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Barbarians at the Gate

The Fall of RJR Nabisco

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Barbarians at the Gate

Written by: Bryan Burrough, John Helyar
Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
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About this listen

“One of the finest, most compelling accounts of what happened to corporate America and Wall Street in the 1980s.” (New York Times Book Review)

A number-one New York Times best seller and arguably the best business narrative ever written, Barbarians at the Gate is the classic account of the fall of RJR Nabisco. An enduring masterpiece of investigative journalism by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar, it includes a new afterword by the authors that brings this remarkable story of greed and double-dealings up to date 20 years after the famed deal. The Los Angeles Times calls Barbarians at the Gate, “Superlative”. The Chicago Tribune raves, “It’s hard to imagine a better story...and it’s hard to imagine a better account.” And in an era of spectacular business crashes and federal bailouts, it still stands as a valuable cautionary tale that must be heeded.

©1989, 2009 Bryan Burrough, John Helyar (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers
20th Century Business & Careers Business Wall Street Business History

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A Good Listen and History Lesson

This was on my to-do list for 20 years, and on the heels of 'Power Failure' it finally was time to cross it off.

It's a very detailed account of what went on preceding/during/immediately following, but unfortunately (for me) it's biggest strengths are also it's weakness. There's no shortage of accounts on what took place BTS in each of the companies involved, but the hours spent covering that drama made the conclusion feel underwhelming.

Basically when the book ended, I felt like I'd listened to 4+ hours of sizzle and was served an undersized and overcooked steak. But my complaints are that a 30+ year old book (that I put off reading for 20+ years) had an unsatisfying prolonged.



Narrarator was great. Authors were great.

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