Age of Greed: The Triumph of Finance and the Decline of America, 1970 to the Present

(Paperback)

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A vivid history of the economics of greed told through the stories of those major figures primarily responsible.

Age of Greed shows how the single-minded and selfish pursuit of immense personal wealth has been on the rise in the United States over the last forty years. Economic journalist Jeff Madrick tells this story through incisive profiles of the individuals responsible for this dramatic shift in our countrys fortunes, from the architects of the free-market economic philosophy (such as Milton Friedman and Alan Greenspan) to the politicians and businessmen (including Nixon, Reagan, Boesky, and Soros) who put it into practice. Their stories detail how a movement initially conceived as a moral battle for freedom instead brought about some of our nation's most pressing economic problems, including the intense economic inequity and instability America suffers from today. This is an indispensible guide to understanding the 1 percent.

Reviews

A Washington Post Notable Nonfiction Book

A fascinating and deeply disturbing tale of hypocrisy, corruption, and insatiable greed. . . . A much-needed reminder of just how we got into the mess were in.
The New York Review of Books

Compelling . . . Important . . . Age of Greed abounds with powerful men, ugly fights, infamous scandals, twists and turns, and, true to the books title, lots of shameless cupidity.
The Washington Post

Richly detailed and often riveting. . . Clear and compelling. . . A must-read.
The Huffington Post

Bold. . . Readers will find worthwhile stories in these pages.
The New York Times Book Review

The timing could not be better for a book like Age of Greed . . . A solid review of half a century of economic history . . . A commendable compendium.
San Francisco Chronicle

Excellent . . . Straightforward . . . We owe Madrick thanks for what he has done.
The American Prospect

A compelling and worthy read. Madrick is an able journalist; an excellent and cogent storyteller in a field that often defies the straightforward plot or easy explanationeconomics.
Salon

Persuasive . . . Vivid . . . As a comprehensive survey of the way institutions work together to create wealth for a few individuals and destroy it for a mass of others, Age of Greed deserves attention.
The Columbus Dispatch

Madrick pulls no punches . . . Readers who want to understand where we are, how we got here, and some possible outcomes will repay their investment in reading time if they pick up this new volume.
Free Lance-Star

Age of Greed is lucid and compelling because of its character-driven nature.
Dallas Morning News

Meticulous . . . Madrick makes a good caseand financial news junkies will savor it.
Boulder Daily Camera

Jeff Madrick has written one of those rare, wonderful books that allow us to understand a huge and important historical development that we may not have realized was a coherent and coordinated series of events.Madricks account of Alan Greenspans ideologically-driven mistakes alone is worth the price of admission, but it is but one course in a feast of wonderful reporting and writing. If you want to know what has happened to your country, read this book.
Robert G. Kaiser, author of So Damn Much Money: The Triumph of Lobbying and the Corrosion of American Government

Jeff Madricks devastating biography of greed is rife with carefully documented cautionary tales of the rich, greedy and unregulated, which collectively constitute the definitive answer to Milton Friedmanesque laissez faire economics.
Victor Navasky, author of Kennedy Justice

In Jeff Madricks important new book, Age of Greed, we are introduced to some of the best and brightest moneychangers in the murky world of high finance.
Gay Talese, author of A Writer's Life

Madrick tells us who did what and how they did itthe ideologues, demagogues, corporate titans, and crooks. A wonderfully insightful but deeply troubling account of the movers and shakers who toppled America.
Robert B. Reich, author of Aftershock: The Next Economy and Americas Future

This is a book that bears reading by everyone with an interest in the American economy and the American future.
David Nasaw, author of The Chief: The Life of William Randolph Hearst

Madrick provides a powerful story of the damage done to our nation by hubris, delusions and lust for money.
David Cay Johnston, author of Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and Stick You with the Bill)

Author Bio

Jeff Madrick is a regular contributor to The New York Review of Books, a former economics columnist for The New York Times, and editor of Challenge magazine. He is an adjunct professor of humanities at The Cooper Union, and senior fellow at the Roosevelt Institute and at the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis, The New School. His previous books include The End of Affluence and Taking America, and he has written for The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Institutional Investor, The Nation, and The American Prospect.