American Sucker
by David Denby
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David Denby was a happy man, a content man with a good job, a wife and two sons, and an Upper West Side apartment. But in 2000, his wife asked for a divorce and he needed to hold onto his beloved home. Denby's account of his frenetic, irrational lurch toward the gold parallels the wild, dangerous and finally tragic era of an inflated stock market, inflamed greed and the willful blindness of the nation during the first three years of the millennium. Seduced by stock analysts, CNBC, tech show more gurus, and lying CEOs at investment conferences, Denby plunged into a season of mania. He befriended people like ImClone founder Sam Waksal and Merrill Lynch analyst Henry Blodgett, both now disgraced by scandal. As he explores his own motives, actions, and illusions, Denby reveals the underbelly of the irrationally exuberant beast that clutched the throat and brains of most Americans during the late 1990s and early 2000s. American Sucker is a wise, bitter, humorous, and candid memoir that documents one man's confrontation with midlife changes, money, illusions, and shifting values. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
When David Denby's wife left him, he became obsessed by the idea of earning enough ($1e6)quickly on the stock market to buy his half of the family's Manhattan apartment. What follows is an honest account of his failure. Within the book there were two separate stories. The first is what the book proports to be about - in fact Denby did earn his money, he just rapidly lost it. The second is the "how the other half lives" portion. For those of us who don't know - the opening line "I'm a movie reviewer for the New Yorker" opens a lot of doors. Through this Denby was able to not only interview, but intertwine, with a number of the big players in the NASDAQ bubble. His descriptions of these meetings are choice.
Lots of financial stuff but an interesting account of his mid-life crisis when his wife left him and he tried to make a million dollars in tech stocks while the tech bubble was collapsing.
This book is truly a cautionary tale. When the market looks good and day trading available why not yet into it for a little while to fulfill a particular goal...the get out in time. This poor man...and his wife and children really lost their shirts. I started to get rid of the book...but then decided.. I or a family member might need it some day.
This review by another Librarything person decribes it very well
When David Denby's wife left him, he became obsessed by the idea of earning enough ($1e6)quickly on the stock market to buy his half of the family's Manhattan apartment. What follows is an honest account of his failure. Within the book there were two separate stories. The first is what the book proports to be about - in fact Denby show more did earn his money, he just rapidly lost it. The second is the "how the other half lives" portion. For those of us who don't know - the opening line "I'm a movie reviewer for the New Yorker" opens a lot of doors. Through this Denby was able to not only interview, but intertwine, with a number of the big players in the NASDAQ bubble. His descriptions of these meetings are choice. show less
This review by another Librarything person decribes it very well
When David Denby's wife left him, he became obsessed by the idea of earning enough ($1e6)quickly on the stock market to buy his half of the family's Manhattan apartment. What follows is an honest account of his failure. Within the book there were two separate stories. The first is what the book proports to be about - in fact Denby show more did earn his money, he just rapidly lost it. The second is the "how the other half lives" portion. For those of us who don't know - the opening line "I'm a movie reviewer for the New Yorker" opens a lot of doors. Through this Denby was able to not only interview, but intertwine, with a number of the big players in the NASDAQ bubble. His descriptions of these meetings are choice. show less
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19+ Works 2,448 Members
David Denby is a film critic for The New Yorker and author of Great Books and American Sucker. He lives in New York City with his wife.
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- Popularity
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- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (3.36)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 11
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 5
