Synopses & Reviews
He is one of the world's most accomplished figures of modern finance. As chairman and chief executive officer of Citigroup, Sanford "Sandy" Weill has become an American legend, a banking visionary whose innovativeness, opportunism, and even fear drove him from the lowliest jobs on Wall Street to its most commanding heights. In this unprecedented biography, acclaimed andlt;Iandgt;Wall Street Journalandlt;/Iandgt; reporter Monica Langley provides a compelling account of Weill's rise to power. What emerges is a portrait of a man who is as vital and as volatile as the market itself. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;Iandgt;Tearing Down the Wallsandlt;/Iandgt; tells the riveting inside story of how a Jewish boy from Brooklyn's back alleys overcame incredible odds and deep-seated prejudices to transform the financial-services industry as we know it today. andlt;BRandgt; Using nearly five hundred firsthand interviews with key players in Weill's life and career -- including Weill himself -- Langley brilliantly chronicles not only his success and scandals but also the shadows of his hidden self: his father's abandonment and his loving marriage; his tyrannical rages as well as his tearful regrets; his fierce sense of loyalty and his ruthless elimination of potential rivals. By highlighting in new and startling detail one man's life in a narrative as richly textured and compelling as a novel, andlt;Iandgt;Tearing Down the Wallsandlt;/Iandgt; provides the historical context of the dramatic changes not only in business but also in American society in the last half century.
Review
andlt;Iandgt;Timeandlt;/Iandgt; [A] richly reported recent history of Wall Street and corporate America told through an oversize personality.
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Forbes A riveting narrative.
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The Economist A rollicking biography.
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andlt;Iandgt;BusinessWeekandlt;/Iandgt; A well-written, fast-paced read that does the best job yet of explaining who Weill is.
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andlt;Iandgt;Forbesandlt;/Iandgt; A riveting narrative.
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andlt;Iandgt;The Economistandlt;/Iandgt; A rollicking biography.
About the Author
Monica Langley has written for The Wall Street Journal for twelve years. Her investigative reports on a wide array of subjects have regularly appeared on the Journal's front page. Formerly a practicing attorney for eight years, she lives with her husband and daughter in New York City.
Table of Contents
andlt;Bandgt;Contentsandlt;/Bandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;Cast of Charactersandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Prologueandlt;/Iandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;1. Crashing the Gatesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;2. Corned Beef With Lettuceandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;3. Into the WASP Nestandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;4. Exile on Park Avenueandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;5. Rip Van Winkle Inc.andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;6. Backwater Mogulandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;7. Branching Outandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;8. Fast Jets, Golden Parachutesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;9. A Splendid Balanceandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;10. Homecomingandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;11. The Red Umbrellaandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;12. Choicesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;13. The Mother of All Dealsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;14. The Hydra-Headed Monsterandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;15. Stalemateandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;16. Showdownandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;17. Seeds of Destructionandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;18. Blindsidedandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;19. Taking Commandandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;andlt;Iandgt;A Note on Sourcesandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Acknowledgmentsandlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Indexandlt;/Iandgt;