by Neil Irwin
First published 2013
Three unelected men suddenly hold the fate of the global economy in their hands. Ben Bernanke leads the Federal Reserve, Mervyn King runs the Bank of England, and Jean-Claude Trichet controls the European Central Bank. When financial markets begin cracking in August 2007, these central bankers must deploy trillions in emergency funds to prevent total collapse. Neil Irwin chronicles their unprecedented crisis management over five intense years. He traces central banking from its chaotic origins in 17th century Stockholm through the Greenspan era to show how these institutions gained such enormous power. Drawing on reporting across 27 cities in 11 countries, Irwin reveals the poker game played with trillion-dollar stakes. The book exposes how central bankers made critical decisions that shaped our economic future and explores the complex relationship between capitalism and government intervention during the greatest financial crisis of our time.
Genres: history, business, economics, non-fiction, 21st-century, finance
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigative-journalism, real-events
Setting: Europe, United States
Period: 2007, 21st Century
448 pages · Hardcover · Penguin Press