Whoa! Where do I start? It's a great read; compelling, enthralling (apart from a slight lag around the middle, which I'll forgive as it hints at the repetitive nature of the job), and fascinating. However, there's darkness in this story that's disturbing.

Gary Stevenson documents the greed and shallowness of his fellow traders. Their nature as human chameleons to court other traders and brokers, the casual and ingrained sexism, prejudice, bullying, cruel "banter" and selfishness made me nauseous to think that these people have significant influence on the well-being of our economies. It's all just a game to them.

There's also a hint of darkness about Gary's own behaviour; so many unanswered questions about his actions and behaviour that you wonder whether he has ever addressed it and decided to keep quiet, or has in fact preferred not to go there. The expected narrative of a young working class lad making good is one of "treating" your parents with some of your windfalls, enjoying events and having a taste of the "good life" with your mates...because you know the good fortune might not last. Instead, there seems to be a shameful secrecy about the huge sums of money he earned. I wondered if Gary saw the cash as not "earned" but spoiled with guilt like Judas' 30 pieces of silver, money received for the betrayal of his own people.

Other readers may have a different take on it, but I was left with a million questions. I would certainly recommend it though!

If you were to bring up an image of a city banker in your mind, you're unlikely to think of someone like Gary Stevenson. A hoodie and jeans replaces the pin-stripe suit and his background is the East End, where he was familiar with violence, poverty and injustice. There was no posh public school on his CV - but he had been to the London School of Economics. Stevenson is bright - extremely bright - and he has a facility with numbers which most of us can only envy. He also realised that most rich people expect poor people to be stupid. It was his ability at what was, essentially, a card game which got him an internship with Citibank. Eventually, this turned into permanent employment as a trader.

His first bonus arrived in 2009 - only months after the banking crisis. It was £13,000 - more than half of what his father made in a year as a postal worker. His next bonus is £395,000 and after that, he's into the millions. His obsession - it can't be described in any other way - is to become the most successful trader in the world. It dominates his life - but he does realise that as the bonuses grow, so does the gap between himself and the people he grew up with. He's never going to be one of the people he works with and he's lost the intimacy with his old group of friends. There's the occasional girlfriend but it's an unsatisfying life.

And then there's the struggle of trying to leave it...

I did wonder if I was going to like this book: vast sums of money made from betting on disaster horrifies me. A few pages in, I realised that I had to judge the book, not on whether or not I admired the values of the author but on whether or not I valued what I was being told. I found that I did. I gained real insight into the way that a trading floor operates - and why it doesn't always operate well. I appreciated just how risky it is.

There was a downside for me. The book is subtitled A Confession. I expected more in the way of introspection and self-examination than I found. I suspected it was there - Stevenson was one of a group of thirty millionaires who signed an open letter in 2021 calling for increased taxes on the rich - but little of it emerged in the book.

I'd like the publishers for sending a copy of the book to the Bookbag. As well as reading the book, I listened to an audio download (which I bought themselves) narrated by the author. I warmed to Stevenson more when I listened to him than when I read what he had to say.

Good pacing but it needs to be more structured as came across as lots of rambling on.

Then learnt that this is non fiction ,completely changed the game. You could hear Gary talking and his behaviours etc. Would like to read more from this author as kept me engaged. The storytelling in Japan was beautiful.

Post on storygraph.
3.75⭐️

There’s no denying that this is a rollicking read. It takes you right into the heart of the city and examines - unsentimentally and without fear - the corrosiveness, venality and pointlessness. Instantly readable.

A very interesting read about a Trader who became a zero-to-hero. It was good to read it having no real interest/experience in the world of trading and reading Gary Stevenson's insight on this was very intriguing.

Would recommend this book to anyone as I feel it is very insightful.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Gary Stevenson, remember the name of you are interested in the reduction of wealth inequality in the UK then you may already know who he is, it is probable he will become more and more well known as the years go by, his YouTube channel “Garyseconomics” grows followers by the day.

Stevenson, came from a poor working family background in East London and through sheer drive and blessed mathematical brilliance becomes a trader making a fortune out of the process. This is an expose of what happens behind the curtain of the world of trading (plenty of accessible examples of complex themes) and the obscene amounts of money sloshing around the global financial markets.

This is a book that conveys some very important messages (drive, determination, laser focus and a can do attitude) while openly acknowledging that we do not know everything all the time is like a breath of fresh air.

There is an authenticity here in the world of finance that has a ring of Michael Lewis, I am sure this will sell many, many copies and appear on “Book of the Year Lists” 2024.

The story is not of a millionaire looking down on everyone but an example that sometimes what you really want isn’t what you though it might be.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC 5/5.

As an insight into the world of trading this is a great read. It takes you along from the humble beginnings of Gary to his position as one of the top traders in the world for Citibank.
As a novel it could be a bit more polished perhaps, there was the hint of a crescendo ending but it kind of just came and went, which was a bit of a shame.
As a zero-to-hero trader it's an entertaining read seeing how he progresses from a junior office shoulder surfer to something of the real deal in the trading world. However, it's a self-confessed bit of luck on the whole as he repeatedly says that everyone in the trading game is making it up as they go along, which is obviously a bit of a worry with so much riding on what they are doing on the global financial scale. It's frequently said that no one can really be an expert or everyone would be making money - someone has got lo 'lose' what someone else can 'win'. But Gary gets to copy successful trader's strategies and rises in Citibank and then gets his own strategy going which sees him become a trading superstar.

The story is quite sad seeing how, essentially, he is quite lonely throughout with marginalised romantic interests and few real friends. Money can't buy happiness I guess and seeing how he unravels, or certainly becomes mentally disjointed, is really sad as you'd think, again, that serious money would get you serious help when you need it. I guess that's what happens regularly when you're playing a serious stakes poker game every day of your life for years. There's only so much you can take.

I wish Gary well with whatever he turns to next, wherever he ends up.

An amazing book to read. I knew nothing about this world of trading but was completely immersed in the journey. I found it fascinating and clearly written from a very personal experience.
What a lonely world Gary lived in. Moving from a very poor family and harsh life in London where he proved to be exceptionally clever mathematically drove him to do well. Joining Citibank at a young age was in itself challenging.
He neither fitted with his old life and people he knew. His one real friend fell into serious drug use and his work colleagues all climbing their own ladders. Each one had their own idiosyncrasies. Eventually the inevitable burnout came for Gary and with it serious mental health problems.
The story took you from London to Japan. It is both funny at times as well as tragic.
Despite finding it great to read I needed to concentrate hard on the explanations of trading and sometimes it was confusing

This narrative is captivating and deeply personal. I found myself thoroughly engrossed from start to finish. Stevenson's account of his time as a Citibank trader transcends mere financial gains; his introspection on its toll on mental health, relationships, and basic needs like sleep and hygiene is truly eye-opening. Surprisingly, I enjoyed this book even more than expected—it held my attention completely.

A gripping autobiography that reads like a thriller. Gary is a working class boy and Maths whiz who wouldn’t normally fit the demographic for a city trader job. He secures an internship, however, by winning the Trading game set for undergraduates from select universities. This leads to a job at a city bank, at which he proves to be exceptionally good. The author conveys effectively the pace and intensity of his job and the inevitable burn-out when he fails to maintain his position ahead of the competition. The second half of the book, which focuses on the author’s burn-out is less gripping than the first, but it still engages the reader. A must-read for any graduate contemplating a trading job.

With thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy.

A young guy from the back street of London happens to be a maths whizz. The opportunity to play a “Trading Game” comes his way and he wins thus securing place at a large bank at Canary Wharf in London, where he learns about trading, and brokerage and all the intricacies of buying and selling money.

I would love to have the sort of brain that understands all this, but I don’t, and the complexities of the Game lost me at quite an early stage. The author talks about his early days on an internship where he was ignored by everyone, and then, when he was finally employed full time, we are treated to lengthy details about lunch in a Japanese restaurant , non of which was relevant. And this is why the book, which I so wanted to understand and enjoy, had my head spinning.

Gary seems like a really likeable, down to earth bloke, and I have watched a couple of his videos on the internet which I find easier to digest than his book. I think this will probably appeal to thise who work in this sector and actually understand what he’s saying. I may go back to this at a later date and see if it makes more sense.

This story is a gripping and personal read. I throughly enjoyed it throughout. Stevenson’s experience as a Citibank trader is more than just about making money, his reflections on how it affected his mental health, family, friends and basic needs (sleep, personal hygiene) really makes you realise what people will do to reach the next milestone.
I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would, it really grabbed my attention.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Press for the eARC of this book.

This is the first book I have read by this author.

I enjoyed it more than I thought I might intially.

It kept me gripped thoroughout

I was not too sure if I would complete reading this book but it just grabs you and before you know, it's finished. This is an amazing ,personal . funny and extraordinary story, a great read.
I highly recommend this book

Gary won a game of The Trading Game and was employed by a large city bank. He did really well and made lots of money for the bank and therefore for himself. But, that didn’t seem to make him happy yet he didn’t want to give it all up. I loved the story and was really engaged with the characters, despite not all of them being very likeable.
I would have liked to give this book four stars but there was so much swearing it became quite irritating

A fascinating memoir with thriller vibes that provides a great insight into the work of investment banking and currency trading. Stevenson's honesty in documenting his own failings and his colourful descriptions of his colleagues make for a book which is both moving and funny. What really makes it so gripping though is his development from eager teenager wanting to make his first million, to passionate campaigner for wealth equality. Highly recommended.

I thank the publisher and NetGalleyUK for an advance review copy of this book in return for a fair review.
If you have never worked close to a dealing floor of a major financial institution you may find this book a bit far-fetched. I was lucky enough to be exposed to one at one point in my career [but not to the extent of actually working in it] and understood how the author's career could have developed. I found some of the technical details a bit hard to understand but that did not interfere with my enjoyment of the storyline. The frightening things are that he found making literally millions so easy and that so much money could be siphoned out of the world banking system, no only directly through the trades but also by financing the excesses of the operators in terms of both salaries and expenses. The author, amazingly, made me feel sorry for him by the end. This book is surpringly well written and carries the reader down the slippery slope with the author

A subject I know very little about so this book was most enlightening. A mad and pressured job that those who are successful reap high rewards. As a lover of excel spreadsheets that took my interest but overall I thought the book was a little drawn out and could have done with a heavy edit to make it more concise.

A fascinating true story
This book is the autobiography of Gary Stephenson and is the story of a boy from humb!e beginnings who became the the leading trader on the international currency exchanges. A skilled mathematician he managed to get into The London School of Economics where he didn't really fit in at all. Whilst there be entered a competition to get a trial internship at CitiBank. He say able to fly through the early rounds and won the prize.
He quickly progressed in at CitiBank where he developed a novel insight into the factors underlying and influencing currency exchange markets.big though he continued to not really fit in.
I found this a gripping tale of poor boy makes it big. It is well written and for me the grammatical errors are clearly due to his background and ring true and so don't detract from the story.
It's well worth a read.

This just didn't do it for me. I found myself bored at 30%, so I skipped to 50% and then 65% and then 75% and it was the same kind of thing.

For people really interested in trading, it'd probably be great fun, but for someone just a bit curious, I don't think it's worth reading.

I also agree with other reviewers that the writing is somewhat robotic - I didn't feel anything whatsoever listening to Gary's story. For me, I have to feel something when listening to an audiobook, and sadly, this didn't deliver.

That said, the "rags to riches" was somewhat compelling, but the swearing, thoughtlessness, and selfishness of the trading world grew tiresome after some time. The audiobook is over 12 hours, and even sped up is over 6 hours, so I can't bring myself to listen further.

Overall, I'd rate this 2.5 stars because I do think I'm not the target audience, but the story felt quite drawn out nonetheless. Thanks to Libro Fm for the ALC and to Netgalley for the ARC.