The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine

Michael Lewis

November 16, 2015

The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine is a non-fiction book by Michael Lewis that looks at the causes of the 2008 economic crisis. The book examines how a handful of investors and bankers saw the doom of the economy coming and made huge amounts of money betting that it would happen. It looks at the various players in the events leading up to the financial crisis, and examines how their actions unintentionally caused the collapse of the entire system. It looks at the ‘big short’, where investors bet against the housing market and other financial instruments, and how their ability to foresee the collapse made them millions. The Big Short includes personal accounts from some of the major players in the events leading up to the crisis, including Wall Street analysts, financial dealers, financial regulators, and the former CEO of Bear Stearns. It also looks at the regulatory policies that prevented the financial crisis from being prevented, and how those policies enabled the big short investors to take advantage of the system and make immense amounts of money when everything else was collapsing. The Big Short is an eye-opening look into the crisis and its aftermath. Lewis examines the greed and excess of Wall Street and Wall Street financiers, as well as the systemic flaws that allowed the financial crisis to occur. It makes readers aware of the power of investors and the danger of unchecked gambling with other people's money. It is a must-read for anyone looking to understand the causes of the financial crisis and the people behind it.