"On the Brink"

[fiefoe]

This is about the fourth book on the financial crisis I got my hands on. Henry Paulson's account is the first one that's entirely chronological, so there's the morbid attraction of seeing a bloodless disaster unfolding in slow motion before one's eyes. 

There's really not that much insider scoop, which is mildly disappointing. I did learn that the Treasury Department had still one person calculating interest rates by hand when Paulson arrived. The most personal moment Paulson shared was during the Beijing Olympics, when he didn't want to be caught on camera holding his young granddaughter when she was happily waving the Chinese national flag given to her.