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johndsouza's review against another edition
4.0
One of the best books I've read about the financial crisis, the role of banks (esp the Central Bank), the interdependence of the economies and banks of various countries and what the future holds if we continue on this current trajectory.
ninbus's review against another edition
2.0
I think the book has interesting ideas and perspectives on the 2008 financial crisis, but it’s really hard to grok those ideas as an audiobook. This is a book I wish I had read instead of listened to.
leobishop234's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
4.25
Three quarters of the greatest book I've ever read.
King's wide ranging, deeply informed and considered critique of modern banking, finance and monetary policy is the very definition of tour de force, driving forwards the popular understanding of economics.
I must admit uncertainty about the final quarter.
King offers some some interesting, obviously considered and novel solutions to the alchemy of modern finance and monetary policy. However, the presentation of these lacks the rigorous critique and analysis that so defined King's strengths as a writer in the first three quarters. One is left with the suspicion that King's own ideas are given too easy a ride.
Regardless, one of the best books I've read this year.
Required reading for anyone interested in the 2007/08 financial crisis and the crises of modern economics.
King's wide ranging, deeply informed and considered critique of modern banking, finance and monetary policy is the very definition of tour de force, driving forwards the popular understanding of economics.
I must admit uncertainty about the final quarter.
King offers some some interesting, obviously considered and novel solutions to the alchemy of modern finance and monetary policy. However, the presentation of these lacks the rigorous critique and analysis that so defined King's strengths as a writer in the first three quarters. One is left with the suspicion that King's own ideas are given too easy a ride.
Regardless, one of the best books I've read this year.
Required reading for anyone interested in the 2007/08 financial crisis and the crises of modern economics.
reggiewoods's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
5.0
King’s analysis of the 2007-08 crises and the relationships between modern banks and society is so good that even the economists he calls out in the book have quotes included praising his work. He demonstrates how Keynesian Economics is no longer applicable for the complex problems of modern society, provides histories of financial crises and the mistakes that caused them, and proposes several solutions on how to create a more stable global economy moving forward. I would recommend this book above any other I have read for a better understanding of the global economy in the 21st century. The only issue I have with it is that despite recognizing all of its inherent flaws, Mr. King refuses to give up on Capitalism. While his proposals are mostly feasible as real-world solutions, they would not so much “fix” capitalism as lessen the degree of its instability and the disequilibrium it creates. Perhaps he simply being realistic to assume that our future will stay mired in capitalism, but many of his solutions feel as much a founding block to a new system as they do a fix to the current one. If more people like him can become decision makers in our future, there just might be some hope for a more equitable world.
suzukabunny's review against another edition
4.0
Great book about monetary banking. Albeit rich in explanation, its rather bland.
my_check's review against another edition
3.0
As with many pop economics books, The End of Alchemy is filled with fluff that really drags down the pace of the book. There are some interesting insights here but they are spread quite thinly throughout the book.
bechols's review against another edition
4.0
Makes a good case, although a bit long winded. The suggested solutions require a level of government competence that seems unlikely, but the market reaction to coronavirus might turn out to accomplish some of the resets required (at a high cost).
cheenu's review against another edition
5.0
I started reading this book with some apprehension that it'd another book on the 2008 financial crisis, a topic on which there is a never-ending amount of literature. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the scope of the book - rather than being just another book vilifying greedy bankers, this book actually illustrates
1. the structural issues with fractional reserve banking
2. the long term unsustainability of having an export-led or trade deficit growth policy
3. why economic forecasting models are extremely poor tools in both predicting the future of the economy & also as a base for fiscal and monetary policy decisions.
While I don't know whether the solutions that he suggests in the book are going to be correct (don't really know enough about macroeconomics to even have a clue), his book really provides a good overview of why the global economy is struggling to grow since the 2008 financial crisis.
1. the structural issues with fractional reserve banking
2. the long term unsustainability of having an export-led or trade deficit growth policy
3. why economic forecasting models are extremely poor tools in both predicting the future of the economy & also as a base for fiscal and monetary policy decisions.
While I don't know whether the solutions that he suggests in the book are going to be correct (don't really know enough about macroeconomics to even have a clue), his book really provides a good overview of why the global economy is struggling to grow since the 2008 financial crisis.