BOOK REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

ON THE BRINK --Inside the Race to Stop the Collapse of the Global Financial System
By Henry M. Paulson, Jr.

OVERVIEW: On The Brink is Hank Paulson's fast-paced, first-person retelling of the key decisions that had to be made with lightning speed. Paulson puts the reader in the room for all the intense moments as he addressed urgent market conditions, weighed critical decisions, and debated policy and economic considerations with the notable players--including the CEO's of top Wall Street firms as well as Ben Bernanke, Timothy Geitner, Sheila Bair, Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank, presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain, and then-President George W. Bush. More than an account about numbers and credit risks gone bad, On The Brink is an extraordinary story about people and politics--all brought together during the world's impending financial Armageddon.

THE AUTHOR: Henry M. Paulson, Jr., served under President George W. Bush as the 74th secretary of the Treasury from July 2006 until January 2009. Before that he was the CEO of Goldman Sachs.

MY REVIEW: On The Brink is a big, hard back book numbering four hundred seventy-eight pages. You would definitely have to be interested in what Paulson and others did in an effort to stop the collapse of the global financial system in order to read it. But if you are interested in that subject, as I am, then you will read it. And if you will read it, I want to encourage you to make a comment and let me put your name in the drawing. I am anxious to give away five copies to those who will read the book. I do not want to waste the time and money of the generous people at Hachette Book Group to give you a book to put on your book shelf.

I'm not going to tell you that this is a "page turner" that will grab you at page one and not let you go. But I will tell you that I was surprised at how interesting it was. This is the story of a once-in-a-lifetime economic nightmare. Events no one had thought possible were happening in quick succession, and people all over the globe were terrified that the continuing downward spiral would bring unprecedented chaos. All eyes turned to the United States Treasury secretary to avert the disaster. I was glad to go behind the scenes and get a glimpse of what was going on with this big mess. As I write this review the mess continues on.

(The Hachette Publishing Group has given me this book free in return for an honest review)


WIN A COPY OF THIS BOOK

The generous folks at Hachette Book Group are allowing me to host this book giveaway for five (5) copies!

• Winners are restricted to the US and Canada. No PO Box mailing address please. You do not have to be a blogger to win.

• I must have a way of contacting you, so be sure to leave your email address in your comment.

• Some choose to omit the @ sign and the . dot by writing it in "code" like this: you (at) your email (dot)com.

• I'll close the comments March 16 and pick the five winners. I will contact the winners via email to get their mailing information. The winners will have three days to respond. If I do not hear from them within three days, I will select another winner(s).