Too Big to FailToo Big to Fail
Score Modern
What it's about
In September 2008, Lehman Brothers collapsed and the world financial system came within days of meltdown. Andrew Ross Sorkin, a New York Times reporter, reconstructs what happened inside the banks and government offices, from the Treasury Secretary, Henry Paulson, to the heads of the big Wall Street firms, in a minute-by-minute account of the decisions made in panic.
Why it's worth reading
It was a finalist for the Samuel Johnson Prize (now the Baillie Gifford Prize) and became an HBO film. It reads like a thriller.
You'll love it if you liked
Liar's Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street
Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World
Den of ThievesGood to know
It's long and full of names, and focuses on the insiders rather than the people hurt by the crisis.
By the numbers
- Readers76 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics24 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller48 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
- #30 of the 85 self-help and business books we rank
- #112 of the 198 history books we rank
- #362 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #720 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story
More by Andrew Ross Sorkin
If you like this, read next
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
Steve Jobs
The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism
Flash Boys
Blowout
The House of MorganExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Too Big to Fail worth reading?
Yes. It was a finalist for the Samuel Johnson Prize (now the Baillie Gifford Prize) and became an HBO film. It ranks #720 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 75.8 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Too Big to Fail about?
In September 2008, Lehman Brothers collapsed and the world financial system came within days of meltdown. Andrew Ross Sorkin, a New York Times reporter, reconstructs what happened inside the banks and government offices, from the Treasury Secretary, Henry Paulson, to the heads of the big Wall Street firms, in a minute-by-minute account of the decisions made in panic.
How long does it take to read Too Big to Fail?
About 20 hours (813 pages), or about 6 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Too Big to Fail?
If you liked it, try Liar's Poker: Rising Through the Wreckage on Wall Street by Michael Lewis, Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World by Liaquat Ahamed or Den of Thieves by James B. Stewart.