Policymaker Books
Volcker: The Triumph Of Persistence
Over the course of nearly half a century, five American presidents-three Democrats and two Republicans-have relied on the financial acumen, and the integrity, of Paul A. Volcker. His resolve and independent thinking-sorely tested by Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan-laid the foundation for a generation of economic stability. Noted scholar and finance expert Silber draws on hours of candid personal interviews and complete access to Volcker’s personal papers to render dramatic behind-the-scenes accounts from Volcker’s career at the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve.
In an Uncertain World: Tough Choices from Wall Street to Washington
From his early years in the storied arbitrage department at Goldman Sachs to US Treasury Secretary to chairman of the executive committee of Citigroup, Robert Rubin has been a major figure at the center of the American financial system. He was a key player in the longest economic expansion in U.S. history. With In an Uncertain World, Rubin offers a shrewd, keen analysis of some of the most important events in recent American history and presents a clear, consistent approach to thinking about markets and dealing with the new risks of the global economy.
On The Brink: Inside the Race to Stop the Collapse of the Global Financial System
Former Secretary of the Treasury Hank Paulson — who was at the very epicenter of the crashing financial markets — provides a startling, first- person account of what really happened during this time of global financial crisis. From the man who was in the very middle of this perfect economic storm, Paulson puts the reader in the room for all the intense moments as he addressed urgent market conditions, weighed critical decisions, and debated policy and economic considerations with of all the notable players-including the CEOs of top Wall Street firms as well as Ben Bernanke, Timothy Geithner, Sheila Bair, Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank, presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain, and then-President George W. Bush.
Stress Test: Reflections on Financial Crises
As president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and then as President Barack Obama’s secretary of the Treasury, Timothy F. Geithner helped the United States navigate the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, from boom to bust to rescue to recovery. In a candid, riveting, and historically illuminating memoir, he takes readers behind the scenes of the crisis, explaining the hard choices and politically unpalatable decisions he made to repair a broken financial system and prevent the collapse of the Main Street economy.
The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World
Greenspan published his memoirs soon after he left the Fed and shortly before the global economic crisis brought the world to the brink of a new depression. This book makes clear just how wrong Greenspan’s thinking was on so many important subjects and it shows how large a role his misguided ideology played in bringing about the crisis.
The Courage To Act: A Memoir of a Crisis and Its Aftermath
In 2006, Ben S. Bernanke was appointed chair of the Federal Reserve. There would be no time to celebrate. The bursting of a housing bubble in 2007 exposed the hidden vulnerabilities of the global financial system, bringing it to the brink of meltdown. Rich with detail of the decision-making process in Washington and indelible portraits of the major players, The Courage to Act recounts and explains the worst financial crisis and economic slump in America since the Great Depression, providing an insider’s account of the policy response.