Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron
by Bethany McLean, Peter Elkind
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Book Summary Information
Author: Bethany McLean, Peter ElkindEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 2003-10-13
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 464
Book Reviews of Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron
Book Review: A collision of greed, money and demise.
Summary: 4 Stars
As a novice reader, I have not fully developed a litmus test for deeming a book as good, bad, or great. Nor do I feel I have the right to criticize any author, writing style or subject. So unless I feel I'm the expert on the matter, which will most undoubtedly be never, I'll simply feel my way through this with the hopes that it will help.
The Smartest Guys in the Room grabbed me from the beginning, but mildly lingered after the first few chapters. I suppose it was necessary to take the time to break out all of the components and players that made up the Enron house of cards. But I kept hoping to get to the juicy details of their demise and didn't get any sort of payoff until the end... some 300 pages later.
The book challenged me on several levels. I found it uncomfortably easy to relate to the executives and their unforgiving lust for money. It was fun to pretend that I was in their shoes and could reap the monetary rewards that they were able to "create." Even more captivating was the level of greed that they were able to obtain... I guess money will do that.
This book will force you to contemplate your personal limits as you imagine yourself as an executive at Enron. In hind-sight, it's easy to follow the slippery slope... but had I been there, living the extravagance, at what point would I have thrown the yellow flag? At times, I even felt bad for a few of those guys. For the most part, they actually believe that what they did was legit!
But by the end, I wanted them to get hammered for what they'd pulled. I feel like there are many layers to uncover in this scandal and I wanted the book to detail their lavish spending and continue through the legal battles. I want to watch their arrogance and greed get shoved down their own throats as the world receives its justice. That part, which is probably the most interesting to me, wasn't included.
Have fun,
David Tobias
Redondo Beach, CA
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