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Number Go Up

Inside Crypto's Wild Rise and Staggering Fall
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( 6,624 ratings, 769 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Number Go Up by Zeke Faux delves into the intricate world of cryptocurrency and the financial revolution it proposes. It explores the economic, social, and political implications of this digital currency boom, questioning the sustainability and impact of this volatile market. Through investigative storytelling, the book offers insights into the personalities and institutions driving these technological changes.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you're intrigued by the intersection of technology and economics, especially the phenomenon of cryptocurrency and its impact on global markets. Through an engaging narrative, you'll explore the rise and influence of digital currencies, offering insights into both their potential and the challenges they pose in today's financial landscape.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The “rollicking” (The Economist), “masterfully written” (The Washington Post) account of the crypto delusion, and how Sam Bankman-Fried and a cast of fellow nerds and hustlers turned useless virtual coins into trillions of dollars—hailed by Ezra Klein in The New York Times as one of the “Books That Explain Where We Are.”

FINALIST: the Edgar Award (Fact Crime), the Macavity Award (Nonfiction), the Porchlight Business Book Award, the SABEW Best in Business Book Award

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times DealBook, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Financial Times, The Globe and Mail, Irish Examiner, Morningstar, The Verge, Wired

In 2021 cryptocurrency went mainstream. Giant investment funds were buying it, celebrities like Tom Brady endorsed it, and TV ads hailed it as the future of money. Hardly anyone knew how it worked—but why bother with the particulars when everyone was making a fortune from Dogecoin, Shiba Inu, or some other bizarrely named “digital asset”?

As he observed this frenzy, investigative reporter Zeke Faux had a nagging question: Was it all just a confidence game of epic proportions? What started as curiosity—with a dash of FOMO—would morph into a two-year, globe-spanning quest to understand the wizards behind the world’s new financial machinery. Faux’s investigation would lead him to a schlubby, frizzy-haired twenty-nine-year-old named Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF for short) and a host of other crypto scammers, utopians, and overnight billionaires.

Faux follows the trail to a luxury resort in the Bahamas, where SBF boldly declares that he will use his crypto fortune to save the world. Faux talks his way onto the yacht of a former child actor turned crypto impresario and gains access to “ApeFest,” an elite party headlined by Snoop Dogg, by purchasing a $20,000 image of a cartoon monkey. In El Salvador, Faux learns what happens when a country wagers its treasury on Bitcoin, and in the Philippines, he stumbles upon a Pokémon knockoff mobile game touted by boosters as a cure for poverty. And in an astonishing development, a spam text leads Faux to Cambodia, where he uncovers a crypto-powered human-trafficking ring.

When the bubble suddenly bursts in 2022, Faux brings readers inside SBF’s penthouse as the fallen crypto king faces his imminent arrest. Fueled by the absurd details and authoritative reporting that earned Zeke Faux the accolade “our great poet of crime” (Money Stuff columnist Matt Levine), Number Go Up is the essential chronicle, by turns harrowing and uproarious, of a $3 trillion financial delusion.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Number Go Up by Zeke Faux has been praised for its entertaining, sceptical, and insightful exploration of the cryptocurrency world. Reviewers have highlighted the book's masterful writing, engaging character portrayals, and humorous yet incisive storytelling. It's considered both a serious investigation and an entertaining narrative, offering a clearer understanding of the crypto industry's complexities and characters compared to other works on the subject.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780593443811

Publisher: Penguin Young Readers

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 12 September 2023

Country: United States

Imprint: Penguin Young Readers

Illustration: 8P 4C INSERT

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 26.0mm

Width: 162.0mm

Height: 243.0mm

Weight: 510g

Pages: 304

About the Author

Zeke Faux is an investigative reporter for Bloomberg Businessweek and Bloomberg News and a former National Fellow at New America. He’s a winner of the Gerald Loeb Award and the American Bar Association’s Silver Gavel Award and a National Magazine Award finalist. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and three children.

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    BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR WIRED | LA TIMES | FINANCIAL TIMES | WASHINGTON POST | GLOBE AND MAIL USED IN EVIDENCE IN THE TRIAL OF SAM BANKMAN-FRIED In 2021, cryptocurrency goes mainstream. Giant investment funds are buying it. Politicians endorse it. TV ads hail it as the future of money. Hardly anyone knows how it works—who cares when everyone...
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  • Number Go Up
    The “rollicking” (The Economist), “masterfully written” (The Washington Post) account of the crypto delusion, and how Sam Bankman-Fried and a cast of fellow nerds and hustlers turned useless virtual coins into trillions of dollars—hailed by Ezra Klein in The New York Times as one of the “Books That Explain Where We Are”. FINALIST: the Edgar Award (Fact Crime), the Macavity...
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    BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR WIRED | LA TIMES | FINANCIAL TIMES | WASHINGTON POST | GLOBE AND MAIL USED IN EVIDENCE IN THE TRIAL OF SAM BANKMAN-FRIED In 2021, cryptocurrency goes mainstream. Giant investment funds are buying it. Politicians endorse it. TV ads hail it as the future of money. Hardly anyone knows how it works - who cares...
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