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Junk

A Play
3.85 goodreads logo

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( 205 ratings, 34 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
Junk is a fast-paced economic thriller set in the 1980s, exploring the fierce world of mergers and acquisitions during the boom of that decade. The story follows Robert Merkin, an upstart junk bond trader whose audacious plan to take over a multinational steel corporation could end his dominance in finance. This play dives deep into the ruthless battles in boardrooms where egos clash and where debt is wielded as a weapon, offering a dark, provocative look at the joys and sorrows of capitalist society.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$5500

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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?

Junk is ideal for readers fascinated by economic history, finance, and drama. It will particularly appeal to those interested in the cutthroat nature of corporate takeovers and the social ramifications of capitalism during the 1980s.

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From the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Disgraced, a fast-paced economic thriller that exposes the financial deal making behind the mergers and acquisitions boom of the 1980s

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

A fast-paced economic thriller that probes the financial deal making behind the mergers and acquisitions boom of the 1980s

The Deal. The Board Room. The Takeover. This is the battleground where titanic egos collide, where modern-day kings are made and unmade. It's a world where debt is an asset and assets are excuses for more debt, a world where finance runs the show.

An upstart genius hell-bent on rocketing to the top, Robert Merkin has established himself as the most successful junk bond trader in the business. His next moveβ€”the take-over of a venerable multinational steel corporationβ€”may signal the end of his reign as the king of finance. But how can he lose at a game when he's the only one making the rules?

With Junk, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ayad Akhtar takes us back to the hotbed of the '80s, offering us an origin story for the cutthroat world that finance has shaped and a dark, provocative take on the joys and sorrows of capitalist society.

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?

Praised as "an exceptional work" by the Village Voice and "engrossing from start to finish" by AM New York, Junk has been lauded for its sharp depiction of greed and finance. The New York Times calls it a "Shakespearean history play of spiralling national consequence," while the Huffington Post highlights how Ayad Akhtar "smartly captures the amorality and toxicity of greed." The Los Angeles Times commends Akhtar's ability to interweave complex social, political, and economic themes, providing a compelling and unflinching portrayal of modern finance and its impact on society.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780316550727

Publisher: Little, Brown & Company

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 30 November 2017

Country: United States

Imprint: Back Bay Books

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 12.0mm

Width: 141.0mm

Height: 209.0mm

Weight: 156g

Pages: 160

About the Author

Ayad Akhtar was born in New York City and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. An award-winning author, playwright, screenwriter, and actor, he is the author of a novel, American Dervish, published in over twenty languages worldwide, and was nominated for a 2006 Independent Spirit Award for best screenplay for the film The War Within. His plays include Disgraced, produced at New York's Lincoln Center Theater in 2012 and on Broadway in 2014 and recipient of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama; The Who & The What, produced at Lincoln Center Theater in 2014; and The Invisible Hand, produced at New York Theater Workshop in 2014. He has been the recipient of fellowships from MacDowell and Yaddo, as well as commissions from Lincoln Center Theater and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He is a graduate of Brown and Columbia Universities with degrees in Theater and Film Directing. He lives in New York City.

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