Rating: 
Summary: a waste of my time
Review: To put it bluntly, this book [is bad]. I was all set to like this book, I really was. I anticipated its delivery by UPS in time for the weekend, looking forward to kicking back and reading it on a lazy Saturday. What I thought I would get from this book was a gritty, hardnosed assessment of Cramer's operation, with plenty of style and substance backing up the harsh indictment of the title. What I got instead was a blah piece of fluff written for a fast buck. I had a sinking feeling from the moment I opened the book- big elementary school font with plenty of space between the lines, never a good sign. Maier has little storytelling skill, and he doesn't even pick the right anecdotes to tell. His writing persona is grating, his scenes are flat and one dimensional, and he doesn't bother portraying people accurately. Instead he picks one polaroid snapshot of the person he is describing and then keeps referring to it ad nauseum until it is beaten into the ground. 'Jim' is always screaming and smashing things and trading and that's it. 'Jeff' is always talking about his car, his apartment or the women he is dating and that's it. 'Sal' is always parroting Cramer's obscenities and that's it. I've seen more character depth in cardboard cutouts at the movie theatre. I was also annoyed with the way Maier constantly refers to Cramer as 'Jim'- Jim this, Jim that, Jim likes to yell and smash things blah blah blah. You would think that if you were going to air a guy's dirty laundry for money, you could at least give the courtesy of referring to him by last name, instead of acting as if he were a drinking buddy. The writing is also disjointed. Consider this switch: on pages 104-105 Maier talks about how he is giddy with glee at getting a raise and a surprise bonus, and has just finished talking about how he loves New York and looks up to Cramer. Then, on the very same page (105), with no transition whatsoever, he starts talking about how he feels sick every day and passes out on a subway train from stress. He writes: "I found myself absolutely terrified to get up....there were so many reasons to get home....I was treading on dangerous ground...." WHAT reasons, Maier? Cramer's shrill voice was hurting your ears? Your bonus was too dangerously large? And referring to the title, exactly who is the enemy? If your boss is a jerk who throws temper tantrums, does that make him an enemy? Maier quit because he burned out from getting screamed at, not because he was sinking into some sinister scheme from a John Grisham novel. There was a buzz around this book based upon Cramer's alleged use of CNBC reporters to pump and dump stocks- but really, truly, who cares? What's the difference between Cramer pumping a stock or an overpaid Goldman Sachs/Merrill Lynch analyst pumping a stock? Oh, right, the investment banks have chinese walls to prevent their traders from knowing the analyst's calls ahead of time. Right. And Britney Spears is going to be President of the United States someday. Perhaps I am harsher than I normally would be with this review because I had high expectations for this book. I was hoping it would be tightly written, informative and funny in the tradition of 'Liar's Poker' or 'Fiasco.' Instead, I get weak writing and idiotic observations like the fact that Cramer once bought fifty thousand shares of Starbucks because Candace Bergen likes frappucinos, and hear multiple stories of how computers are constantly smashed. Give me a break. Maier does his best to make Cramer & Co. sound like the Keystone Cops on [drugs], which is a little ridiculous considering their track record. I have no torch to carry for Jim Cramer. From what I know of him I don't think we would be friends. He is a fundamentalist to the bone, I am 90% technical. He is arrogant and loudmouthed, I am reserved and uninterested in recognition. He likes to shout his market opinion from the rooftops, I prefer having as little opinion as possible. So Cramer is clearly a jerk, okay, point made. Is that worthy of a book? All the other stuff that goes on is standard Wall Street, and mickey mouse in comparison to the way brokers screw their clients daily. All in all, a boring and irritating letdown. At least it was short. Maybe Maier can use this experience to get a job writing smears for the tabloids.
Rating: 
Summary: Revealing and Entertaining
Review: Truly well worth reading for anyone in the trading business!Surprising! No, after all this is true capitalism in it's most rawest form.It's about making money,money and more money. Cramer is a true borderline personality,there usually very smart but devoid of humanity. What he has done is very illegal ,although it has made him a rich man .I'm sure that technically speaking he would not be convicted of any wrongdoings. It is surprising however that CNBC still has him as a regular guest after this book. The book is very believable and does not come across as any kind of fabulations on behalf of the author. A MUST READ
Rating: 
Summary: Well Written though Terribly Misleading
Review: I want to clear up what is more or less a ubiquitous perception of Jim Cramer. Via his appearances on CNBC and a multitude of other media outlets a rather misleading impression of Mr. Cramer has been fostered. A grandiose aura, in which Mr. Cramer is regarded as a sultan of the hedge fund universe, a "wheeler and dealer" if you will. Quite aware of his media savvy, Mr. Cramer has promulgated the myth, aided by CNBC to no small degree that he is a legend in the hedge fund world. Nothing could be further from the truth. I will say that Cramer/Berkowitz has a distinguished track record but to utter his name along with the likes of Julian Robertson or Michael Steinhardt is heresy. Jim Cramer is not highly regarded in the hedge fund community; he was the manager of an obscure hedge fund with a fairly small asset base during a most propitious equity market. No serious player in the hedge fund world came beating down his door or for that matter even knew of his firm's existence. Successful speculators shun the media, they do not embrace it, except perhaps upon the realization that they are in the twilight of their career. Do not be fooled by Jim Cramer and CNBC, those of us in "the know" know that Jim Cramer is essentially a media creation and a successful one at that. He is not a legendary hedge fund manager, never has been, never will be. Save the "legendary" appellation for the real managers out there.
Rating:
Summary: A READER
Review: This is the most extensive expose of shady trading practices I've ever read. Maier names too many particulars to be lying. The SEC makes hedge funds keep all trading records for seven years. Cramer could prove his innocence, and the fact that he isn't producing these records proves his guilt. Those records are sitting in a wharehouse somewhere, or more likely, going through the shredder!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Daring Page Turner!
Review: I zipped through this exciting personal account in about 48 hours because I couldn't put it down. Maier does a great job of putting you in his shoes and having your bubble burst about the reality of "Jim Cramer's" Wall Street. What surprised me about the practices and situations that Maier describes is not that they happened - but that someone is brave enough to tell the truth and name the names. I am not a investment whiz but I found this book very compelling and and a great read.
Rating: 
Summary: Where was the SEC???
Review: The book calls for an investigation into the trading practices of James Cramer and his relationship with CNBC. I am not sure if the author's allegations are true, but they need to be checked out so that the public's interest can be served. Where is the SEC when you need them??
Rating:
Summary: Congratulations
Review: Congratulations to Nicholas Maier for casting as accurate a portrait as possible of everything that was wrong with the high-end of the financial world in the 90's and for having the courage to risk a stadium filled with newfound enemies. If you want a review of the actual content of the book, skip the next paragraph. That many participants were willing to tolerate ridiculous antics and downright degradation for the sake of pure greed shows how little anyone learned in the 80's. The only difference this time around was the 90's players took note of the Achilles heel of their 80's corporate raider counterparts and didn't flaunt it. Most hedge fund managers are nothing like Jim Cramer as described by Maier, and in fact many are nice, honest, hard-working intelligent people; they don't put on hundreds of trades per day or ceaselessly berate their underlings and have chosen to pursue a career where risk-taking and actual skill can translate into deservedly stratospheric rewards. I know as I used to work for one that operated humanely. The fact remains that Cramers do exist and are not a complete aberration. Trading With The Enemy should be required reading for all undergraduate business majors and MBA's so they can have a taste of the Faustian bargain presented to them in modern day terms that they can relate to. As a general read, the technical concepts in Trading might be a bit beyond the scope of the average reader. Although Maier goes to great lengths to explain tricks of the trade in layman's terms, I think a lot of the details will be lost on most, save those who have a sophisticated knowledge of the financial markets. Still, the average reader can read in easily understandable detail about the various "standard practices" of the hedge fund world. Beyond that, the colorful portrayal of the trading environment and employees of his firm may be enough to keep people chuckling and entertained through this fast read. At the same time, many non-Wall Streeters may be appalled by the utter depravity of the world described in this book.
Rating:
Summary: Dilbert for Hedge-funds!
Review: This book is HILARIOUS! I couldn't stop laughing. Basically a combination of Dilbert + Liar's Poker. I love the chapter on the crazy trading day when Cisco reports. It is classic - PMs do that all the time to their analysts/brokers. I read this book in one day, haven't done that in a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG Time.
Rating:
Summary: Explains a lot, if it's true.
Review: I have no idea whether the allegations in the book are true. However, it would explain a lot of things. Ever since Cramer "retired" from the hedge fund in December 2000, his stock picks have been almost universally wrong. Every stock he recommended seemed to subsequently fall by 50% (Q,CEG,TYC,HAL,MER,EMC to name a few). Every time he screamed about his "naked affection" for the tape, stocks fell. Every time he got bearish and negative, stocks soared. It was uncanny. Cramer tried to revise history, hide his previous stock picks etc. but every new pick was just as bad. Cramer became a national joke. The highly reputable Kiplinger's said taking Cramer seriously was analogous to taking Danny Devito seriously in a slam-dunk competition. Even the NY Post jumped on the Cramer-bashing bandwagon. All the time, Cramer defended himself by bragging about his hedge-fund track record, allegedly 24%/yr from 1986-2000. Maybe Maier is right about how Cramer achieved that track record because it certainly wasn't his stock picking prowess. Or maybe the track record is a lie too. The NY Times exposed that Cramer's fund returned a pathetic 2% in 1999, a year when the Nasdaq was up 61% and Cramer was marketing himself as a tech genius. Cramer tried to stop the NY Times from printing the truth but to no avail. Same situation here? I don't know but it couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
Rating:
Summary: Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!!!
Review: Disgruntled employee? I think not. Maier just confirms what we've all suspected for years -- James Cramer pumps 'em and dumps 'em. .. . and he has nothing but contempt, not pity or guilty feelings, for the "widows and orphans" bilked along the way. With any luck at all, for the sake of the investing public, this book will prompt the SEC to take a long and very hard look at Mr. Cramer. . . . and provide him with an appropriate place to spend the next 10-15. While we're waiting for this to happen, CNBC and its anchors who may -- or may not -- have been unwitting participants, should read this book. . . . and then, do the right thing. Bottomline, this book is sheer dynamite for investors. Clearly, it is a must read before should buying or selling anything based on an opinion expressed by James Cramer, or for that matter, now that I've read this book, anyone short of Alan Greenspan than appears on CNBC.
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