A compelling read, though the financial part was over my head. I admired the main character for retaining not only his morals but his dignity.

Great read on my favorite type of non fiction drama- chronicles of Wall Street.

Should have been a long form article on the internet, not a full length book.

A great financial read about exploiting the Osaka markets using arbitrage. Unfortunately it is more financial than thriller, and even the finance is a bit down to earth. They didn't do anything grand but simply let the Japanese get ripped off on both the buy and sell side due to the fact that in the 1980's Japan didn't have a clue how the financial exchanges worked. Nothing smart, nothing new, just a con game in a different continent exploiting the ignorance of post-war Japan. And the Japanese mafia mentioned on the cover? They get a full two chapters (20 pages) of coverage in this volume.

So: interesting from a financial history point of view, not so great if you were expecting clashes between intellectual financial giants. He's rich. Period.

I loved this book. Hundreds of pages detailing the thrilling but fundamentally debaucherous nature of the Western men invading Eastern financial markets left me confused as to how and especially why my then-girlfriend’s dad could have possibly recommended this book to me. After reading through the final pages, a fitting end with a surprisingly wholesome twist filled my heart up with hope.

Very promising build-up of the story and then abrupt end with no answers - a bit disappointing

Another book by Mezrich that takes you into a world you didn't know existed. Very good

This is supposed to be a well-researched, nonfiction account of what the western hedge fund cowboys did in Japan during the lat 90's. The book doesn't quite capture the essence of the American expatriate, but if you are one it might incite a little self reflection. It also provides some insight for gaijin who are curious about that lifestyle or pondering working in Asia. However, it provides less insight into Japanese culture and gets some things just plain wrong. Mezrich prides himself on being descriptive, in a few places down to the shoes people wear walking around their homes (muddy shoes in one passage). I've never seen a Japanese person wear shoes in the house; an expat with a local girlfriend wouldn't either. Minor point, but makes you wonder what else the guy made up. Still, a titillating work, even as fiction.

I’ve always enjoyed Mezrich’s true-to-life stories.

I wanted to take a step out of the primarly business drive books I have been reading lately and read a book that contains all the excietment of mobs, money and women. This book does it, but wasn't earth shattering. I thought overall the book was entertaining and somewhat enlightening as it delved into the Japanes markets as well as the peculiar characteristics of the Japanese society as a whole. Certainly invokes a strong urge to get on a plane and got to Japan.

Cowboys in Tokyo with flashy lifestyles and seedy friends.

Ben Mezrich is a pro at telling these high-flying tech/finance wonder stories.
He captures the drama and the flashy-edgy lifestyle of these 20-something masters of (a) universe in a slightly-bizarre ecosystem.
It was a very enjoyable read.

Upon reflection, I do think it feels like the hero of this story comes across as a little too clean, wholesome, blameless for someone who ran with this crowd and made these kind of edgy hedge-fund trades tainted with a little insider info. Maybe that was the price of Ben M's being able to get close up and tell the story -- in all cases, it must be a tricky balance. There are Large Egos (like the size of Jupiter) involved since these guys get crazy rich very fast in this story.

First rule of Carney: look for the exit point.

This book had me wishing there wasn’t one. About to stick my life savings on some stocks brb.