The dramatic story behind the most audacious power grab in American history

The global financial crisis isn't past but prologue. The fall and rescue of Wall Street was the coming-out party for the looters at the nexus of American political and economic power. The grifter class—made up of the largest players in finance and the politicians who do their bidding—has been growing in power for a generation, transferring wealth upward through complex financial and political manoeuvres. The crisis was one manifestation of how they've hijacked America's political and economic life.

Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi unravels the fiendish rise of the grifters. He traces the origins to the cult of Ayn Rand and her most influential—and possibly weirdest—acolyte, Alan Greenspan. He reveals backroom deals that decided the winners in the government bailouts; shows how finance dominates politics, from investment bankers auctioning off America's infrastructure to the battle for healthcare reform; and tells the story of Goldman Sachs, a 'vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity'.

Taibbi combines deep sources, trailblazing reportage, and provocative analysis to create the most lucid, emotionally galvanising, and scathingly funny account yet of the American political and financial crisis. It is essential reading in order to understand the inner workings of politics and finance in America, and the profound consequences for us all.