an unflinching, enthralling account of a time when Wall Street’s fortunes were made in a single, high-stakes bluff. Lewis’s insightful commentary on the personalities and practices of this enclosed world underscores the often-surreal nature of banking and finance during this tumultuous period.

For anyone interested in the inner workings of financial markets, the rise of investment banking, or the human stories behind the numbers, Liar's Poker is an entertaining and essential read, offering both laughter and sobering truths about the industry that shapes our world.