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Ugly Americans (Abridged): The True Story of the Ivy League Cowboys Who Raided the Asian Markets for Millions Audiobook
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(3.01) - 1,660 listener ratings
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Ugly Americans is the true story of John Malcolm, a Princeton graduate who traveled halfway around the world in search of the American dream and pulled off a trade that could be described as the biggest deal in the history of the financial markets.
Without speaking a word of Japanese, with barely a penny in his pocket, Malcolm was thrown into the bizarre life of an ex-pat trader. Surrounded by characters ripped right out of a Hollywood thriller, he quickly learned how to survive in a cutthroat world -- at the feet of the biggest players the markets have ever known.
Malcolm was first an assistant trading huge positions for Nick Leeson, the rogue trader who brought down Barings Bank -- the oldest in England. He was the right-hand man to an enigmatic and brilliant hedge-fund cowboy, Dean Carney, and grew into one of the biggest derivatives traders in all of Asia. Along the way, Malcolm fell in love with the daughter of a Yakuza gangster, built a vast fortune out of thin air, and came head to head with violent Japanese mobsters. Malcolm and his twentysomething, Ivy League-schooled colleagues rode the crashing waves of the Asian markets during the mid-to late 1990s, culminating in a single deal the likes of which had never been seen before, or since.
A real-life mixture of Liar’s Poker and Wall Street, brimming with intense action, romance, underground sex, vivid locales, and exotic characters, Ugly Americans is the untold, true story that will rock the financial community and redefine an era.
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"Mezrich never disappoints. He has this uncanny ability to find the most interesting and compelling subjects and people. This book sucks you in to the criminal underbelly of the Japanese yakuza and various business dealings with young Americans. He, Mezrich that is, is a literary genius. He introduces the everyday person to fascinating worlds of intrigue and keeps you wanting more and more and more."
— Jen (5 out of 5 stars)
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“A high-octane passion play pitting a young man’s ambition against his sense of humanity.”
— Oregonian -
“All the ingredients of a great narrative a main character the reader can relate to, an appealing love interest, money, danger, the need for acceptance, suspense and even the realization (in some form) of the American dream.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“The author knows how to plot his story, giving his protagonist moral dilemmas to solve at regular, well-timed intervals and painting it all against a Boiler Room–like background of easy money, sports cars, and frat-boy Americans going wild in Tokyo's seedy underbelly.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Ugly Americans Listener Reviews
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" Great book for financial read, but as for the fiction about the character, I don't truly beleive it. Turned out to be great for a 24 year old..millions, beautiful wife who he truly loved, great house. Either its all BS or life really is too good for a few chosen once. "
— Naurin, 2/19/2014 -
" Mezrich (Bringing Down the House) tells another story about smart kids gaming the system to get rich and live the high life. This time it's the Japanese stock markets rather than the Vegas casinos. A bit choppy because it was the abridged version, but worth a listen if you liked his Vegas stories. Looking forward to his Facebook book. "
— Darren, 1/25/2014 -
" Fun while it lasts. Then it's over, and you forget 'bout it. "
— Hasan, 1/18/2014 -
" Very readable pimped-up fictionalized non-fiction. Real-world characters wander in and out of the frame. Hedge funds, Yakuza, East Asia. "
— Danny, 1/15/2014 -
" Great book on finance, need to read again "
— Bryce, 1/10/2014 -
" Interesting portrayal of Asian life. "
— Carolyne, 12/21/2013 -
" A imaginatively told true story that captured me from the beginning and had me until the very end--all while teaching me a little bit about high finance and the culture that it creates. "
— Rcg9p, 11/30/2013 -
" Interesting story, but felt a little like it took some liberties with the truth...or maybe it just could have been written better, but it's not like I struggled to get through it or anything. "
— Susie, 11/22/2013 -
" Fun, entertaining and easy read. "
— Ilana, 11/21/2013 -
" Based on real life events, this book was absolutely amazing. Very fast paced, I missed my train stop multiple times because I became so engrossed in this book. "
— Manessa, 10/29/2013 -
" An engrossing read about hedge fund cowboys in Asia. A pre-cursor to Mezrich's more popular books, which I admit I haven't read. I absolutely hated the corny ending but who knows if Mezrich or someone in the pub industry wanted it that way. Otherwise, a well-written and engrossing read. "
— Tejas, 10/25/2013 -
" My favorite Mezrich book. Really got to see a cool part of the world and how Americans were having an impact on it. Also has Yakusa involvement. Can't ask for much more than that in an adventure book. "
— Darryl, 10/23/2013 -
" great read...fast, inside look at american traders in asia "
— Lissa, 10/9/2013 -
" This book was very interesting and it kept me reading it's a fast read good for a plane ride! "
— Patrick, 10/4/2013 -
" Incredibly entertaining read, and a true story as well. There were definitely times when I missed my bedtime by several hours because I wanted to find out what happened next. I learned an awful lot that I didn't know before about Japanese culture as well. "
— Jake, 9/11/2013 -
" entertaining fluff about american hedge funds in the East. By the guy who wrote bringing down the house. "
— Brian, 8/9/2013 -
" great book...easy read. you would think this stuff exists only in the movies. "
— Partha, 7/27/2013 -
" Interesting book about the Asian financial markets, the topic is new to me but the structure & tone of the book is very similar to Mezrich's "Bringing Down the House". "
— Stella, 4/11/2013 -
" Ben Mezrich does it again and continues to impress me as an author. His detailed description of the Japanese Stock market is a strong story with adequate explanations but not to the point of boredom. Great novel! "
— Steve, 1/3/2013 -
" The characters are not as sympathetic as Bringing Down the House...but it was still an interesting read. "
— Christine, 9/8/2012 -
" Reading about international hedge funds gambling on emerging markets was intriguing, but my favorite part was the romance. "
— Alicia, 9/3/2012 -
" Ben Mezrich is my #1 favorite author due to this book. Historical fiction about the Asian financial markets. Loved it! "
— Lisa, 8/26/2012 -
" This one falls about halfway between the BlackJack books (good) and the Facebook one (crap). "
— Blake, 4/30/2012 -
" An entertaining read, but neither as good as "Liar's Poker" nor as authentic. Mezrich plays too fast and loose with the facts in his effort to tell a good yarn. "
— Gekko, 9/6/2011 -
" A great story - interesting and fascinating - a true page turner. "
— Charles, 6/8/2011 -
" I was surprised at how un-boring this book is...I'm very left-brained and very un-good at numbers, so reading a book that's essentially - well - numbers, was about as uninviting of a prospect as regular Pepsi.<br/><br/>I liked the story, but hated the movie. "
— Sarah, 5/31/2011 -
" Excellent Book! I highly recommend it! "
— Amy, 3/23/2011 -
" A fast-paced story about six MIT geniuses who legally beat Vegas's largest casinos out of more than $3 million in less than two years. I am not a big fan of gambling, but I still enjoyed this book. I'd recommend it highly for people who love math! "
— Mrs., 3/17/2011
About Ben Mezrich
Ben Mezrich is the New York Times bestselling author of The Accidental Billionaires, adapted by Aaron Sorkin into the David Fincher film The Social Network, and Bringing Down the House, adapted into the #1 box office hit film 21), and several other bestselling nonfiction books. His books have sold over six million copies worldwide.