Oh Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy!

This book deals with the impending collapse of Lehman Brothers through TARP and end of the Gilded Age as Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley leave investment backing to become bank holding companies.

This was a long read that angered me at times. One section delt with how AIG signed away 500 million in bonuses just before they were rescued by the federal government. Disgusting.
Also amazing was how close to complete collapse our entire financial system was.

I did not think I would like this book as much as I did.  Steve Jobs comes across as an egotistical ass hole that was impossible to work with, but by the end, I could see that it took his type of genius to do the special things and create the incredible products Apple has.

I read this book because, while listening to the radio, I heard a politician describe himself as someone who ascribes to Ayn Rand’s Objectivism. I wanted to learn what inspired this person.

First, here is what I enjoyed about the book: Objectivism is an appealing ideal, I like having the convictions to follow one’s own path regardless of where collective society wants us to go. I laughed out loud when the Gallant Gallstone was described. Finally, I am inspired by people who follow their convictions to the end.

Here is what I did not enjoy about the book: WAY TOO LONG, I believe the book could have been a third the length and it still could have shared its ideas. I was shocked and disturbed by the rape scene. Why? The book did not appeal to me stylistically. Too many scenes where people just stared at each other and somehow knew what each other were thinking. Finally, Roark was too serious, he did not even smile.

It was ok. I would recommend reading it for the social importance.