The World's Best Book Summaries
Who is The Big Short‘s Dr. Michale Burry? How did he predict the 2008 financial crisis, and what did he get out of it? Dr. Michael Burry of The Big Short fame is a medical doctor by training and an investor and hedge fund manager who predicted and profited from the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis. We’ll cover Dr. Michael Burry’s background, the background of the financial crisis, and how Dr. Burry shorted the housing market.
Who is Ben Hockett? How was he involved in the “big short” that profited from the 2008 financial crisis? Ben Hockett is a former Deutsche Bank trader who left Wall Street behind to trade derivatives from his home in Berkeley Hills. In 2006 he worked with investment company Cornwall Capital to short the housing market and profit from the 2007-2008 subprime mortgage crisis. In the movie The Big Short, Brad Pitt’s character Ben Rickert is based on Ben Hockett. We’ll cover Ben Hockett’s background, his major role in getting Cornwall Capital the recognition it needed to be a player on
Who is Steve Eisman, of The Big Short fame? What is his background in finance, and how did he profit from the 2008 financial crisis? Steve Eisman is an investor best known for having shorted the housing market and profiting from the 2007-2008 financial crisis. In the film The Big Short, Steve Carell’s character Mark Baum was based on Steve Eisman. We’ll cover Steve Eisman’s background, his brash personality, and how he shorted the housing market.
Leif Babin is a former U.S. Navy SEAL officer who served in one of the most dangerous areas of Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom. With Jocko Willink, he honed the principles of Extreme Ownership on the battlefield, then applied the same tenets to the corporate world as business consultants. Willink and Babin illustrate how effective leaders exercise Extreme Ownership — by admitting failures, believing in their missions, checking their egos, delegating, and being accountable — through compelling war stories and useful business anecdotes. Learn how Leif Babin conducted himself in battle and how this led to his leadership ideas in
Jocko Willink is a former U.S. Navy SEAL who trained SEAL leaders and led his own team as an officer during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Willink was a lieutenant commander and Leif Babin served under him as a ground force commander in Ramadi, Iraq, the deadly and hostile center of Iraqi insurgency. After their military careers, they went on to advise businesses in a wide range of industries through their consulting firm, Echelon Front. Learn how Jocko Willink conducted himself in battle as a Navy SEAL, and how this led to his leadership ideas in Extreme Ownership.
How did Educated author Tara Westover go from a dubious homeschool education to Harvard? What was Tara Westover’s Harvard life like? Educated is the autobiographical story of Tara’s Westover’s journey from being the child of extreme anti-government, anti-science, and religious fundamentalist Mormon parents to becoming a Cambridge- and Harvard-educated PhD. As you’ll see, Tara Westover’s Harvard life wasn’t all about academics. It was while Westover was at Harvard that her family life fell apart and depression almost prevented her from finishing her Ph.D.
Today, Trevor Noah is a famous comedian and host, but his first careers involved selling pirated CDs and DJing. What was Trevor Noah’s DJ life like? Learn how Trevor Noah turned a high school lunch delivery business into a business selling pirated CDs, and how that business turned into Trevor Noah’s DJ career and three years engaged in a life of petty crime.
Who was Fufi? What happened when young Trevor Noah, Fufi, and a neighbor got into an ownership conflict? And how did Fufi cause Noah’s first broken heart? Fufi was Trevor Noah’s childhood dog. Here’s what Trevor Noah’s dog Fufi can teach you about love, relationships, and letting go.
What was Trevor Noah’s educational experience like? Did he go to private school? Public school? Was he popular? Nerdy? Trevor Noah attended a variety of schools and had a variety of educational experiences, not all of them academic. Learn how getting along with diverse groups of people, getting expelled from his Catholic grade school, and starting his own business as the “tuck-shop guy” contributed to his success as a comedian today.
Who is Faye Westover? What is Faye’s relationship with her daughter Tara like? And why isn’t Tara Westover currently in contact with her mother? Faye Westover is the fictional name Tara Westover gives her mother in her memoir Educated. We’ll look at Faye Westover’s relationship with the author and cover parts of Educated that might indicate why Tara no longer has a relationship with her mother.