In Fed We Trust

Title: In Fed We Trust: Ben Bernanke's War on the Great Panic
Author: David Wessel
Genre: Financial Non-fiction
Pages (words): 336 (N/A)
Readability: N/A
Rating (out of 5 stars): ***1/2
Reviewed by: Ben
Description: A narrative of the steps the Fed and the Treasury took to (attempt) to stem the tide of the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression. Wessel gives the inside scoop on just what was happening inside the Fed as many of these major decisions were being made, and the rationale behind them.
Thoughts: I was surprised at how good this book was. The crisis isn't even over, and Wessel has really put together an impressive account of many of the major events that took place, include interviews with many key people which help give a larger understanding of what was going on behind closed doors while the financial system teetered on the brink. I think it is a pretty fair account as well; he's not overly critical but doesn't heap praise on the main actors either. In the end, Bernanke and Geithner come out looking pretty good, and, given the circumstances, I think they did as well as anyone could have expected them to. If anyone is looking for a non-technical description of just what went wrong over the past two years, and what the government (especially the Fed) did to try to stop it, this is the book to read.
Disclaimer: None.

D-Day

Title: D-Day: June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II
Author: Stephen E. Ambrose
Genre: History
Pages (words): 656 (218,581)
Readability: 8.8
Rating (out of 5 stars): ****
Reviewed by: Ben
Description: A blow-by-blow description of the events that occurred on D-Day.
Thoughts: For a long time I've felt like I knew much less about WWII than I should, which is why I decided to read this book (recommended by my friend Tim). I really enjoyed the book immensely, and I'm disappointed that I was only able to find an abridged version in audiobook format (which means that I didn't read all 218,581 words!). Not only was it meticulously researched, but Ambrose's writing is very good as well. What I enjoyed most was that he pieced the events together by telling a series of personal stories of the men who infiltrated Normandy on D-Day, rather than just giving the facts. This made the book more personal; it helped me understand better the horror and triumph of that day. While I still cannot imagine what it would have been like to have been one of those men coming off the boats and running up the beach, I at least have a very clear picture in my mind of what it must have been like. I'd still like to know more about WWII, but a full understanding of D-Day was a very good place to start.
Disclaimer: There is plenty of blood and gore, as you would guess from a war book. Also a few swear words, but not as many as I feared there would be.