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Summary: It could be a perfect novel... best part is it did happen!!!
Review: Great insight on what happened during the Leveraged Buyout of RJR Nabisco. You'll certainly be very careful next time some Wall Street broker approaches you, as you'll know what really moves them. You'll also see how not all CEO's are as concerned in maximizing shareholders value as they are in maximizing their own!
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Summary: Very readable,thriller-like story of corp. takeovers of 80s
Review: Excellent inside look into corporate America and Wall Street takeovers frenzy in the 80s. Book is written in a very readable manner that does not require any deep knowledge of economics or financial theories. Reader is led to astonishing discovery of how the power of networking and personal egos control the world of business and finances. It reveals the tremendous power and opportunities that the CEO of the big corporation is given, and leads to understanding of who the real "players" are.
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Summary: Hilarious behind the scenes of this insane deal/world
Review: Fantastic look at the insanity and scope of the RJR deal. If you like behind the scenes tales you won't be able to put this one down. I have read it multiple times; enjoying it more each time. Do not have to be a financial wizard to enjoy.
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Summary: Book was quite intersting and insight ful.
Review: I am an Mba student doing my independent study on leveraged buyouts. The book provided a very clear understanding of the operations of Lbo financing companies and lbo sellers. It also demonstrated that employees are ultimately the victims of these transactions. I could not put the book down, I think it provided a layman's understanding of LBO's.
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Summary: All about personal gain above socio-economic issues
Review: This book is great to read and sometimes provides a chuckle or two and should be part of any high flier's repertoire. The only negative about the book is all it's spelling mistakes - averaging about 1 for every five pages. Surely it can at least be corrected within 8 years of the original release?
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Summary: Wall Street 101: Barbarians at the Gate
Review: Barbarians at the Gate is an excellent accounting of the leveraged buyout of RJR Nabisco in the late 1980s. It also serves as a primer on how Wall Street conducts business, as the reader can easily see ego clouding judgement and pride dictating the fate of one of history's biggest business deals. The only thing possibly missing from ths book is an epilogue detailing RJR Nabisco's fate at the hands of KKR, although this doesn't detract from the story itself.
Barbarians is fairly light reading, considering the topic; one doesn't have to be an expert at Mergers & Aquisitions, Leveraged Buyouts, or Corporate Finance in order to see the story unfold and understand it; Burrough and Helyar have done an excellent job of taking a complex and, in some cases, downright boring topic, and making it fairly digestible
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Summary: Barbarians at the gate? Hell, they're already inside!
Review: A good read for a complete novice on the world of Wall Street and corporate America. We benefit from the indepth research of the authors, clearly close to their subject, and, from their good journalism, as they know how to tell a story without losing the layman. My subtitle for the book would be 'all I ever needed to know about LBOs' -- the RJR Nabisco buyout is an excellent case study. There's little too much extraneous detail on the characters -- it's distracting -- but perhaps that's an effort to give them some depth. Indeed, it's a pity that many of the main protagonists are so reprehensible -- I found it hard to empathise with any of the characters. And the story does leave the reader with a sense of disillusion on two points: the sheer waste of money and resources squandered for the sake of egos; and clearly, contacts (especially amongst the 'jocks') are as, if not more, important than diligence, competance or intelligence
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Summary: Descriptive
Review: Barbarians provides a detailed look into the biggest LBO in history - RJR Nabisco. The author does any amazing job of describing the events, people, industry and money involved in this transaction. The author paints a perception of what drives men in the LBO industry - ethically and economically. He doesn't try to sway your opinion one way or the other. The chain of events, themselves, makes this book worth reading - no player in this transaction is left untouched. I recommend anyone interested in LBOs to pick and read this book. Tremondous insight into the LBO/power player industry
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Summary: Unbeatable Reporting of the RJR Leveraged Buy Out
Review: If you want to understand Wall Street of the 1980's read this book, "Den of Thieves" by Stewart and "Predator's Ball" by Bruck. This book is an all encompassing depiction of the events that led to the first leveraged-buy out (meaning they used debt, in the form of massive loans, and not just equity or stock), the debut of KKR as a major financial power, and the emergence of "shareholder value" as a buzzword that no CEO will fail to keep in mind. The authors were both Wall Street Journal reporters who wrote the book in much the same way as they would report- direct to the point, clearly explained, and with little detectable bias as to the fate of the major characters. I very much enjoy this style of writing, if every WSJ reporter were to write a book, I would be there to support them. The book does a great job of explaining in detail the egregious excess of Nabisco during CEO Johnson's stint at the helm. In this day of clipped expense accounts and flying coach for business, the presence of a "Nabisco Air-Force" of jets and professional athletes and celebrities on the pay-roll is difficult to imagine. The authors do a good job of transitioning from these descriptions into the dirty details of how the deal was put together. The scenes where the transaction is coming together at the final hour, through all of the negotiations and threats, are well-told, I could actually feel the tension and angst in the room. Read this book. When you're done with it go pick up "Den of Thieves" and "Predator's Ball."
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Summary: Excellent Work
Review: Based on exhaustive research, the authors have done a fantastic job putting it all together.
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