wall street journal book reviews january 2022

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

American Ramble review: a riveting tale of the divided United States

Neil King Jr, once of the Wall Street Journal, walked from Washington to New York. His account of the journey is essential

I n spring 2021, Neil King trekked 330 miles from his Washington DC home to New York City. He passed through countryside, highways, towns and churchyards. His 25-day walk was also a journey through time. He looked at the US as it was and is and how it wishes to be seen. His resultant book is a beautifully written travelog, memoir, chronicle and history text. His prose is mellifluous, yet measured.

In his college days, King drove a New York cab. At the Wall Street Journal , his remit included politics, terror and foreign affairs. He did a stint as global economics editor. One might expect him to be jaded. Fortunately, he is not. American Ramble helps make the past come alive.

In Lancaster, Pennsylvania , King stops at the home of James Buchanan, the bachelor president from 1857 to 1861, who sympathized with the south and loathed abolition. Ending slavery could wait. Of the supreme court’s infamous Dred Scott decision, Buchanan highly approved.

Also in Lancaster, King visits a townhouse once owned by Thaddeus Stevens, the 19th-century Republican congressman and radical abolitionist. At the start of the civil war, Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican president, viewed the conflict as the vehicle for preserving the Union. He opposed slavery but opposed secession more. For Stevens, slavery was an evil that demanded eradication.

Elsewhere in Pennsylvania , King describes how the ancestors of one town greeted Confederate troops as heroes while another just 20 miles away viewed them as a scourge. Forks in the road are everywhere.

King pays homage to the underground railroad, describing how the Mason-Dixon Line, the demarcation between north and south, free state and slave, came into being. Astronomy and borders had a lot to do with it. All of this emerges from the scenery and places King passes on his way.

Imagining George Washington’s crossing of the Delaware, he delivers a lesson on how such rivers came to be named. Names affixed to bodies of water by Indigenous peoples gave way to Dutch pronunciation, then anglicization. The Delaware, however, derived its moniker from Lord De La Warr, a “dubious aristocrat” otherwise known as Thomas West.

Yet joy and wonder suffuse King’s tale. He smiles on the maker’s handiwork, uneven as it is. American Ramble depicts a stirring sunset and nightfall through the roof-window of a Quaker meeting house. Quiet stands at the heart of the experience. The here and now is loud and messy, but King ably conveys the silent majesty of the moment. The Bible recounts the Deity’s meeting with the prophet Elijah. He was not in the wind, a fire or an earthquake. Rather, He resided in a whisper.

King recalls an earlier time in a Buddhist monastery. Warned that surrounding scenery would detract from solitude and commitment, he nevertheless succumbed. King is nothing if not curious.

The quotidian counts too. He pops cold beers, downs pizzas and snarfs chicken parmesan. A wanderer needs sustenance. He is grateful for the day following the night. Predictability is miraculous, at times invaluable.

King is a cancer survivor and a pilgrim. He is a husband and father, son and brother. Life’s fragility and randomness have left their mark. His malady is in remission but he moves like a man unknowing how long good fortune will last. His voice is a croak, a casualty of Lyme disease. He is restless. Life’s clock runs. He writes of how his brother Kevin lost his battle with a brain tumor.

King puts his head and heart on the page. His life story helps drive the narrative, a mixture of the personal, political and pastoral. But it is not only about him. He meets strangers who become friends, of a sort. At times, people treat him as an oddity – or simply an unwanted presence. More frequently, they are open if not welcoming. As his walk continues, word gets out. Minor celebrity results.

The author is awed by generosity, deprivation and the world. He is moved by a homeless woman and her daughter. Traversing the New Jersey Turnpike presents a near-insurmountable challenge. A mother and son offer him a kayak to paddle beneath the traffic. He accepts.

A Colorado native, King is at home in the outdoors. Nature is wondrous and sometimes disturbing. Rough waters complicate his passages. He studies heaps on a landfill. He meets a New Jerseyan with pickup truck adorned by Maga flags. The gentleman bestows beer, snacks and jokes. King divides the universe into “anywheres” and “somewheres”. He puts himself in the first camp and finds placed-ness all around.

American Ramble captures the religious and demographic topography that marks the mid-Atlantic and north-eastern US. Here, dissenters, Anabaptists, German pietists, Presbyterians and Catholics first landed. King pays homage to their pieces of turf. His reductionism is gentle. He appreciates the legacy of what came before him. Landscapes change, human nature less so, even as it remains unpredictable.

“When I crossed the Delaware two days before,” he writes, “I had entered what I later came to call Presbyteriana, a genteel and horsey patch settled by Presbyterians and Quakers.” Princeton University stands at its heart.

E pluribus unum was tough to pull off when the settlers came. It may even be tougher now. King quotes Nick Rizzo, a denizen of Staten Island, New York City’s Trumpy outer borough: “We are losing our ability to forge any unity at all from these United States.”

Rizzo joined King along the way. In the Canterbury Tales, April stands as the height of spring. It was prime time for religious pilgrimages, “what with Chaucer and all, and it being April”, Rizzo explains.

“Strangers rose to the occasion to provide invaluable moments,” King writes. Amen.

American Ramble: A Walk of Memory and Renewal is published in the US by HarperCollins

• Travel writing
• History books
• Politics books
• US politics
• Washington DC
• Pennsylvania

Most viewed

View Full Resolution

Journal of Democracy

In this issue.

• Volume 33, Number 1, January 2022

Cited in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal , Journal of Democracy is an influential international forum for scholarly analysis and competing democratic viewpoints. Its articles have been widely reprinted in many languages. Focusing exclusively on democracy, the Journal monitors and analyzes democratic regimes and movements around the world. Each issue features a unique blend of scholarly analysis, reports from democratic activists, updates on news and elections, and reviews of important recent books.

published by

Viewing issue, table of contents, coup in tunisia.

• Is Democracy Lost?
• Moncef Marzouki
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2022.0000

• Transition Arrested
• Nate Grubman
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2022.0001
• Why the Military Abandoned Democracy
• Hicham Bou Nassif
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2022.0002
• The Collapse of Afghanistan
• Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2022.0003
• Kyrgyzstan's Poison Parliament
• Johan Engvall
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2022.0004
• How Zambia's Opposition Won
• Danielle Resnick
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2022.0005
• The Puzzle of Panamanian Exceptionalism
• James Loxton
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2022.0006
• Hong Kong: How Beijing Perfected Repression
• Michael C. Davis
• pp. 100-115
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2022.0007
• Countering Beijing's Media Manipulation
• pp. 116-130
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2022.0008
• How Autocrats Undermine Media Freedom
• Edward Lucas
• pp. 131-146
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2022.0009
• Why the Future Cannot Be Predicted
• Roberto Stefan Foa, Yascha Mounk, Andrew Klassen
• pp. 147-155
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2022.0010
• Why the Future Is (Still) Democratic
• Christian Welzel, Stefan Kruse, Lennart Brunkert
• pp. 156-162
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2022.0011
• Democracy's Arc: From Resurgent to Imperiled
• Larry Diamond
• pp. 163-179
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2022.0012
• Documents on Democracy
• pp. 180-187
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/jod.2022.0013

Previous Issue

Volume 32, Number 4, October 2021

Volume 33, Number 2, April 2022

Additional Information

Copyright © National Endowment for Democracy and the Johns Hopkins University Press.

Additional Issue Materials

Project MUSE Mission

Project MUSE promotes the creation and dissemination of essential humanities and social science resources through collaboration with libraries, publishers, and scholars worldwide. Forged from a partnership between a university press and a library, Project MUSE is a trusted part of the academic and scholarly community it serves.

2715 North Charles Street Baltimore, Maryland, USA 21218

+1 (410) 516-6989 [email protected]

©2024 Project MUSE. Produced by Johns Hopkins University Press in collaboration with The Sheridan Libraries.

Now and Always, The Trusted Content Your Research Requires

Built on the Johns Hopkins University Campus

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Without cookies your experience may not be seamless.

Browse Books

A Random Walk Down Wall Street

Burton G. Malkiel

Published 2007

Barbarians at the Gate

Bryan Burrough

Published 2009

Big Debt Crises

Published 2020

Sheelah Kolhatkar

Published 2017

Den of Thieves

James B. Stewart

Published 2012

How to Invest

David M. Rubenstein

Published 2022

Liar's Poker

Michael Lewis

Published 2010

Margin of Safety

Seth A. Klarman

Published 1991

Mastering the Market Cycle

Howard Marks

Published 2018

More Money Than God

Sebastian Mallaby

Published 2011

One Up On Wall Street

Peter Lynch

Published 2000

Poor Charlie's Almanack

Charles T. Munger

Published 2008

Latest Addition

Going Infinite

Author: Michael Lewis

Top Readers

WSRL Books Read: 186

fulcrum-security

WSRL Books Read: 144

WSRL Books Read: 23

projectfinance

WSRL Books Read: 20

WSRL Books Read: 17

dumping-knowledge

WSRL Books Read: 7

WSRL Books Read: 6

WSRL Books Read: 5

striving-context

WSRL Books Read: 4

flailing-database

WSRL Books Read: 3

envious-equity

Feigning-priority.

WSRL Books Read: 2

WSRL Books Read: 1

Popular Books

Author: Ray Dalio

What It Takes

Author: Stephen A. Schwarzman

Author: Howard Marks

The Hard Thing About Hard Things

Author: Ben Horowitz

The Bond King

Author: Mary Childs

The Spider Network

Author: David Enrich

The Caesars Palace Coup

Author: Sujeet Indap

The Black Swan

Author: Nassim Nicholas Taleb

The Man Who Solved the Market

Author: Gregory Zuckerman

Author: Charles T. Munger

Account Required

19 books to read in 2023 to think like a Wall Street investor

• In 2023 markets may be plagued by ongoing inflation and recessionary fears.
• We asked experts for their essential reads heading into a new year filled with uncertainty.
• Here are the 19 books to read in 2023 to help you make smart investment decisions.

After a year of floundering returns and whiplash from highly volatile markets, it's no surprise that most investors are eager to turn the page into a new year.

But looking ahead, 2023 may be very similar to the current macroeconomic environment characterized by a brewing recession , sticky inflation, and plunging equities.

Still, that doesn't mean all hope is lost. In every economic cycle there's always opportunities to make money — if investors know where to look.

Insider asked a number of veteran Wall Street investors which books they're reading or most looking forward to reading in the new year to shed some light on their investing strategies and how they plan to cope with ongoing economic uncertainty. Here are their responses.

1. "21st Century Monetary Policy: The Federal Reserve from the Great Inflation to COVID-19" by Ben Bernanke

Recommended by: David Souccar, portfolio manager at Vontobel Asset Management

In this book, former Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke walks readers through the history of the US central bank, giving a behind-the-scenes look at key monetary policy decisions — and their resulting repercussions — during his tenure there.

"A helpful book to understand the challenge the Fed is facing in its current battle against inflation," said David Souccar, a portfolio manager at Vontobel Asset Management.

2. "Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology" by Chris Miller

Recommended by: David Souccar

Over the past two years, pandemic-induced bottlenecks have squeezed global supply chains and led to a shortage in the production of semiconductor chips, a critical component for many electronics and appliances. In "Chip War," author Chris Miller details how intense foreign competition from countries like China has placed immense pressure on the US's title as the world's leading manufacturer of semiconductor chips — effectively showcasing the US-China struggle for dominance on a new stage.

3. "The Great Inflation and Its Aftermath: The Past and Future of American Affluence" by Robert J. Samuelson

Recommended by: Jason Pride, chief investment officer of private wealth at Glenmede

Robert J. Samuelson's "The Great Inflation and Its Aftermath" provides a detailed look at the high inflation that characterized the US economy in the 1970s and 1980s, which investors can draw many parallels from today. While the conclusion of this period led to an era of uninterrupted economic growth, Samuelson argues that it also indirectly contributed to the 2008 financial crisis by giving Americans recency bias.

"In order to understand 2022, the rise in inflation, and the potential paths forward, it is important to know — in depth — the pattern of the inflation cycle of that time. That includes the causes; the responses of government, business, and consumers; their mistakes that prolonged the cycle; and their later actions that finally brought it to an end," said Jason Pride, chief investment officer of private wealth at Glenmede.

4. "The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times" by Michelle Obama

Recommended by: Priya Misra, head of global rates strategy at TD Securities

In Michelle Obama's newest book, the lawyer and former first lady shares her insights on how to move forward when unforeseen challenges or obstacles arise.

"It talks about how to stay true to oneself and stay balanced in the face of uncertainty," said TD Securities' head of global rates strategy Priya Misra. "2022 was a reminder of how uncertain life can be."

5. "The Lion Tracker's Guide To Life" by Boyd Varty

Recommended by: Brian Ferguson, portfolio manager at BNY Mellon

While this book may be somewhat off the beaten path, portfolio manager Brian Ferguson told Insider that many of his investment insights nowadays come from non-financial sources. In the book, South African wildlife activist Boyd Varty shares how the ancient skills used to track lions can also be applied to our own lives to find more meaning and to better understand our true selves.

"In the book, there is a great quote: 'I don't know where we are going, but I know exactly how to get there might be the motto of a great tracker,'" said Ferguson. "My take on this as a portfolio manager is — the future is uncertain and never clear until it is in the present — so like a lion tracker we do not know where we are going. However, our people and time-tested process and philosophy is our anchor to the windward and epitomizes our conviction in exactly how to get there — just like a lion tracker."

6. "Millionaire: The Philanderer, Gambler, and Duelist Who Invented Modern Finance" by Janet Gleeson

Recommended by: James Abate, founder and chief investment officer at Centre Asset Management

Janet Gleeson's book "Millionaire" thrusts readers into an enthralling journey to understand John Law, the man behind finance as we know it today. While Law charmed Louis XV and his court with his ideas to issue paper money for credit backed by land values, making him rich beyond his wildest dreams, Law later saw his entire empire come crashing down as unchecked speculation and widespread panic swept European financial markets.

"John Law was the original Sam Bankman-Fried," said portfolio manager James Abate. "This is a must-read for understanding human psychology in any time period and speculating in cryptocurrencies or the dot-com bubble … Also great to understand how pandemics have been around since the start of time and their impact on finance."

7. "More Than You Know: Finding Financial Wisdom in Unconventional Places" by Michael J. Mauboussin

Recommended by: Joshua Wein, portfolio manager at Hennessy Funds

Michael J. Mauboussin's widely-acclaimed "More Than You Know" chronicles traditional investing wisdom for professionals through a wide array of unorthodox sources, like analyzing poker-playing strategies or comparing fish mating patterns to bull markets. "It spoke to how difficult it is to beat the market," portfolio manager Joshua Wein told Insider.

8. "The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations" by Daniel Yergin

Recommended by: Dan McGoey, portfolio manager at Lazard Asset Management

In "The New Map," global energy expert Daniel Yergin lifts the veil from one of the most topically turbulent conflicts today: the clash of powers and politics leading up to the ongoing worldwide energy shortage. Yergin also explores how access to energy amid extreme scarcity can shape the new world order — as well as how the transition to clean energy might dictate a new ranking going forward, with resulting economic and political implications.

9. "On Grand Strategy" by John Lewis Gaddis

John Lewis Gaddis' "On Grand Strategy" is hailed as a master class in leadership and strategic thinking, drawing from a plethora of historic examples like Sun Tzu, Augustus, Elizabeth I, and the Founding Fathers of America, just to name a few — and diving into the pivotal decisions these political leaders had to make under great uncertainty.

"It is a great non-investment book for investors," Souccar said. "The book argues that effective leaders combine a strategic understanding of the situation with a flexible mindset to adapt to new information."

10. "The Platform Delusion: Who Wins and Who Loses in the Age of Tech Titans" by Jonathan Knee

Technological firms may have taken financial markets by storm in the last two decades, but Jonathan Knee's "The Platform Delusion" argues that not all tech companies are created equal.

In the book, Knee successfully demystifies the success of tech titans, separating those that have real competitive advantages, such as Google, from those who don't, such as Netflix, Souccar explained to Insider. It's a great read for any investors or entrepreneurs looking for a long-term roadmap for success and profitability in the tech industry.

11. "Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World" by Tim Marshall

Recommended by: Dan McGoey

In "Prisoners of Geography," journalist Tim Marshall takes a look at the most crucial element that predetermines a nation's strengths and vulnerabilities, and its accompanying political decisions and conflicts — its geography. Marshall's book encompasses a global view, taking readers through conflicts in the Americas, Europe, the South China Sea, and more.

"My aim was to read a book that foresaw the conflict in the Ukraine correctly to better understand what it might teach us about potential outcomes," McGoey told Insider. "Among many key points, the book makes it very clear that maritime access and naval power is as important today to both national security and commerce as it was centuries ago. Readers will leave with a much deeper understanding of how geography often determines politics. And while politics may change, geography does not."

12. "Quit: The Power of Knowing when to Walk Away" by Annie Duke

Recommended by: John Bailer, portfolio manager at BNY Mellon

In "Quit," former professional poker player Annie Duke explores how the inherent human fault of not being able to walk away holds us back from better opportunities. By using anecdotes drawn from famous figures, Duke dispels common paradoxes and proves why quitting is integral to finding success, especially for investors.

"It is so important for an investor to think in probabilities and understand that making mistakes, emotion and losing are all part of investing. The good investors can learn from their mistakes and try to understand luck versus skill. It is the quality of the decision that matters; don't just focus on the outcome," said portfolio manager John Bailer.

13. "The Struggle for Mastery in Europe: 1848-1918" by A. J. P. Taylor

Recommended by: James Abate

A. J. P. Taylor's "The Struggle for Mastery in Europe" chronicles the political and diplomatic developments that shaped European history from 1848 to 1918. "A lot of details that sometimes confuse but great understanding of alliance diplomacy that led to WWI and insight to Putin as he's a man who acts like it's the 19th century and he's Metternich or Bismarck," Abate said. "Another lesson is the trip-wire effects of alliances sometimes."

14. "Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts" by Annie Duke

Recommended by: John Bailer

Another title from former pro poker player Annie Duke, "Thinking in Bets" teaches readers how they can still optimize their decision making skills even when faced with great uncertainty during times of high stakes and stress. Duke successfully shows why employing a degree of confidence is key to avoiding making knee-jerk and emotionally-charged decisions, which can ultimately be destructive over the long term.

15. "Three Days at Camp David: How a Secret Meeting in 1971 Transformed the Global Economy" by Jeffrey E. Garten

Recommended by: Brian Levitt, global market strategist at Invesco

Famed economist Jeffrey E. Garten's "Three Days at Camp David" provides a gripping behind-the-scenes look at one of the most pivotal and dramatic turning points in global macroeconomics: the depegging of the US dollar to gold. Garten argues that this action permanently introduced instability and speculation into financial systems, but simultaneously turbocharged the cross-border trade and capital flow that is responsible for our world today. The book also brings to light the arguments made that ending the gold standard could dramatically increase future inflation — an extremely topical point today — and explains to readers the thinking of Fed chairs of the past, which may shed some light on how the central bank will handle its current inflationary challenges.

16. "Trillion Dollar Triage: How Jay Powell and the Fed Battled a President and a Pandemic — and Prevented Economic Disaster" by Nick Timiraos

Recommended by: Ganesh Rao, head of financial technology & services at Thomas H. Lee Partners

In "Trillion Dollar Triage," The Wall Street Journal's chief economics correspondent Nick Timiraos gives readers an inside look at the Federal Reserve's unprecedented response to the COVID-19 pandemic — and the repercussions of the drastic measures Chair Jerome Powell took to keep the economy afloat during this time.

"Given how important the Fed is today in the economy and markets, I found this a really informative read of the history of the Fed, its inner workings, and how they are now responding to inflation, one of the greatest economic challenges of 2022," said Ganesh Rao, head of financial technology & services at Thomas H. Lee Partners.

17. "The Unlucky Investor's Guide to Options Trading" by Julia Spina

Recommended by: JJ Kinahan, CEO of IG North America

In "The Unlucky Investor's Guide to Options Trading," Julia Spina removes the blindfold and demystifies one of the most arcane areas of modern finance. One of the book's highlights is its ability to take an often overcomplicated topic — the math behind options — and break it down into a digestible format for readers, said JJ Kinahan, the CEO of IG North America.

"It gives a very understandable and actionable view of options, relying on statistics and historical data to tell the story," Kinahan shared with Insider. "Most importantly, it starts from a position of risk and how to understand and manage it."

18. "What Works on Wall Street: A Guide to the Best-Performing Investment Strategies of All Time" by James O'Shaughnessy

Recommended by: Ryan Kelley, portfolio manager at Hennessy Funds

Legendary investor James O'Shaughnessy's "What Works on Wall Street" is one of the most quintessential reads for any investors seeking long-term success.

"He takes you through reasons why you want to invest for the long-term and why you want to stick to this idea of quantitative fundamentals — how if you look over a long period and focus on just a few fundamentals and valuations of companies, you can see what has worked over time. You can also then tweak those models and change them — it's all about backtesting," said portfolio manager Ryan Kelley.

Kelley added that all "Cornerstone" Hennessy Funds — including the Hennessy Cornerstone Value Fund ( HFCVX ), which beat 97% of its peers in 2022 —  are based on methodologies drawn from this book.

19. "When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management" by Roger Lowenstein

Recommended by: Joshua Wein

Esteemed journalist Roger Lowenstein's "When Genius Failed" is an engrossing story behind the rise and catastrophic fall of Long-Term Capital Management, a highly-leveraged hedge fund and the darling of Wall Street at its peak.

"It's an older book about long-term capital, but I think it speaks volumes about this idea that there are these really, really smart people that have the secret," Wein explained. "I think it's kind of this fallacy that we all love to believe is possibly true — that if you gather enough PhD's in a room, then you're all set."

• Main content

• Personal Finance Accounts Best Credit Cards Best Financial Advisors Best Savings Accounts Apps Best Banking Apps Best Stock Trading Software Robinhood Alternatives TurboTax Alternatives Brokers Brokerage Account Taxes Brokers for Bonds Brokers for Index Funds Brokers for Options Trading Brokers for Short Selling Compare Online Brokers Forex Brokers Futures Brokers High-Leverage Forex Brokers MetaTrader 5 Brokers Stock Brokers Stock Brokers For Beginners
• Insurance Car Best Car Insurance Rental Car Insurance Motorcycle Best Motorcycle Insurance Seasonal Insurance Vision Best Vision Insurance Types of Vision Insurance Vision Insurance For Kids Vision Insurance For Seniors Health Affordable Health Insurance Best Health Insurance Companies Individual Health Insurance Self-employed Health Insurance House Earthquake Insurance Flood Insurance Homeowners Insurance Mobile Homes Moving Insurance Renters Insurance Sewer Line Dental Affordable Dental Insurance Best Dental Insurance Dental Insurance With No Annual Maximum Dental Insurance With No Waiting Period Kids Dental Insurance Medicare Compare Medicare Plans Cost of Hospital Stays Life Term Life Insurance Business Best Business Insurance Pet Best Pet Insurance
• Investing Penny Stocks Best EV Penny Stocks Best Penny Stocks Penny Stocks Under 10 Cents Penny Stocks With Dividends Futures Best Futures Trading Software Futures to Trade Futures Trading Courses Strategies Trading Platforms for E-Mini Futures Stocks Best Stock Charts Best Stocks Under $50 Best Stocks Under $100 Best Swing Trade Stocks Best Time to Trade Cash App Stocks How to Invest Stock Market Scanners Stock Market Simulators Stocks to Day Trade Forex Forex Demo Accounts Forex Robots Forex Signals Forex Trading Apps Forex Trading Software How to Trade Forex Making Money Trading Forex Trading Courses Trading Strategies Options Options to Buy Options Trading Apps Options Trading Books Options Trading Courses Paper Trading Swing Trading Options Trading Examples Trading Simulators Trading Software Trading Day Trading Apps Day Trading Books Day Trading Courses Day Trading Software Day Trading Taxes Prop Trading Firms Trading Chat Rooms Trading Strategies Alternative investing Alternative Investment Platforms Best REITs Best Alternative Investments Best Cards to Collect Best Gold IRAs Investing in Precious Metals Investing in Startups Real Estate Crowdfunding ETFs Commercial Real Estate ETFs International ETFs Monthly Dividing ETFs
• Mortgage Best Mortgage Companies FHA Lenders First Time Buyers HELOC & Refinancing Lenders for Self-Employed People Lenders That Do Not Require Tax Returns Online Mortgage Lenders
• Crypto Best Crypto Apps Business Crypto Accounts Crypto Day Trading Crypto Exchanges Crypto Scanners Crypto Screeners Earning Interest on Crypto Get Free Crypto How to Trade Crypto Is Bitcoin a Good Investment?

The Best Wall Street Books

• Investing in Stocks
• Investing Books
• by warren buffet
• by Jim Cramer
• BInary Options Books
• Day Trading Books
• Forex Trading Books
• Hedge Fund Books
• Wall Street Books
• Financial Crisis books

Wall Street represents the strength and power of New York’s Finance District . Housing some of the world’s top firms and investment banks, Wall Street is a fascinating topic of discussion.

From secrets to controversies, many people are drawn to learning about Wall Street for its intense history. And, for those interested in business or finance, learning about Wall Street can be an inspiration for future investment decisions.

• The Best Wall Street Books:
• A Random Walk Down Wall Street: The Time-Tested Strategy for Successful Investing by Burton G. Malkiel - Get this book
• Understanding Wall Street, 5th Edition  by Jeffrey B. Little - Get this book
• One Up On Wall Street: How to Use What You Already Know to Make Money in the Market by Peter Lynch - Get this book
• The Buy Side: A Wall Street Trader’s Tale of Spectacular Excess  by Turney Duff - Get this book
• Black Edge: Inside Information, Dirty Money, and the Quest to Bring Down the Most Wanted Man on Wall Street by Sheelah Kolhatkar - Get this book
• Bite the Ass Off a Bear: Getting In and Standing Out on a Hedge Fund Trading Floor by Garth Friesen - Get this book
• The Wall Street Journal Complete Money and Investing Guidebook  by Dave Kansas - Get this book
• When the Wolves Bite: Two Billionaires, One Company, and an Epic Wall Street Battle by Scott Wapner - Get this book
• What Works on Wall Street, 4th Edition: The Classic Guide to the Best-Performing Strategies of All Time  by  James P. O’Shaughnessy - Get this book
• White Shoe: How a New Breed of Wall Street Lawyers Changed Big Business and the American Century  by John Oller - Get this book

What Makes a Wall Street Book Great

Our top books about wall street, final thoughts, frequently asked questions.

Unlike many other stock market or finance books , a great Wall Street book puts you right at the center of the action. You can learn about the zeitgeist that influences the way the market changes . Gaining a broader perspective makes it easier for you to spot future trends and adapt accordingly.

These books tend to be strongly influenced by the unique perspective of the author, therefore the advice contained in these books isn’t suited for a general audience.

You should make full use of our tips and guidelines for selecting a good stock market book for you. If you’re looking to build a robust money strategy, this is a good place to start.

Reputable Author

Anyone who is lucky enough to get a taste of the Wall Street life can provide an accurate account of their experience. Some of these tell-all books are gripping and entertaining. If you’re looking for advice, you want someone with a solid track record as a fund manager, trader, or investor.

Provides History and Context

Wall Street has had its fair share of glorious moments and scandals.

Every spike and abysmal drop has its reasons. A great Wall Street book recounts the events leading up to these changes, allowing you to understand all the complexities that come with both immense riches and bankruptcy. This should help you avoid some of the pitfalls of Wall Street trading.

Reading about Wall Street provides you with a wealth of knowledge about the people, events, and actions that shape financial markets. Our selection of top Wall Street books should help you take advantage of that knowledge.

1. A Random Walk Down Wall Street: The Time-Tested Strategy for Successful Investing by Burton G. Malkiel

• Who’s it for? All levels
• Price : On sale

This book comes from the pen of Burton G. Malkiel, a professor of economics at Princeton. It offers a hands-on guide to the best long-term investment strategies on Wall Street.

Professor Malkiel takes his own experience and distills it into a reader-friendly book about a successful investment lifecycle. The book helps you understand how to analyze returns for different investment vehicles, be they real estate, bonds, insurance, or tangible assets.

Get this book

2. Understanding Wall Street, 5th Edition by Jeffrey B. Little

The latest edition of Understanding Wall Street provides an updated reference for successful investments in today’s market. The book tells you how to utilize the internet as a tool and it outlines the connection between Wall Street and Main Street.

Understanding Wall Street is coauthored by Jeffrey B. Little and Lucien Rhodes, senior analysts and investment experts . They also offer information about the move towards exchange-traded funds, explaining the risks/rewards.

3. One Up On Wall Street: How to Use What You Already Know to Make Money in the Market by Peter Lynch

• Who’s it for? Beginners

Written by Peter Lynch , one of the most successful money managers in the US, this book has become a go-to resource for trading tips . Lynch teaches you how to spot investment opportunities that might not be immediately obvious.

Reading this increases your chances of hitting upon a “tenbagger”, an investment that provides a tenfold return. What’s more, the book offers advice to help you distinguish between no-shot and long-shot companies.

4. The Buy Side: A Wall Street Trader’s Tale of Spectacular Excess by Turney Duff

Turney Duff, the former Galleon Group trader, writes about all the temptations that come with success on Wall Street . The book is an exciting story about a culture filled with mindboggling commissions, drugs, and sex.

In essence, The Buy Side is an adventurous journey of a young man who would have been eaten by Wall Street, if he hadn’t walked away. It serves as a great reminder of the moral and ethical challenges that come with achieving success in finance.

5. Black Edge: Inside Information, Dirty Money, and the Quest to Bring Down the Most Wanted Man on Wall Street by Sheelah Kolhatkar

• Who’s it for? Intermediate investors

Sheelah Klohatkar wrote a highly-acclaimed nonfiction book that reads like a captivating legal thriller. It focuses on the events that brought down SAC Capital, a hedge fund run by a superstar trader Steven A. Cohen.

The hedge fund was under a seven-year-long investigation due to insider trading. Cohen was not charged, but SAC Capital pleaded guilty and revealed an intricate network of inside information (the black edge).

6. Bite the Ass Off a Bear: Getting In and Standing Out on a Hedge Fund Trading Floor by Garth Friesen

After 2 decades of experience as a hedge fund manager, Garth Friesen authored this book to debunk the myth of Wall Street wolves.

He explains all the necessary skills that traders need in order to make sound decisions and cope with the stress. This book teaches you about the importance of attitude and ethics when you want to succeed on Wall Street.

7. The Wall Street Journal Complete Money and Investing Guidebook by Dave Kansas

• Price: On sale

The Wall Street Journal guidebook takes you through all the fundamentals of investing . You’ll find out more about the major players, the language, and the proven strategies.

It was written by Dave Kansas, who is an editor at the Wall Street Journal. He provides all the information you need to know when investing in mutual funds, stocks, or bonds . In addition, Kansas’ book teaches you how to pay attention to cues in the changing economy.

8. When the Wolves Bite: Two Billionaires, One Company, and an Epic Wall Street Battle by Scott Wapner

Bill Ackman and Carl Icahn are two Wall Street titans who got into a years-long war of egos over Herbalife . Namely, Icahn didn’t have a problem with Herbalife’s business model and Ackman disagreed.

This led to backroom deals, public insults, and billion dollar trades. Journalist Scott Wapner tells this story, giving you a glimpse into the ways this feud affected the market.

9. What Works on Wall Street, 4th Edition: The Classic Guide to the Best-Performing Strategies of All Time by James P. O’Shaughnessy

What Works on Wall Street was authored by James P. O’Shaughnessy, the CEO and chairman of O’Shaughnessy Asset Management. His guide allows you to understand the historical context of today’s stock market.

This book provides you with hard market data dating back to 1926, allowing you to make better investment decisions. It covers topics like buyback, dividend, price-to-cash flow, and more.

10. White Shoe: How a New Breed of Wall Street Lawyers Changed Big Business and the American Century by John Oller

Written by John Oller, an ex-Wall Street lawyer , this book gives you an insight into the lawyers who shaped Walls Street as we know it today.

It focuses on the stories of three lawyers who defended some of the biggest corporations from the government. Most importantly, it offers you a glimpse of how legal disputes influence the world of finance.

Wall Street books are a powerful guide for success in the world of stock trading. The books we selected all have an added perk – they are simply fun to read. You can gain the knowledge you need to stay afloat as a trader while enjoying interesting anecdotes about some of the key people in the business.

What elements do you look for in an outstanding Wall Street book?

The best books include history, tips and excellent writing.

What are some outstanding Wall Street books?

Benzinga recommends “Understanding Wall Street,” “One Up on Wall Street” and “A Random Walk Down Wall Street.”