Rating: 
Summary: A Classic Tale of Wall Street and Greed
Review: This book became the basis for a paper I wrote in school and by the time I finished the book and the paper, I was actually surprised by my conclusions. Leveraged Buy Outs (LBO) and Management Buy Outs (MBO) were all the rage in the eighties, and this book chronicles what is good about them as well as what is bad. In the general public's opinion, the bad far outweighs the good, but from a maangement standpoint, they can be a good idea. The leveraged buyout of the RJR Nabisco Corporation for $25 billion, recounted in this book, is a landmark in American business history. Ross Johnson, CEO of RJR Nabisco, is is just one of the colorful cast of characters involved in the midst of this book, as he sets in motion whagt would become the basis for the events chronicled in "Barbarians." Should be required reading for all business students and busienss leaders.
Rating:
Summary: A Big Deal
Review: This book deserves all the superlatives it has received. The layperson gets an idea of how an LBO is structured and the interactions of investment bankers, banks, and lawyers. As well, the book is a riveting and entertaining read. The key to the book are the telling details. At one point for example, the authors note that one of the men at a key phase in the deal wears a ring with a peace symbol. Without describing the individual any further, the authors imbue him with personality and character. Even someone uninvolved with business deals will appreciate the intrigue and excitement.
Rating:
Summary: What a great book!
Review: This book is one of the best business books out there and you wont waste a penny on it.
The story shows how greed and money can destroy even the wildest of dreams and ambition in the world that we live in.The go go 80's was the time of the big swinging you-know-what believing themselves as the masters of the universe thus inevitably above everything else.
The story of how a great american company RJR Nabisco loses battle for control of the company by a group a financiers of KKR led by Henry Kravis.The story unfolds from the time Ross Johson,the CEO of RJR Nabisco, decides to take the company private.In doing so he puts the company in play and then the action begins to take place as other huge financial firms with ego as huge as Ross Johnson try to get a piece of the action.In the end there is only one winner and doznes of losers.
Barbarians at the gate also gives you an insight on the LBO fad and how it works.Those who follow wallstreet in the 80's know that non of this could have happened werent it for the service of Michael Milken and his junk bonds.in any case,it is interesting how the authors who obviously went to great lengths researching and interviewing the players involved and displays the facts in such an entertaining manner you wish you wanted to finish the book in one sitting!!
The only con i found was the story of how RJR and Nabisco came into existent (the authors stretch this bit too far when they could have done it in 15 pages). nonetheless, it was a great read.
10 stars for this book!!
Rating: 
Summary: Length Kills
Review: This book pertains to the bidding maneuvers by the junk bond brokers that led to the fall of the RJR-Nabisco conglomerate. The book builds up on the histories of both RJR and Nabisco from their beginnings, their union and later the stock buy out. I enjoyed the first part about the stories of both companies and how they got built. I did not enjoy towards the end the increasing profusion of names of junk bond traders and other companies that made everything suddenly hard to keep track of. In the end, about half of the time the book focuses on the bids and counter bids and building up on 'suspense' on who is going to get the final bidding. This might have been more interesting in the 80's but nowadays, it may be too long.
Rating: 
Summary: Okay, Okay, But Why Is The Book Great?
Review: To start explaining this book you must understand that the book has been written by two investigative reporters, so it reads like a well written novel. In fact with some of these books you must remind yourself that it is not fiction. The other thing is that the authors emphasize the people and what they think, their motivations, their egos and their vulnerabilities. It is not a financial book. It is more of a novel. When you combine the writing plus with the emphasis on the people you get a best seller - as we have. Here is the situation. The CEO's of some of these corporations get greedy and decide that making millions per year and having a fleet of their own jets - is not enough. They want to borrow money and buy the whole company. That is what we had here. The CEO Ross Johnson proposes a leveraged buy out (LBO) of RJR-Nabisco, which had previously merged. His idea is to borrow money and buy all the stock. So it is really a story about Ross Johnson and whether or not he could pull of this (theft) purchase from the shareholders by borrowing enough money. He is abetted by bankers and investment people, and they all want a piece of the action and large fees. It is all quite fascinating stuff. But he hits a snag. The prize is too big and draws other people into the fray. Like sharks smelling blood in the water he attracts KKR runs by Henry Kravis - a New York based LBO company. It decides it wants to get involved. The book takes us like a suspense novel through various negotiations and heavy duty meetings in Manhattan until it is finally settled. It makes for a fascinating read. Recently I read another book that I thought was quite different but just excellent. Ross Johnson in the present book RJR-Nabisco was the CEO of a large public company and he became such by working his way up through the ranks. To me a more fascinating book is Losing my Virginity by Richard Branson also at Amazon.com. Branson starts his career by himself selling a magazine as a teenager, starts Virgin Records, takes on and beats back British Airways with Virgin Airways, and does it all with a flair for the dramatic - and often he owns the companies. Jack in Toronto
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