The Trading Game

Praise

“Hilarious, shocking and deeply sad—often in the same sentence.”—The Times

“A well written and often darkly funny book that makes a convincing case that high finance is as toxic, reckless and deeply cynical as ever.”—The Guardian

“Stevenson is a fine wordsmith. . . . His portrayal as an unlikely hero, brimming with wit and a low tolerance for nonsense, makes for an engaging read.”—Turney Duff, The Telegraph

“Vivid . . . Stevenson is a sharp observer, with a gift for colourful if merciless description.”—Financial Times

“A rollicking read . . . Stevenson gives the clearest account I’ve ever read of how trading desks really work, how they’re lubricated by inter-dealer brokers, and how hard banks make it to quit.”—Felix Salmon, Axios

“For quizzical observers of the madness of the twenty-first-century money world, [The Trading Game is] well worth reading.”—The Times Literary Supplement
 
“Gary Stevenson’s rags-to-riches memoir exposes a system where the rich can’t lose and the economy is choked by inequality.”—The New Statesman
 
“An incredibly important and timely book, very much of its era . . . The Wolf of Wall Street with a moral compass, The Trading Game lays bare the spiritual vacuity of the systems and processes that both dominate and reduce our humanity.”—Irvine Welsh, author of Trainspotting

“A thrilling story of high finance—and its low points . . . Gary Stevenson captures what really happens on the trading floor, and he does it with a vivid and original voice and a ton of style.”—Matt Levine, Bloomberg Money Stuff columnist

“Gary Stevenson’s book is a rare parable of empathy overtaking greed. It’s also an absolute page-turner, one you will close with more wisdom and compassion than when you opened it.”—Andy Dunn, bestselling author of Burn Rate

“Not since Liar’s Poker has a book brought the trading floor into such vivid, boisterous life. . . . A switchblade-sharp exposé of the wealth-making factories of modern finance.”—Diana B. Henriques, author of The Wizard of Lies and Taming the Street

“The best finance memoir I’ve ever read. Stevenson’s tale of plundering Wall Street like some kind of cockney pirate is by turns hilarious and harrowing.”—Zeke Faux, author of Number Go Up

“Compelling, intensely readable, unsettling . . . an unforgettable story of greed, financial madness, and moral decay.”—Rory Stewart, author of How Not to Be a Politician

“Astonishing, enraging, extremely funny, and exquisitely sad.”—The Secret Barrister

“Incisive and often humorous . . . an enlightening and frequently infuriating peek into the world of high finance.”—Publishers Weekly
 
“A British master of finance shows how the world of investment and trading isn’t so far removed from organized crime. . . . a story he relates with considerable panache.”—Kirkus Reviews