After the Music Stopped

The Financial Crisis, the Response, and the Work Ahead

By: Alan S. Blinder

Narrated by: Graham Vick

Named one of the 10 best books of 2013 by Michiko Kakutani and the New York Times Book Review

Alan S. Blinder - esteemed Princeton professor, Wall Street Journal columnist, and former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve Board under Alan Greenspan - is one of our wisest and most clear-eyed economic thinkers. In After the Music Stopped, he delivers a masterful narrative of how the worst economic crisis in postwar American history happened, what the government did to fight it, and what we must do to recover from it. With bracing clarity, Blinder chronicles the perfect storm of events beginning in 2007, from the bursting of the housing bubble to the implosion of the bond bubble, and how events in the U.S. spread throughout the interconnected global economy. Truly comprehensive and eminently listenable, After the Music Stopped is the essential book about the financial crisis.

©2013 Alan S. Blinder (P)2013 Audible Inc.

Critic reviews

"Blinder is a master storyteller...one of the best books yet about the financial crisis." ( The Wall Street Journal)

Great summary of the financial crisis and response

While I have read several books on the crisis and found the first few chapters familiar terrain, it summarizes it well and added the bond bubble to my understanding of the issues. What intrigued me more was the evaluation of the policy responses. This is a great overall book-- most I've read have left out parts of the puzzle or written early enough that not all policy responses are considered-- and I rescind it.

Better than the others

Would you listen to After the Music Stopped again? Why?

Yes I plan on listening to it again because the topic is complex and Blinder's analysis of the causes and remedies are not yet fully implemented.

Who was your favorite character and why?

This isn't a story focused on characters. It is about a crisis, ideas of solutions, and decisions. The favorite idea is about the way to help people with their mortgages. That is because it was not addressed by the decision makers during the crisis.

What about Graham Vick’s performance did you like?

He has a very appealing voice.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

This is not a drama, it is an excellent analysis.

Any additional comments?

This book is better than Elizabeth Warren's book or Tim Geithner's book because it is not written as a personal memoir. It is an objective analysis from one of the very few people smart enough and familiar enough to get it right.

One of the best books on the Financial Crisis

I've read (or listened to) many books on the financial crisis and this is one of the best. I have quite deliberately not read the memoirs of Geithner and Bernanke, however. Not only does Blinder (former vice chair of the Fed, among other prestigious positions) cover the crisis in broad strokes, but he also covers at some length policy prescriptions to head off or lessen the impacts of the next crisis (and there will certainly be another). I gained a better understanding of the various instruments that the Fed has used and a better understanding of the Dodd-Frank bill, which is bitterly opposed by those who do not wish to be closely regulated. Blinder writes in an easy-to-read (or listen to) style and explains complex problems in a clear way. Though an self-described Democrat, he does not spare his criticism of both the Bush and Obama administrations. Definitely recommended for those who wonder what happened, what the response to the crisis was and a way forward from this disaster.

The narrator was excellent. The book is written in a somewhat folksy style and Graham Vick captured the tone perfectly.

No Love for Those Who Successfully Avert Disaster

This book is interesting for a couple of reasons. First off, I am a conservative and this book is written by a Democrat. Alan Blinder makes a compelling case for the Democratic view of what happened in 2007-2008 (and since then) and makes many points I had never considered. The other thing that is interesting is the author's emphasis on the political climate and how the fiscal and monetary moves were (or were not) metabolized and implemented both in private and public sectors. I was exhausted at the end of this book.

Best book on the crisis

This is one of my favorite books. It explains the crisis and its causes clearly and succinctly. Blinder defines terms and concepts with amazing clarity, without any condescension. Very thorough without overwhelming the reader—an absolute must read for anyone hoping to acquire a working understanding of what exactly happened and why. I frequently revisit it