Rigged

The True Story of an Ivy League Kid Who Changed the World of Oil, from Wall Street to Dubai

By: Ben Mezrich

Narrated by: Ben Mezrich

From the author who brought you the massive New York Times bestseller Bringing Down the House, this is the startling rags-to-riches story of an Italian-American kid from the streets of Brooklyn who claws his way into the wild, frenetic world of the oil exchange.

After conquering the hallowed halls of Harvard Business School, he enters the testosterone-laced warrens of the Merc Exchange, the asylumlike oil exchange located in lower Manhattan. A place where billions of dollars trade hands every week, the Merc is like a casino on crack, where former garbagemen become millionaires overnight and where fistfights break out on the trading floor.

This ordinary kid has traded Brooklyn for the gold-lined hotel palaces of Dubai. He keeps company on the decks of private yachts in Monte Carlo—teeming with half-naked girls flown in by Saudi sheiks—and makes deals in the dangerous back alleys of Beijing. But the Merc is just a starting place. Taken under the wing of another young gun and partnering with a mysterious young Muslim, the kid embarks on a dangerous adventure to revolutionize the oil trading industry—and, along with it, the world. Rigged is the explicit, exclusive, true story behind the headlines that dominate the world stage.

©2007 Ben Mezrich; (P)2007 HarperCollins Publishers

Another interesting story...

I have read all of Mezrich's non-fiction, and this is another along the same lines as Ugly Americans, BDTH etc and is an interesting listen. I would probably review the book higher than the audio version though - Mezrich reads this like he is rereading it to himself to make sure everything makes sense (or maybe he is rushing through it). I think the book would be better served by a professional narrator. It is worth buying though, and I look forward to more of the same from one of my favorite authors.

Entertaining but embellished story

I was hoping for more of an investigative journalist dive into the history of the event, and some of that was in the story, but there were also clear “Hollywood” add ons that most likely never happened. The book felt like a PR campaign at times.

Good story.....

Good story and build up good, but anti climatic.


Was not as suspenseful as imagined

That's it?

I have worked on trading floors before and have even traded NYMEX and I found this book kind of boring. Would prob be of more interest to someone who is clueless about the rise of Dubai as business and tourism hub or the fraternity like mentality and behavior of a trading floor. This book held my attention but I kept waiting for something more.

Not his best, but entertaining

I really like this author and have listened to Ugly Americans (one of my favorites) and Busting Vegas (another favorite). This book is less complex and doesn't reach the depth of the two books mentioned above. Nevertheless, it is an entertaining book, very well read, and I recommend it.