The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday MachineThe Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
Score Modern
What it's about
Michael Lewis tells the story of the 2008 financial crash through the handful of oddballs who saw it coming and bet against the housing market: in the obscure markets for mortgage bonds and derivatives, where Wall Street built securities no one understood, they realized the whole system was built on loans that would never be repaid.
Why it's worth reading
It spent six weeks at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and more than 100 weeks on the lists overall. Lewis makes complicated finance clear and funny, and he leaves you angry.
You'll love it if you liked
Moneyball
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
Too Big to FailGood to know
You don't need to understand finance going in; Lewis explains everything. The characters are as memorable as any novel's.
By the numbers
- Readers90 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller79 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #8 of the 85 self-help and business books we rank
- #37 of the 198 history books we rank
- #105 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #208 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story, Thought-provoking
More by Michael Lewis
Moneyball
Flash Boys
The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds
Liar's Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall StreetIf you like this, read next
How to Be an Antiracist
The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism
Chernobyl: The History of a Nuclear Catastrophe
Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow
The Age of Surveillance Capitalism
Nuclear War: A ScenarioExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine worth reading?
Yes. It spent six weeks at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and more than 100 weeks on the lists overall. It ranks #208 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 83.4 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine about?
Michael Lewis tells the story of the 2008 financial crash through the handful of oddballs who saw it coming and bet against the housing market: in the obscure markets for mortgage bonds and derivatives, where Wall Street built securities no one understood, they realized the whole system was built on loans that would never be repaid.
How long does it take to read The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine?
About 8 hours (320 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine?
If you liked it, try Moneyball by Michael Lewis, Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou or Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin.