Rating: 
Summary: Good but somewhat hypocritical
Review: I am not a former Android, nor am I a CPA, but I am a Harvard MBA who has served in various chief financial positions with smaller organizations. The book is interesting and fascinating reading, that's for sure. It confirms many of the reprehensible practices that I eyewitnessed even in nonprofit arenas, where attorneys and CPA's are in bed together and do all they can to take advantage of their client's ignorance. Their goal is to build a dependency to annuitize their fees. I was actually fired for confronting these egregious acts.The hypocritical part is that Ms. Toffler succumbed to some of the tactics for the sake of her job. Although she's admittedly ashamed now, she is still presumably profiting from her Andersen connections (through book sale proceeds), just on the other side of the table now. No criticism to her--she's obviously seen the light now. But that's just a recurring thought I had as I was reading the book. It was an oxymoron that she was brought in for ethics and yet succumbed to the pressures and did unethical acts. I'm sure the pressure can be amazing--I've been there. But in the end, I chose to walk away to my own harm rather than join the club where you make lots of money, but you must silence your conscience and become someone that you flat out don't like. Overall, it's still great that she wrote the book. People need to know what really goes on. She's highlighted the serious problems in the industry. It's also great reading. Were it not for her being a part of the wrongdoing and continuing to profit from it, I would have rated the book a "5". (If she has donated the book proceeds to some of the investors she helped bilk, then good for her. She has TRULY seen the light, and she gets a 5+!)
Rating: 
Summary: Cut AA --Paste E&Y
Review: I can tell you that this is the story not just of AA but of E&Y...and I suspect the others may not be far behind. I admire the author for her willingness to take all this on. She writes a good history of the in-fighting with the SEC and the AICPA. The top guys in these firms have forgotton that they are accountants and have left their profession behind for GREED. I worked hard to become a CPA and I worked hard once I became a CPA but I left because it is not a profession- it is GREED. The author spells it all out. This book should be required reading in business schools but then who would become an accountant. PS...the story is not over. Hopefully, someone will write the next chapters. Where did all the AA partners go? Well, the biggest majority went to E&Y....the story continues. My thanks to the author.
Rating: 
Summary: Ex Andersen Androids - A must Read
Review: I found this book a compelling and interesting view into the daily workings of this once great firm. I worked for Andersen for neary 8 years and was not surprised by much in this book. Throughout my tenure at Andersen, I was witness to many of the same practices as well as many other unethical and unprofessional behaviors. What became glaringly apparent to me early on in my career is that as long as you have a powerful partner on your side, you can pretty much get away with anything (overbilling, expense fraud, selling unnecessary services, manipulating time reporting to meet goals, sexual harassment, etc.). Ms. Tofflers' representation of the culture, values and mission of this once fine organization are true and accurate (it's all about money!!). Unfortunately, Mr. Andersen's vision was bastardized by greed and hunger for power. Great book and a must read for all accounting professionals aligned with the remaing "final four".
Rating: 
Summary: Biased, Hypocritical & Untruthful in Part
Review: I had the displeasure of meeting Ms. Toffler a number of times at Andersen. Her personality made Leona Helmsley seem like Miss Manners by comparison. She was abrupt and rude to almost everyone she met and would never have fitted in at any large professional firm. Her antipathy to Andersen makes her book so biased as to lack credibility. It seems oriented more to profitable revenge than to providing insight. I know at least one of her descriptions in the book is factually untrue but her fiction makes for a more entertaining read. A pity this "ethics consultant" didn't walk the talk herself. A career as a writer for the National Enquirer seems a better fit. If you want insights rather than insults, buy "Inside Arthur Andersen" instead. It is written by people skilled in analyzing organizational behavior, appears to be far more objective despite the authors' positions within Andersen, is better researched, and identifies and explains the issues well. It also shows that the key issues affect other firms too, not just Andersen. That book should be required reading for all CPAs, accounting professors and students.
Rating:
Summary: Greed, Android scale
Review: I had to read this book twice. Believing the facts the first time is difficult. Digesting the contents is painful. Arthur Andersen, built on the core ethical values of the founder and named after him, decays and collapses under the shadow of the new economy. The rapid slide in the second half of the 90's within this once most respected accounting firm is unimaginable by normal standards of behavior expected of professionals in a civilized world. America has long been acclaimed as the land of opportunities. Androids have proved that it can well be a land of opportunists. The high priests of accounting standards have betrayed the public trust and presided over the liquidation of not only their own firm but several other Chapter 11 qualifiers which went under along with billions of dollars borrowed from ordinary citizens. Executive greed for quick money has made many a company bleed, with blessings from AA. If this is not crime, what else is? If Saddam Hussein has to be punished for his alleged weapons of mass destruction (that are yet to be unearthed by the mighty army), what does Uncle Sam have to say about these white collared delinquents who might continue their game in another companies in the coming years? Bad professionals like bad currency should go out of circulation. President Bush's joke on AA as quoted in this book with reference to Saddam Hussein: "The good news is he is willing to let us inspect his biological and chemical warfare installations. The bad news is that he insists Arthur Andersen to do the inspection!" Barbara Toffler is frank enough to admit that she too did not get out of AA early since the salary was too good to risk. This book appeals to the conscience of all professionals and gives the courage to stick to ethical practices whatever the temptations and pressures to compromise on them. We are all citizens first and employees next. Sad story, but superb narration. Hope this story does not repeat itself anywhere in the free world.
Rating:
Summary: A Book I Couldn't Put Down
Review: I have a confession to make. I'm one of those corporate assasins, a certified public accountant, albeit one who never worked for Arthur Andersen. And, I am ashamed of my profession. If even part of the material in this book is true, and I have every reason to suspect that most of it is true, Arthur Andersen deserved to be shut down. I suspect some of the other 'Final Four' firms deserve similar treatment too. When I got this book, I opened it expecting to read just a chapter or two. I could not put it down. Barbara Ley Toffler's observations about the way things really work at the large public accounting firms are exactly the same impressions I got as a "Big 8" senior manager over 20 years ago. I found one particular story very telling. She describes an educational meeting where she asks the managers in attendance where they felt their principal responsibilities lay while performing an audit. Was it to the public, government, the firm, fellow team members, or to the partner on the engagement? The managers overwhelmingly responded that their principal responsibilities lay with pleasing the partner. That was what was so sick about working for a national firm. The game being played had nothing to do with serving the public, or particularly the client either. It was all about serving that boss down the hall, the partner. Make him happy and your career was smooth. Make him angry and you soon would be looking for another job. Practicing a profession isn't just all about making money. Apparently, as I suspected, too many partners at Arthur Andersen and probably many others at other national firms don't understand this any more. One particular reviewer gave this book a single star. I suspect that reviewer is actually a former Arthur Andersen android who delusionally thinks that their firm got the shaft unjustly. This book would have been a lot stronger if the author had not annointed herself as a hero. After all, she did spend four years running on the hamster wheel like all the others. I suspect that she was actually fired for "failure to make her numbers." If she had told us more about her own failings, I would have respected her more. I suspect the real heros were those who were hired in from outside who left soon thereafter when they realized that they had really signed on to a soul destroying commercial enterprise.
Rating: 
Summary: The subtitle should be "Why It Wasn't My Fault"
Review: I have had this book for a couple of months and haven't been able to finish reading it. It started out OK, but it soon became obvious that Ms. Toffler's main purposes in writing the book (beyond the $$ generated from its sales) were to try to salvage her reputation and to be able to explain to future potential clients that she TRIED to make Andersen shape up but was overwhelmed by dishonest, money-grubbing, nasty management types. (They might have been all of those things, but Ms. Toffler clearly failed in delivering her message to them -- and she says she had plenty of access -- but, of course, it wasn't her fault they wouldn't listen). The book drags and becomes exceptionally "preachy". Ms. Toffler apparently wasn't in the loop and admittedly was encouraged to depart the firm before the debacle at Enron became front-page news. She really doesn't have much to offer, certainly nothing newsworthy or even particularly insightful. This one's a bore. It adds little to what those who followed the Enron and Andersen collapse in the WSJ already know.
Rating:
Summary: Buyer Beware: Toffler was not an Andersen Insider
Review: I just completed this book and I am not impressed. Toffler adds few insights that are not tainted by her obvious disdain for everything (and everyone) Andersen. She spent only 4 years in the firm and was never in any significant leadership role. There are literally thousands of former Andersen partners & employees that could have provided better insight. This book comes off as very self-serving, a trend that comes to a head on about page 200 as Toffler describes how if only management had listened, she could have saved the day. It is obvious Toffler never earned the respect of her peers. This is not surprising - when I read the decription of the work she did prior to Andersen, I equated it to a senior level role at a Big 5 firm (conducting interviews, documenting issues, etc.). Clearly Toffler was in way over her head as a Big 5 partner. What she does not mention is that, after being hired as a national partner, she fails to make a name for herself or the consulting service she led. I worked in the same division (BRCA) as Toffler for nearly all of her AA career and never once heard her name or even of her group - she was not exactly a trailblazer. Further, it appears that she left AA after 4 years as a national partner (typically only 2 years are spent at that level) after growing her service line to a total of 8 professionals - a group too small to support Toffler's salary. No wonder she felt intense pressure to sell, though for all her complaining about the pressure and high fees, she never suggests that her salary and lack of success might have caused the pressure, at least in part. Although interesting at times, this book is not written by a true Andersen insider and better insights were available in the Wall Street Journal when this story was news.
Rating:
Summary: A so-so read
Review: I read this and was very interested in the first few chapters. Prior to midway through the book I just wanted it to end. When reading it, I felt like I was reading something an outsider to AA was writing. I don't think the author was imbeded enough in AA to really know what was happening. Based on her limited tenure with AA, she wrote about what she saw, which really doesn't give too much insight. I didn't find out anything new about AA's demise that I didn't already know. Check this one out from the library. Sorry to say, I wouldn't buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Quick, Fascinating Read
Review: I read this the same day a Wall Street Journal OpEd article quoted Warren Buffet saying 'Derivatives are financial weapons of mass destruction, carrying dangers that, while now latent, are potentially lethal". The article incorrectly referenced the size of the derivatives market at $2 trillion. That number is just for credit derivatives. Enron engaged in these transactions and more. The problem is that these are off-balance sheet transactions, "bankruptcy remote" off-shore vehicles are often involved, and the resulting risks do not show up in accounting statements. Finanacial professionals may want to read more about off-shore vehicles and the credit derivatives market, but very few books are available. I recommend Tavakoli's book: "Credit Derivatives" 2nd Edition.
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