Perhaps the last Washington secret is how the Federal Reserve and its enigmatic chairman, Alan Greenspan, operate. What do they do? Why precisely do they do it? Who is Greenspan? How does he think? What is the basis for his decisions? Why is he so powerful? What kind of relationships has he had with Reagan, Bush, and Clinton -- presidents during the 13 years he has been Fed chairman?
The Greenspan years, 1987 to 2000, are presented here as a gripping, intimate narrative, a remarkable portrait of how one man has become the symbol of American economic preeminence.
Maestro reveals a fascinating intellectual journey. Greenspan, and old-school anti-inflation hawk of the traditional economy, was among the first to realize the potential in the modern, high-productivity new economy -- the foundation of the current American boom.
Reappointed by Clinton in 2000 for another four-year term, Greenspan is slated to serve as Fed chairman until 2004. He is not only a major figure in the world's economic past, but is central to its future.
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"A timely read considering the current economic circumstances. Greenspan wrote the veritable book on how to start and foster an economic boom, and this novel provides the inner workings and daily aspect of his actions which were so effective between 1987 and 2006."
— Chandler (4 out of 5 stars)
“Scrupulous and illuminating…Woodward lucidly explains the axes of intellectual and political disagreement over monetary policy…shedding new light on major conflicts of the Greenspan era.”
— New York Times Book Review“Admirably accomplishes what it sets out to do: demystify a Washington institution that is dimly understood by most Americans.”
— USA Today“Replete with the sort of fly-on-the-wall reporting for which Woodward is famous. What comes across most clearly is Greenspan’s skill at the political power games that determine who survives in the cutthroat world of Washington.”
— BusinessWeek“A gripping ride through the oddly fragile and insecure world of big money and the curious mind of Greenspan.”
— San Francisco Chronicle" pretty good, but looking back it's more like hero worship when times are good. Don't think Greenspan's legacy will be as rosy as when he was in office. "
— Alen, 2/13/2014" Looking at the fed's policy today (2012) and back at Greenspan one has to challenge whether or not Greenspan was a hero or a fool. "
— Brian, 2/13/2014" Yes, he is... "
— Othon, 1/9/2014" A look into how Greenspan managed to run the Fed better than anyone ever has "
— Cade, 12/30/2013" A tough read for a non business major but I stuck with it and learned may be more than I wanted to know about the Federal Reserve. "
— Carol, 12/29/2013" Great book on the role of the fed in us and world economics. Regardless of your view of Allen Greenspan, clearly an incredibly bright and powerful man. "
— Mark, 12/28/2013" Blatant errors early in the book stopped me from reading further. Given that I could not trust the accuracy of the author's observations, it seemed pointless to go further. "
— Lawrence, 10/22/2013" Interesting, but a bit out of date, with Greenspan long gone. "
— Brian, 10/20/2013" Woodward does it again by taking the reader inside the intricate world and workings of arguably one of the more influential individuals in government. "
— Emiliano, 4/16/2013" Good chronology of the last decade of the fed. Interesting guy. "
— Wendy, 3/1/2013" Learn a little more about how the Fed effects the money supply and therefore interest rates by reading this book. A little repetitive but solid in explaining how Greenspan got things done his way. "
— Eric, 2/9/2013" inspiring man "
— Preston, 9/16/2012" Helped me immensely in understanding the role of the Fed and its effect on the economy - I read it just before the current meltdown in the economy, as the mortgage crisis was gaining momentum - enlightening! "
— Tomfitz, 8/12/2012" To be fair, I really did not give this book a chance. I couldn't get on board with Woodward's style of writing, and I really despised the class for which I was reading the book. It was dry, dry, dry. "
— Jen, 5/25/2012" While certainly revealing, Woodward offers little more than a groveling dictation of his interview notes. "
— Chris, 5/1/2012" for people who like...learning about the federal reserve system! alan's a hero of mine, look forward to reading his autobiography, though Bob Woodward is penetrating and pithy as always. "
— Jonah, 3/9/2012" Very insightful for those interested in the history/actions of the FED. Much more enjoyable read that Greenspan's autobiography. "
— Jp, 1/20/2012" I actually believed this at the time. Turns out Greenspan has been tragically wrong about many things. "
— Allen_o, 11/9/2011" Not a geeky number crunching book. Actually pretty interesting. "
— Cathy, 8/20/2011" Hard to believe that Woodward gets access to everyone that he does. It's as if he was sitting in the room for every meeting, or present at every event. "
— Sean, 6/5/2011" Interesting. Nice to have a point for point account of what the hell was going on... "
— Johnathan, 11/8/2010" This is well researched and well sourced. "
— Will, 7/10/2010" Informative, but Woodwards writing was so goddamn tedious that the events being depicted lacked the emotional punch that should be expected in a book on this subject matter. <br/> <br/>I was hoping for a right hook to the solar plexus, but all I got was a slap on the wrist. "
— Timothy, 6/21/2010" Very interesting to read this book years after the fact. We know so much more about what happened that a book that initially seemed to be pro-Bush now seems anti-Bush, probably a credit to its neutrality. "
— Isaac, 6/8/2010" This is a good read. Woodward is a reporter and writes like a reporter. It is helpful to understand why Bush felt we needed to go to war. It attempts to be impartial but ultimately I do not think it succeeds. "
— Jackson, 4/18/2010" My favorite part about this book is that Karl Rove is not mentioned until page 205. "
— Sarah, 2/4/2010" Surprisingly Bush comes across as not a complete idiot! "
— Kartik, 10/24/2009" Who else better to tell the truth! "
— Robert, 6/28/2009Bob Woodward is an associate editor at the Washington Post where he has worked for forty-nine years and reported on every American president from Nixon to Trump. He has shared in two Pulitzer Prizes, first for the Post’s coverage of the Watergate scandal with Carl Bernstein, and second twenty years later as the lead Post reporter for coverage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
James Naughton is an actor and director. He first came to prominence in the television series adaptation of the Planet of the Apes movie series of the same name. Since then, he has starred in dozens television shows and appeared in numerous Broadway plays. He is a two-time Tony Award winner, one for his performance as Sam Spade in City of Angels and the other portraying Billy Flynn in the 1997 revival of Chicago.