Anatomy of Greed: the Unshredded Truth from an Enron Insider

Publisher Marketing: Brian Cruver first entered the "Death Star," Enron's office complex, in March 2001. He was twenty-nine years old, an eager MBA ready to cash in as a new hire with one of America's most highly valued companies. But, from his first day when his new boss warned him, "there was a mix-up in the hiring process," but that it was "no big deal...just think of it like you're adopted" to his last, when he and his colleagues were given thirty minutes to leave the building, Cruver found himself enmeshed in a business cult that each day grew only more bizarre. With dark humor and page-turning momentum, Cruver lays out firsthand: the giddy group-think nurtured by Enron's leadership, whose incessant cheerleading for the company's stock price rendered many Enronians unable to believe that they were routinely being spoon-fed lies; the "rank and yank" peer review process that fostered horse-trading among managers over which employees would be given poor evaluations; the traders who made dubious deals to ensure their own lucrative bonuses; and the sinister designs and funding of Enron's fraudulent off-the-books partnerships. As Cruver probes the sleazy escapades that Enron executives milked for personal gain, he introduces us, up close and personal, to such storied figures as Ken Lay, Jeff Skilling, and Andy Fastow, along with other important Enron personalities like Rebecca Mark; Lou Pai; Thomas White, George W. Bush's Secretary of the Army; Joe Sutton; the "Mr. Blue," a disillusioned Enron executive; and Cruver's trading floor neighbor, a machine he christened "Sherman the Shredder" who was always working overtime. Cruver's day-by-day chronicle, which includes a running stock ticker to show the trajectory of Enron's collapse, is instantly reminiscent of such bestsellers as Liar's Poker and Barbarians at the Gate. Told in a fresh, empathetic voice, Anatomy of Greed is brimming with grist for political pundits and comic relief for victims of corporate collateral damage. It is also the personal story of a young executive, a Houston native, whose dream job and dream company crashed around him in an avalanche of lies and greed. From the wreckage, this newly hardened veteran of the corporate wars has written a cautionary tale that our leaders must heed or imperil us all to future disasters." Review Citations: Wilson Public Library Catalog 01/01/2004 pg. 170 (EAN 9780786712052, Paperback) BookPage 12/01/2002 pg. 15 (EAN 9781590864470, Analog Audio Cassette) Kirkus Reviews 07/01/2002 pg. 928 (EAN 9780786710935, Hardcover) Publishers Weekly 07/22/2002 pg. 165 (EAN 9780786710935, Hardcover) Booklist 08/01/2002 pg. 1882 (EAN 9780786710935, Hardcover) Library Journal 09/01/2002 pg. 188 (EAN 9780786710935, Hardcover) Booklist 11/01/2002 pg. 460 (EAN 9780786710935, Hardcover) LJ Best Business Books 03/15/2003 pg. 63 (EAN 9780786710935, Hardcover) Wilson Public Library Catalog 01/01/2002 pg. 23 (EAN 9780786710935, Hardcover) Wilson Public Library Catalog 01/01/2004 pg. 170 (EAN 9780786710935, Hardcover) Contributor Bio:  Cruver, Brian Brian Cruver was a senior manager at Enron until the collapse, then was among 4500 workers laid off on December 3, 2001 - the day after Enron filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. He lives in Houston with his wife. Contributor Bio:  Foster, Mel Mel Foster has narrated over 150 audiobooks and has won several awards. Twice an Audie finalist for "1864: Lincoln at the Gates of History" by Charles Bracelen Flood and "Finding God in Unexpected Places" by Philip Yancey, he won for the latter title.