by Kevin Roose
First published 2014
Kevin Roose spent three years tracking eight recent college graduates as they entered the brutal world of investment banking at Goldman Sachs, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and other major firms. The New York magazine writer gained unauthorized access to document how these newcomers learned to navigate exhausting workloads, massive bonuses, and the party culture that defines Wall Street life. But these recruits faced something their predecessors never did: working in an industry transformed by the 2008 financial collapse. Roose chronicles their million dollar trades and spreadsheet disasters, their struggles with grueling hours and moral questions about their work. The book reveals how financial giants train thousands of eager graduates each year, teaching them not just trading secrets but how to dress, speak, and socialize like seasoned financiers. This generation of bankers grappled with prestige, ethics, and purpose in ways that reshaped Wall Street from within.
Genres: business, economics, non-fiction, 21st-century, finance
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, insider-perspective
Setting: Wall Street, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Period: Post-2008 Financial Crisis
336 pages · Hardcover · Grand Central Publishing