Griftopia: A Story of Bankers, Politicians, and the Most Audacious Power Grab in American History
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- Create Date：2021-07-22 06:54:44
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Matt Taibbi
- ISBN：0385529961
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Summary
A brilliantly illuminating and darkly comic tale of the ongoing financial and political crisis in America
The financial crisis that exploded in 2008 isn’t past but prologue。 The grifter class—made up of the largest players in the financial industry and the politicians who do their bidding—has been growing in power， and the crisis was only one terrifying manifestation of how they’ve hijacked America’s political and economic life。
Matt Taibbi has combined deep sources， trailblazing reportage， and provocative analysis to create the most lucid， emotionally galvanizing account yet written of this ongoing American crisis。 He offers fresh reporting on the backroom deals of the bailout; tells the story of Goldman Sachs， the “vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity”; and uncovers the hidden commodities bubble that transferred billions of dollars to Wall Street while creating food shortages around the world。
This is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the labyrinthine inner workings of this country， and the profound consequences for us all。
The financial crisis that exploded in 2008 isn’t past but prologue。 The grifter class—made up of the largest players in the financial industry and the politicians who do their bidding—has been growing in power， and the crisis was only one terrifying manifestation of how they’ve hijacked America’s political and economic life。
Matt Taibbi has combined deep sources， trailblazing reportage， and provocative analysis to create the most lucid， emotionally galvanizing account yet written of this ongoing American crisis。 He offers fresh reporting on the backroom deals of the bailout; tells the story of Goldman Sachs， the “vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity”; and uncovers the hidden commodities bubble that transferred billions of dollars to Wall Street while creating food shortages around the world。
This is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the labyrinthine inner workings of this country， and the profound consequences for us all。
Reviews
RYCJ
，
What initially grabbed me was the writing。 I liked it。 Satirical and passionate。 It， however， wasn’t altogether easy reading。 Comprehending this digest of America’s financial markets and key players took distinguishing between jargon and properties such as ‘Randian mindsets’ explaining negotiable instruments and financial portfolios… soon defined as ‘the game’， rubbing shoulders with political stanchions… in no time armed with ‘bailouts’， and a crest of ‘high lettered’ educators who eventually w What initially grabbed me was the writing。 I liked it。 Satirical and passionate。 It， however， wasn’t altogether easy reading。 Comprehending this digest of America’s financial markets and key players took distinguishing between jargon and properties such as ‘Randian mindsets’ explaining negotiable instruments and financial portfolios… soon defined as ‘the game’， rubbing shoulders with political stanchions… in no time armed with ‘bailouts’， and a crest of ‘high lettered’ educators who eventually would be teaching the next generation short-term thinking and how to “rethink one’s conception of “value”。 Overall， this story of greed and political oblivion folding in domino fashion home mortgages， banks， education， healthcare， insurance and anything else people live on day to day was hard read， and even harder to admit。。。 my gosh… finding ‘pure’ victims was tough！ 。。。more
David
，
Fantastic。 Taibbi keeps it fast and funny， which is much needed as he reveals such deeply depraved corruption and evil。 It’s also truly impressive in its depiction of complex evil with clarity and purpose。
Jared
，
CDO， that is all
Sheryl
，
This is essentially a very long opinion piece。 It really couldn't be anything else because you can't write an exposition on America's healthcare system; deregulation of the commodities market; the sale of US toll roads， airports， and other infrastructure to foreign interests; and the 2008 mortgage crisis in 240 pages （not to mention there's not a single footnote）。 I couldn't really tell you if this is a good book or not， because I'm not educated about these topics， which is why I was reading the This is essentially a very long opinion piece。 It really couldn't be anything else because you can't write an exposition on America's healthcare system; deregulation of the commodities market; the sale of US toll roads， airports， and other infrastructure to foreign interests; and the 2008 mortgage crisis in 240 pages （not to mention there's not a single footnote）。 I couldn't really tell you if this is a good book or not， because I'm not educated about these topics， which is why I was reading the book in the first place。 However， for a very long opinion piece， Taibbi makes his case well。 He argues that elections are consumed as entertainment， but voters have very little expectation of change。 Politicians use ideology as a mere smoke screen for a complex con。 The politicians and corporate elites know we're turning into a third-world country， and are stealing whatever they can get while the getting is good。 They can do it because our systems， laws， and business practices are so complex there are very few organizations/people who understand what's going on。 The few who do control both the money and the political power， and we are at their mercy。 。。。more
Spraying Bricks
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A crude but informative explanation of the economic crash of 2008 and those who should be held accountable for their elitist criminal activities。 Some funny quips from a journalist who is in disbelief of a system so corrupt that he can do nothing but laugh at it。。。nervously！ How economic policy becomes so complex that it washes over the heads of those in political power， unless bribed。。。or bribed to stupidity。 Easy to digest and understand。。。the author breaks the systems into manageable analogie A crude but informative explanation of the economic crash of 2008 and those who should be held accountable for their elitist criminal activities。 Some funny quips from a journalist who is in disbelief of a system so corrupt that he can do nothing but laugh at it。。。nervously！ How economic policy becomes so complex that it washes over the heads of those in political power， unless bribed。。。or bribed to stupidity。 Easy to digest and understand。。。the author breaks the systems into manageable analogies for the layman。 。。。more
Robert
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Hard-hitting and clearly-explained narrative of the collusion between government and Wall Street banksters who nearly destroyed the U。S。 （and global） economy in the 2008 financial meltdown。 Matt Taibbi calls out the culprits in unvarnished language and great detail， recalling the corruption and underworld maneuverings of the Prohibition Era。 Reads much like an insider's crime novel， with all the perpetrators escaping punishment due to the total complicity of the players on both "sides" of the la Hard-hitting and clearly-explained narrative of the collusion between government and Wall Street banksters who nearly destroyed the U。S。 （and global） economy in the 2008 financial meltdown。 Matt Taibbi calls out the culprits in unvarnished language and great detail， recalling the corruption and underworld maneuverings of the Prohibition Era。 Reads much like an insider's crime novel， with all the perpetrators escaping punishment due to the total complicity of the players on both "sides" of the law。 His latest expose （of mass media machinations）， Hate， Inc。 is almost mild by comparison。。。perhaps because he is a member--however intransigent--of that fraternity。 Both are eye-opening reads and very accessible。 。。。more
Alexander Eckinger
，
This was a wonderfully and hilariously crafted synopsis of the financial crisis。 It's accessible for the financially illiterate （not without some effort） but also nuanced enough to detail finely the crookery underpinning the meltdown。Explanations of the financial crisis are hard to retain- this isn't my first foray into the bedlam of the fiasco。 Each review， however， consolidates the information just a bit more than the last。 This book does a skillful job of doing so。 With that in mind， I wouldn This was a wonderfully and hilariously crafted synopsis of the financial crisis。 It's accessible for the financially illiterate （not without some effort） but also nuanced enough to detail finely the crookery underpinning the meltdown。Explanations of the financial crisis are hard to retain- this isn't my first foray into the bedlam of the fiasco。 Each review， however， consolidates the information just a bit more than the last。 This book does a skillful job of doing so。 With that in mind， I wouldn't be surprised if I reread this in the future in order to further refine my understanding of the crisis。 。。。more
Jack
，
This was a tougher read for me。 But the idea is good and， for me at least， this book highlights the level of corruption and greed that we all are dealing with - whether we know it or not。 It's is a disheartening look into the psyche of humanity IMO。 The quest for more。 But it seems accurate， which is unfortunate。 This was a tougher read for me。 But the idea is good and， for me at least， this book highlights the level of corruption and greed that we all are dealing with - whether we know it or not。 It's is a disheartening look into the psyche of humanity IMO。 The quest for more。 But it seems accurate， which is unfortunate。 。。。more
Hannah Scheel
，
Very good！！！
Justin Obrien
，
Infuriating and terrifying at the same time。
Sarah
，
Encountering a chapter titled “Why the tea party doesn’t matter” doesn’t bode well in 2021。。。 Rest of the book doesn’t hold up either。
Sarah
，
Excellent， biting， extremely depressing。 I've never laughed so much at a book that made me so angry。 Excellent， biting， extremely depressing。 I've never laughed so much at a book that made me so angry。 。。。more
Montzalee Wittmann
，
Griftopia: Bubble Machines， Vampire Squids， and the Long Con That Is Breaking Americaby Matt TaibbiI read this book a long time ago but it is still relevant today。 The book is not about you or me but about the con men and women behind the scenes。 （Well， some are right there in our faces just lying to us！）This book covers the right， left， and everyone in between。 No one is left out。 The many ways people have had the screws put to us and gotten away with it。 The author pulls no punches！He makes ev Griftopia: Bubble Machines， Vampire Squids， and the Long Con That Is Breaking Americaby Matt TaibbiI read this book a long time ago but it is still relevant today。 The book is not about you or me but about the con men and women behind the scenes。 （Well， some are right there in our faces just lying to us！）This book covers the right， left， and everyone in between。 No one is left out。 The many ways people have had the screws put to us and gotten away with it。 The author pulls no punches！He makes even the most complex scams easy to understand。 I forgot how good this book was！ Definitely need to get one of his newer books！ 。。。more
Brice Williams
，
Love Matt’s writing。 Laughed out loud a bunch reading this。 I also chewed my fist with anger at how reckless people are in this book。 Everyone should read it。
Andrew
，
A brilliant book that fuels my cynicism almost too well。 In very concise， succinct， and easy to follow language Taibbi explains the reasons why we are where we are financially and politically。
Grant
，
This is like 'The Big Short' but with the South Park writers including some naughty words all whilst covering other financial and political fraud。 I don't quite remember what I was doing in 2011 but I wish I was reading this at the time。 Taibbi's ability to put into plain english， the complex fraud in which grifters get away with is amazing。 This is like 'The Big Short' but with the South Park writers including some naughty words all whilst covering other financial and political fraud。 I don't quite remember what I was doing in 2011 but I wish I was reading this at the time。 Taibbi's ability to put into plain english， the complex fraud in which grifters get away with is amazing。 。。。more
Peter Banks
，
Millenial leftist frat boy explains the 2008 financial crisis in terms and analogies I can （mostly） understand。 Certainly wouldn't say I was sympathetic to Wall Street prior， but I came away more convinced and informed about how these giant investment banks are criminal enterprises。 Written in 2010， Taibbi's language is a little dated， and there were a few racist/sexist sidebars that have not aged well （discourse around Sarah Palin was just blatantly sexist）。 Taibbi's general ideology and specif Millenial leftist frat boy explains the 2008 financial crisis in terms and analogies I can （mostly） understand。 Certainly wouldn't say I was sympathetic to Wall Street prior， but I came away more convinced and informed about how these giant investment banks are criminal enterprises。 Written in 2010， Taibbi's language is a little dated， and there were a few racist/sexist sidebars that have not aged well （discourse around Sarah Palin was just blatantly sexist）。 Taibbi's general ideology and specific opinions on the banking industry are Sandersesque （Bernie is even name-dropped in the first chapter， years before he became a household name）。 The book sort of lost momentum towards the end， but overall very solid and informative。 。。。more
Bruno
，
Blood-boiling and funny at the same time。 Aggressively non-partisan。 A really strong reminder to stop being distracted by the superficial argument of the day and focus on what really matters: the US is far from a free market， the level of corruption in the US government is so huge its hard to fathom， and that in the 10 years since the book came out we barely made any progress。
george grace
，
Wake up call for the morally unfitEntertaining as well as informative。 I like the use of the vernacular， as it is often employed by the commentator。 Must reading for MBA graduates。 Take the rose colored glasses off， you thief。
Ryan
，
Detailed， yet a digestible and quick read。 The basic gist is that pricks in the gov deregulate， and bankers go nuts and devour everything （going far beyond taking advantage of deregulations into straight crime）， then they get bailed out！ Meanwhile we’re focused on Joe the Plumber。 Rinse， repeat。 It’s a pretty dark book。
Jeffrey May
，
Still as disturbingly relevant as when I read it 10 years ago。
Adam
，
How is it that a writer for rolling Stone of all places as one of the most complete and succinct takedowns of Alan Greenspan that I've ever read including innumerable pieces in financial journals？ The author has done his homework and it really shows。 He very clearly lays out why people should be very suspect of anything from banks， to bailouts， to fed policy， to politicians and even the tea party movement。 I feel like the author does himself a disservice by being very rough around the edges to d How is it that a writer for rolling Stone of all places as one of the most complete and succinct takedowns of Alan Greenspan that I've ever read including innumerable pieces in financial journals？ The author has done his homework and it really shows。 He very clearly lays out why people should be very suspect of anything from banks， to bailouts， to fed policy， to politicians and even the tea party movement。 I feel like the author does himself a disservice by being very rough around the edges to drive his point home as it obscures from the fact that this is well researched and well explained and a great reason why regardless of your political views you need to be more critical and skeptical of the system at large。 。。。more
Paquita Maria Sanchez
，
Damn。 This may be my favorite of his， and that's no small feat。 Damn。 This may be my favorite of his， and that's no small feat。 。。。more
RB
，
Perfect。
Matthew Mechtly
，
Having read Hate Inc。 and the Divide， I was honestly kind of disappointed by the one-sidedness and straw-manning in the book （though perhaps the one-sidedness is forgivable if Taibbi felt that the more anti-corporate/anti-cronyism sentiment wasn't being properly represented in the marketplace of ideas。 But then Griftopia doesn't do terrifically well as a standalone acount）。In typical Taibbi fashion， it is well-written and extremely engaging， yet his oversimplification--especially in the earlier Having read Hate Inc。 and the Divide， I was honestly kind of disappointed by the one-sidedness and straw-manning in the book （though perhaps the one-sidedness is forgivable if Taibbi felt that the more anti-corporate/anti-cronyism sentiment wasn't being properly represented in the marketplace of ideas。 But then Griftopia doesn't do terrifically well as a standalone acount）。In typical Taibbi fashion， it is well-written and extremely engaging， yet his oversimplification--especially in the earlier chapters--left much to be desired， as least for someone who was moderately informed on several of the financial-market related issues。 However， some of the later chapters in particular were extremely informing and I learned a lot about the healthcare industry and Goldman's relationship with the regulators。 Those chapters redeemed the book for me personally。 。。。more
Benjamin
，
I think I've always known about Taibbi's work but I've never focused on it。 I had a Rolling Stone subscription years ago and remember reading some of Taibbi's writing but it wasn't anything monumental for me。 Fast forward about a decade。 It's no small secret I listen to everyone episode of Chapo Trap House and have for about 3 full years now。 I don't always agree with everything Taibbi says but I didn't quite get why everyone was going insane about him。 Sure his tweets aren't great， but they are I think I've always known about Taibbi's work but I've never focused on it。 I had a Rolling Stone subscription years ago and remember reading some of Taibbi's writing but it wasn't anything monumental for me。 Fast forward about a decade。 It's no small secret I listen to everyone episode of Chapo Trap House and have for about 3 full years now。 I don't always agree with everything Taibbi says but I didn't quite get why everyone was going insane about him。 Sure his tweets aren't great， but they aren't worth getting that worked up over。 So about a month ago I came across one of his older books on a clearance rack at a used bookstore。 For $3 I figured why not dig deeper and see what everyone is so upset about。 Since I've taken that dive into Taibbi's books， I've been constantly impressed and entertained。 I was able to rip through this book in 3 days， which is saying something for a book that is almost completely advanced financial analysis。 It's well written。 Taibbi aside， this book really shined a light on all the poor conduct in the financial industry and I am deeply upset。 Greed is a simple concept to understand， but what's presented here is infuriating。 In addition to how infuriating this is， there isn't much you can do about it。 I am looking forward to reading the rest of Taibbi's work。 。。。more
Joseph Spuckler
，
Really a must read。 Does a very good job of disproving Rand-Type unrestrained capitalism。
Boris
，
An astonishingly well written book — well researched， written with very high integrity — a must read ！
Gary
，
I'd like to give this one a 4 （understand， 5 is reserved for god-like books） but I must drop it to a 3。 I'm a snarky sarcastic person but Mt。 Taibbi's snark and sarcasm quickly exceed even my appreciation of that ilk， jumping from fun and amusing （and frankly， often right） to annoying - even to me - and worse， it starts to intrude on your faith in his assessments。 There's a really good chance that he's looking at our situation with a true emperor-has-no-clothes approach - which again is somethin I'd like to give this one a 4 （understand， 5 is reserved for god-like books） but I must drop it to a 3。 I'm a snarky sarcastic person but Mt。 Taibbi's snark and sarcasm quickly exceed even my appreciation of that ilk， jumping from fun and amusing （and frankly， often right） to annoying - even to me - and worse， it starts to intrude on your faith in his assessments。 There's a really good chance that he's looking at our situation with a true emperor-has-no-clothes approach - which again is something I appreciate and find needs to be done more often - but you start to doubt whether he's clearing the fog or simply haranguing endlessly。 I suspect it's somewhere in the middle， but at some point， he needs to find someone somewhere that did something positive。 Still， there are gems of knowledge in this book that you don't hear elsewhere （I'll never fly through McCarren Las Vegas airport again without thinking that its namesake was a rat of sorts）， and it's worth the read。 。。。more
Carl R
，