by Ron Suskind
First published 2011
Pulitzer Prize winner Ron Suskind reconstructs the financial crisis and Barack Obama's early presidency through extensive interviews and research. The book examines how an inexperienced president navigated the economic collapse while confronting Wall Street's power. Suskind traces the conflict between New York's financial district and Washington's political establishment as Obama's team struggled to rescue the failing economy. The narrative follows politicians, advisors, financial executives, reformers, and lobbyists as they grappled with an unprecedented crisis. Based on hundreds of hours of interviews, the account reveals the behind-the-scenes battles that shaped America's response to the meltdown. Suskind shows how the tension between private profit and public interest created lasting divisions that continue to affect the nation.
Genres: business, political-science, economics, non-fiction, 21st-century, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: behind-the-scenes, conflict, grappling-with-crisis
Setting: New York, Washington
Period: Early Presidency
528 pages · Kindle Edition · Harper