A review by aneri20
When McKinsey Comes to Town: The Hidden Influence of the World's Most Powerful Consulting Firm by Walt Bogdanich, Michael Forsythe

4.0

There seems to be a second-half of this book's thesis that is missing. McKinsey, undoubtedly a poor influence in many of these chapters, is enabled to do its work by its clients. This is why the authors ridicule McKinsey's defense of 'we don't make policy, just execute it' because they know both sides - the creator and the executor - play their own, liable roles in their actions. Yet, in this book, the interplay between these two is largely to be found missing.

I recently read Empire of Pain, which supplemented the creator side to McKinsey's actions for the opioid chapter, making it one of the most compelling parts of the book. However, without this background for the rest of the chapters, along with some muddy writing, this book failed to be the resounding condemnation it sells itself to be.

That being said, for whatever is actually included in this book, the authors are able to break down their arguments into digestible chunks and outline their specific grievances against McKinsey, earning them a more generous rating from me.