This book is hard to describe, but what isn't hard to tell is the brilliance of Desai. A Harvard professor, he uses examples from philosophy, literature, and all forms of media to describe the role that finance plays in our lives. His examples of financial terms in the context of how they affect everyday life somehow give you a more concrete and understandable definition of complex terms- even if you aren't a finance student. Options and leverage seem less scary with his capable writing.

He is philosophical in a non-condescending way, and highlights the stigma and ongoing struggles of the financial industry to be perceived as a non-slimey field. The conditions and personalities that it attracts often feed some of the scandals. I recommend this to anyone who is a finance student or just wants to learn a little more about the fraught subject. This isn't a how-to on investments, but makes you understand a broad concept in an accessible, if slightly textbooky way. My copy was ordered from Thriftbooks, and was full of highlights and pencil markings from a student. That made it an even more enjoyable experience to see the musings of another reader. Highly recommend!!!