The current number one non-fiction best seller, Michael Lewis’ The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine

One of the most compelling reads inside the mortgage meltdown where Michael Lewis dives inside the stories of a varied characters who torn made strategic bets based on a perfect storm of greed.

If you’re in the financial industry, you’ll have an easy time recognizing all the facets that the story covers. The book reads like a novel, and tells the stories of a cast of characters involved in capitalism at the tipping point, and how terms like “too big to fail, CDO’s, Credit Default Swaps,  and Sub-prime” affected everyone around the world.

Just think what you would have done if you knew what some of these people knew. It’s kind of like being in a time machine. You can make money, but you do it at the tremendous expense of others…what would you do?

Gordon Gekko knew about greed. And certainly there are people that aren’t as smart as they think. Put them together and you’ve got the perfect storm…aka “The Big Short”.

It’s a fantastic read. You’ll certainly have a viewpoint and better insight when you’re done.

So the question is….is there a villain?

Post your comments on the character that impacted you the most.

The Characters of The Big Short

1 – Michael Lewis – author

2 – Meredith Whitney – Oppenheimer Analyst who turned Michael Lewis on to the leading character – Steve Eisman

3 – Steve Eisman – Frontpoint Partners Former Oppenheimer analyst (still looking for a pic)

4 – Dr. Michael Burry , a physician turned “one eyed stock picker with an antisocial personality (later diagnosed as Asperger’s) – Scion Capital.

5 – Greg Lippmann – Deutsche Bank trader who Steve Eisman claimed he stole his idea who made $100 million in a single week shorting the very CDOs his own bank sold.

6 – Howie Hubler  – The Morgan Stanley, Montclair State New Jersey who lost Morgan Stanley an estimated $9 Billion

Charlie Ledley, Ben Hockett, Jamie Mai  – Cornwall Capital Management – The garage fund (Still looking for an image)

7 – John Paulson – Hedge fund manager who made $3.7 billion in 2007 alone called “The Greatest Trade Ever.”

8 – Joel Greenblatt – Gotham Capital – Funded Michael Burry’s Scion Capital fund and later threatened to sue to get out as mortgages collapsed.

9 – Wing Chau – Maxim Group Mortgage Bond Salesman known for the Vegas dinner on the other side of Steve Eisman – “Whatever that guy is buying, I want to short it.” Founded Harding Advisory, as a CDO specialist.

10 – John Gutfreund – former Salomon Brothers CEO of Liar’s poker fame.

If anyone finds images of Steve Eisman, Charlie Ledley, Ben Hockett, Jamie Mai, or Wing Chau, you let us know!