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Barbarians at the Gate

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About this listen

“One of the finest, most compelling accounts of what happened to corporate America and Wall Street in the 1980’s.” —New York Times Book Review

A #1 New York Times bestseller and arguably the best business narrative ever written, Barbarians at the Gate is the classic account of the fall of RJR Nabisco. An enduring masterpiece of investigative journalism by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar, it includes a new afterword by the authors that brings this remarkable story of greed and double-dealings up to date twenty years after the famed deal. The Los Angeles Times calls Barbarians at the Gate, “Superlative.” The Chicago Tribune raves, “It’s hard to imagine a better story...and it’s hard to imagine a better account.” And in an era of spectacular business crashes and federal bailouts, it still stands as a valuable cautionary tale that must be heeded.

 20th Century Americas Modern United States Business Wall Street Management Leadership Banking
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I loved the story it was truly thrilling.
I did not like the alternating narrations.

Thrilling story

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Great example showings the danger of higher and higher biding. Proves the points that an LBO might not be worth it!

Scintillating read

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Just wish it was longer, and there were more books on m&a, it's such an interesting topic.

Great Book

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I really enjoyed the film, and I enjoyed the book as well. A vivid and colorful account of the men and the maneuverings that symbolized the revolution in the culture of American business of the 1980s, whose strengths and weaknesses still resonate for better and for worse today.

At times the book, with it's larger than life characters driven by personal rivalries as much as by business logic at the height of the LBO boom: reads more like a novel than history. And you has to remind yourself that this is actually true.

Author is fine.

Entertaining account of a crazy time.

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What did you like best about Barbarians at the Gate? What did you like least?

Anyone interested in the machinations of corporate excess, skulduggery and the financial world should benefit from this. A classic illustration of how the business world has changed from emphasising producing goods of quality and looking after their employees and the communities in which they operate into rapacious profit machines which care only about enriching directors and large shareholders.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The authors are far from being natural or accomplished narrators. Dull and monotonous - although care would need to be taken to ensure that another narrator did not attempt to be too dramatic!

Do you think Barbarians at the Gate needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No. The story has been told. No doubt there are many similar cautionary tales - but it was the sheer size of the deal and the place Nabisco held in American consumer culture which made this tale worth telling.

Any additional comments?

Buy the book instead!

Fascinating subject - poorly served.

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