Ugly Americans by Ben Mezrich

I read it a few years ago...I've always wondered to what extent some of the details of the story were true (esp. the part about the protagonist going out with the daughter of a Yakuza mobster)

Like most of Mezrich's stuff, it was a good read and I had a few laugh-out-loud moments.

Overall worth the time.

I still think his best is Bringing Down The House.

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And would agree Bringing Down the House is probably his best.

Ugly Americans is worth reading, though it goes so far in its fascination with japanese fetishes and Yakuza that I wondered about the authenticity of a few of the stories.

I actually just picked up UA yesterday, looking forward to reading it (once I finish a handful of other books).

I'd say Mezrich really dramatizes the sort of shift in the paradigm for more western cultures, tradtions, and economic systems in Japan, but more so the broader East Asian Region in the 90s. It's also partially based on a true story.

Mezrich maintains his infatuation with writing narratives about these twentysomething, Ivy League graduates, living insane, crazy lifestyles and of course, working for "The Man." This is not surprising.

But most striking is the title itself: Ugly Americans. The main character enters the field with no expectations or experience. He has no idea what he's getting into. He seizes the opportunity to live and work in Japan, which is pretty sick. Yeah, people respond to incentives. Once he's making money, he becomes a cutthroat, aggressive kind of guy, which is shaped by his experiences both on and off the trading floor and the characters around him. His personality takes a 180 after living in a foreign country. He truly changes. He definitely embodies the so called "Ugly American" in this story.

From a technical perspective, any other thoughts on the trading tips and lessons that the book illustrates will be entertained.

from what I know about Mezrich and I have also read Bringing Down the House and Rigged I think the stories are probably true. I find the way Japanese portray outsiders in particular very interesting. That seemed to play just as much of the story as what they were actually in Japan doing.

"Oh the ladies ever tell you that you look like a fucking optical illusion" - Frank Slaughtery 25th Hour.

What sort of biographical information about Mezrich?

About the guys who started Facebook and all the shit they went through. Already has a movie deal for it with Kevin Spacey on board. Probably worth a read.

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Rigged was awesome

Yesman, I've heard that Mezrich actually made a DVD with a professional card counter teaching how to do it. I haven't seen it, but it's out there somewhere.

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I think his books are designed to be pretty addictive and a very light read about something people can relate to. I also breezed through Rigged and UA the first time in a couple of days.

I enjoy the more technical reads such as the book about the rise and fall of LTCM in its explanations of the types of arb they were doing however it was still easy for the reader to pick it up quickly.

"Oh the ladies ever tell you that you look like a fucking optical illusion" - Frank Slaughtery 25th Hour.

lmao just recommended this book to a friend and my first thought was "this book sounds like Eddies life" Midas if you havent read this one you will love it.