Synopses & Reviews
The importance of money in our lives is readily apparent to everyone--rich, poor, and in between. However grudgingly, most of us accept the expression "Money makes the world go round" as a universal truth. We are all aware of the power of money--how it influences our moods, compels us to take risks, and serves as the yardstick of success in societies around the world. Yet because we take the daily reality of money so completely for granted, we seldom question how and why it has come to play such a central role in our lives.
In Coined: The Rich Life of Money And How Its History Has Shaped Us, author Kabir Sehgal casts aside our workaday assumptions about money and takes the reader on a global quest to uncover a deeper understanding of the relationship between money and humankind. More than a mere history of its subject, Coined probes the conceptual origins and evolution of money by examining it through the multiple lenses of disciplines as varied as biology, psychology, anthropology, and theology. Coined is not only a profoundly informative discussion of the concept of money, but it is also an endlessly fascinating and entertaining take on the nature of humanity and the inner workings of the mind.
Review
"Kabir Sehgal has tackled the topic of money and written a fascinating account that weaves together history, philosophy, and personal anecdotes. He provides insights that are both riveting and thought-provoking."--Walter Isaacson, bestselling author of Steve Jobs and President of the Aspen Institute
Review
PRAISE FOR Walk in My Shoes"Wisdom can be found in many places. In Walk in My Shoes, a young man turns to his mentor Uncle Andy for guidance on faith, spirituality and love. Not only is this an innovative memoir, these pages are filled with irreverent honesty and timeless wisdom."--Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Review
"Andrew Young and Kabir Sehgal open up their hearts with pitch-perfect sincerity. This is a fiercely inspiring cross-generational memoir filled with folk wisdom, human frailty, and sweet victory amongst the fangs of defeatism. Consider this book a joy."--Douglas Brinkley
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"Andrew Young and Kabir Sehgal have woven together years of their candid and unvarnished conversations to create a wonderful combination of biography, memoir, and guide to life. This is an enlightening book that shows how great wisdom is passed down to new generations."--Walter Isaacson, president of The Aspen Institute, author of Steve Jobs
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"This is a great gift to America's children - now and in the future."--Tom Brokaw
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"Andrew Young and Kabir Sehgal have produced a valuable book, one that offers timeless lessons of faith, love and leadership. The book illuminates the civil rights revolution of the 1960s and calls upon its readers-each in our own way -to carry on the work of building a more perfect America with courage and vision and humility."--Senator Joe Lieberman
Review
"A fascinating glimpse into the life of one of America's most important activists....Lively and passionate."--Birmingham News
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"Andrew Young found himself at the intersection of history when the civil rights movement changed America's future by redeeming its past. Forty years later, a new generation, represented by Kabir Sehgal, sees another meeting with history approaching. What could be more valuable than learning from a man who has experienced what it means to forge inspiration in the crucible of conflict?"--Deepak Chopra
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"I hope that every emerging leader picks up this book as a reference for what it takes to change the world."--Jamie Foxx
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PRAISE FOR Jazzocracy"Kabir Sehgal brilliantly shows us how both jazz and democracy require an environment of free exchange and collective ingenuity."--Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States
Review
"He advocates for a mainstream expression that will help steer public opinion toward positiveness, writing that we need modern American classics that strengthen and unite us. He considers jazz the perfect vehicle."--Library Journal
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"It's often said that art is prescient. Jazzocracy is a clarion work about the future of American culture. As a jazz enthusiast, I am excited to see a fresh, cogent, and stirring paradigm for the music. Maestro Sehgal picks you up on the first page and propels you through the rest with dazzling intellect and wit. Bravo. "--Jude Law, Academy Award nominated actor
Review
"Coined is an enthralling, illuminating, page-turner of a character study about money and the way it has impacted humanity. Through his kaleidoscopic analysis of money through the ages and across the globe, Kabir Sehgal provides a highly original vision of money that transcends its value as a means of exchange and redefines it as a reflection of our minds, bodies and spirits. His warning call to consider the risks societies face as they move from hard to soft (and increasingly electronic and invisible) money resonate particularly strongly in these tumultuous times."--Nomi Prins, Author of All the Presidents' Bankers and Senior Fellow at Demos
Review
"An exceptional examination of the history of money. Kabir has written an engaging narrative that spans thousands of years and introduces readers to important people who have impacted the chronicle of currency."--Jimmy Carter, Former US President
Review
"Fascinating. Kabir Sehgal's Coined is a more than just a lively history of money, it is a richly rewarding excursion into the meaning of money."--David Tripp, award winning author of Illegal Tender, and former member of the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee
Review
"Coined doesn't resemble any of the usual text books on money. For one thing, it's actually fun to read--and Kabir Sehgal will stimulate your thinking about our financial crisis and banking."--Paul Volcker, Former Chair of the Federal Reserve
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"Well-written. Clever. Innovative. This amazing book will get you thinking about money in completely new ways. If you want to understand how money has impacted the human condition, for better or worse, and how it will continue to shape our behavior, read this book."--Sheila Bair, Former Chair of the Federal Deposit Corporation
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"Kabir Sehgal has created an ideal book for anyone interested in understanding how money has impacted our world. His thought provoking and impressive writing style makes this an enjoyable and educational read."--William H. Rogers, Chairman and CEO, SunTrust Banks
Review
"Money talks! Money started with trading shells and now it moves around the world like sand. We are about to go through a change in money that will make it as liquid as water. Behold Bitcoin. This book takes you through money, its history and its future. Kabir is brilliant. Read it and get liquid."--Timothy Draper, Founding Partner, Draper Fisher Jurvetson
Review
"As the CEO of a public company, it is easy to develop a narrow view of money, as primarily an instrument to measure economic performance. But in Coined, Kabir Sehgal gives us a more panoramic look at this absorbing subject. This fresh and captivating book will make us rethink what money is and even how we corporate leaders make financial decisions."--John Somerhalder II, Chairman and CEO, AGL Resources
Review
"In his excellent book, Kabir Sehgal entices the reader to think differently about money. For the novice, he connects the dots, introducing money from a variety of perspectives: economics, anthropology, history, and even biology. For the academic expert, he provides a powerful antidote to the conventional view that money is simply a handy medium of exchange. By emphasizing the link between money and obligations, Sehgal develops a deeper understanding of the nature of the most important institution in our modern economy."--L. Randall Wray, Professor, Economics, University of Missouri-Kansas City and author of Modern Money Theory
Review
"Kabir Sehgal brings a much needed voice to the conversation about the role of money and meaning in our lives. This is a necessary and transformative read that you won't want to put down."--Adam Braun, New York Times bestselling author and Founder of Pencils of Promise
Review
"The exchange of money is perhaps the most universal and permanent, but also living and dynamic, human practice. With wide-ranging insights from anthropology to chemistry, the Akkadian Empire to Bitcoin, Sehgal deftly tells the past, present--and most importantly, the future--of money."--Dr. Parag Khanna, Senior Fellow, New America Foundation, and author of The Second World and How to Run the World
Review
"Kabir Sehgal succeeds where most have failed. In a world where central banks have been printing record amounts of money only to find that money does not buy real growth and prosperity, Kabir re-creates true value, meaning and power that money has for our communities, nations and all humankind. This is a must read for anybody with a savings account or a credit card."--
Jesper Koll, Managing Director, Head of Japan Research, J.P. MorganReview
"
Coined is a difficult book to put down because almost every page contains history, facts, and stories about the world's economic growth, which will astound the reader. As we read the book, we became more aware of how different parts of the world adopted a monetary system. We enjoyed the many fantastic and revealing anecdotes within the text. So many interesting and entertaining facts about money have not appeared before in one volume. If you like knowing more about money and numismatics, might we suggest that 'you buy the book before you buy the coin.'"--
Harvey G. Stack and Lawrence R. Stack, Founders, Stack's Bowers Rare CoinsReview
"Kabir Sehgal has done us a great service in writing this book. He has presented in this book everything that money has meant to people over the centuries and with a multidimensional perspective. He has prepared the ground for us to take it forward, to give new meaning to money, to assign it new roles in our lives, and imagine the future of money as a foundation upon which we can build the future of the world we all cherish. Thank you, Kabir."--Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Founder of Grameen Bank (from foreword)
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undefined-- Daniel Altman, author of the international bestseller Outrageous Fortunes: The Twelve Surprising Trends That Will Reshape the Global Economy
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"Numismatists study rare coins, often very carefully under magnification. Kabir Sehgal's book will be a great addition to any collector's library as it tells the place that coins and other monetary instruments have in world history--a rich panorama of events."--David Bowers, Chairman Emeritus of Stack's Bowers Galleries; Former President, Professional Numismatists Guild; Former President, American Numismatic Association
Review
"Money, while defining so much of our lives, remains a taboo for discussion and a great mystery for many. Coined provides a beautiful window into the history of money, its influence on the world around us, and even how our minds process it. Kabir does a great job of taking us on a fun and engaging ride through a topic that deserves much more consideration and thought."--Jeff Rosenthal, Co-Founder and Curator, Summit
Review
"The best things in life are free, but ever since civilization began money has had a profound impact on humanity. Kabir's book brings the story of currency to life and is worth spending a few of your hard-earned coins on."--Sir Richard Branson, Founder, Virgin Group
Review
"Coined is a world history of currency that looks at the different forms money takes across time and across cultures. Mr. Sehgal's anecdotes are wide-ranging and include the birth of exchange in the Galapagos Islands; the art sought after by coin collectors in Vietnam; a tour of the Federal Reserve's vaults in New York; and the way bees trade pollen in the hive."--Bill Clinton, Former US President
Review
"Kabir Sehgal takes readers on a wide-ranging, fascinating, and thought-provoking tour of the historical, economic, cultural, religious, political, artistic, neurological and even futuristic story of money. The love of money and credit often results in debt addiction and painful boom and bust cycles. This book will make you ponder what it all means."--
Anat Admati, George G.C. Parker Professor of Finance and Economics, Stanford Graduate School of Business and author of The Bankers New Clothes: What's Wrong with Banking and What to Do about ItReview
"In perhaps the most fun treatment of Money since the Beatles, Kabir Sehgal takes us on a round-the-globe time-traveling tour of our favorite medium of exchange. After reading Coined, you'll never think of those pieces of metal jangling around in your pocket in quite the same way."--Neil Barofsky, former Inspector General of Troubled Asset Relief Program, and author of Bailout
Review
"Kabir Sehgal offers a lively pastiche evoking money's many roles in our world. Instead of asking only how about each one, he refreshingly asks why."--Daniel Altman, author of the international bestseller Outrageous Fortunes: The Twelve Surprising Trends That Will Reshape the Global Economy
Review
"Kabir Sehgal is the Stephen Hawking of money: he has taken a hugely complex subject, and explained it in a way that is at once simple, elegant and comprehensive. He explains the invention of money, both specie and fiat currencies, and the social, even biological, problem that is solves. In doing that, he shares great insight into the evolution of markets, of societies, and of governmental forms. This is a masterful book, as enjoyable as it is illuminating."--Teresa Barger, CEO and CIO, Cartica Capital
Synopsis
A
New York Times and
Wall Street Journal Bestseller
The importance of money in our lives is readily apparent to everyone--rich, poor, and in between. However grudgingly, most of us accept the expression "Money makes the world go round" as a universal truth. We are all aware of the power of money--how it influences our moods, compels us to take risks, and serves as the yardstick of success in societies around the world. Yet because we take the daily reality of money so completely for granted, we seldom question how and why it has come to play such a central role in our lives.
In Coined: The Rich Life of Money And How Its History Has Shaped Us, author Kabir Sehgal casts aside our workaday assumptions about money and takes the reader on a global quest to uncover a deeper understanding of the relationship between money and humankind. More than a mere history of its subject, Coined probes the conceptual origins and evolution of money by examining it through the multiple lenses of disciplines as varied as biology, psychology, anthropology, and theology. Coined is not only a profoundly informative discussion of the concept of money, but it is also an endlessly fascinating and entertaining take on the nature of humanity and the inner workings of the mind.
Synopsis
A New York Times and Wall Street Journal Bestseller From New York Times bestselling author Kabir Sehgal, an informative, rousing, surprising history of the one thing that makes the world go 'round: money.
The importance of money in our lives is readily apparent to everyone--rich, poor, and in between. However grudgingly, we are all aware of the power of money--how it influences our moods, compels us to take risks, and serves as the yardstick of success in societies around the world. Yet because we take the daily reality of money so completely for granted, we seldom question how and why it has come to play such a central role in our lives.
In Coined: The Rich Life of Money And How Its History Has Shaped Us, author Kabir Sehgal casts aside our workaday assumptions about money and takes the reader on a global quest to uncover a deeper understanding of the relationship between money and humankind. More than a mere history of its subject, Coined probes the conceptual origins and evolution of money by examining it through the multiple lenses of disciplines as varied as biology, psychology, anthropology, and theology. Coined is not only a profoundly informative discussion of the concept of money, but it is also an endlessly fascinating and entertaining take on the nature of humanity and the inner workings of the mind.
Synopsis
Money. We obsess about it in a material sense, but we don't know much about it on a deeper level. We know it makes the world go 'round, but do we really understand how? It's what we want, but why? COINED is a colorful take on the history of money and its meaning in our lives.
The author's voice and vision are unique products of his sophisticated grasp of the subject--he is both a keen observer of and a high-stakes player in the global economic continuum. Sehgal is an approachable, authoritative guide to an unprecedented inter-disciplinary safari, in which readers will learn how money and our intrinsic compulsion to value and exchange is fundamental to our survival. Exploring (to name just a few topics) the ancient Vedic notion of debt, monkeys who understand fruit juice as currency, the neuroscience of gambling, money in art, and many more ideas, COINED mixes stories from the front lines of global currency exchange with extensive, thoughtful research. Through often surprising and thought-provoking anecdotes and research, COINED presents an entertaining, multidimensional portrait of currency through the ages.
About the Author
Kabir Sehgal is a vice president in emerging market equities at J. P. Morgan in New York. He serves as an officer in the United States Navy Reserve, served as a speechwriter on a presidential campaign, and is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is the New York Times bestselling author of books including Walk in My Shoes (with Andrew Young), A Bucket of Blessings, and Jazzocracy. A Latin Grammy-nominated producer who has performed with Grammy Award-winning musicians as a jazz bassist, Sehgal is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the London School of Economics. To learn more about the author, you can visit CoinedBook.com.