Q: Let’s wade in the same way Steve Kroft did with Lewis in his 60 Minutes interview. That’s the raison d’etre for this FAQ of sorts. Lewis has been criticized for not having spoken to anyone who knew about HFT (high-frequency trading) from the other side of the fence. In fact, it feels more like marketing literature, or maybe a prosecuting attorney’s closing argument. While Flash Boys features many of those same traits, it seems less like good investigative journalism this time. He explains complicated mechanics in understandable terms, he identifies heroes and villains, and he structures his narrative like any good writer would, building to conclusions after couching them as mysteries or puzzles for his brainy protagonists to solve. how a select few investors could foresee the folly of investing in subprime mortgages doomed to default ( The Big Short)Īnd he does this in a readable way. how the geniuses of modern day football came to realize the importance of a great left tackle in protecting the quarterback’s butt ( Blind Side), or

how a cash-constrained baseball executive can use statistics to cobble together a winning lineup ( Moneyball) an intimate understanding of how richly compensated alpha males at a trading desk on Wall Street dominate the poor schlubs ( Liar’s Poker) It’s like they’ve been given inside access to some previously hidden world. Lewis is an influential writer with a talent for making his readers feel smart. Q: Who is this Michael Lewis guy and why has this book been making such a splash? The ideal audience would be the inquiring readers of Flash Boys open to a counterbalance. It’s structured in FAQ format, but the questions aren’t really frequently asked so much as ones I’d like to answer. I’m imaging what a PR response might look like, though not an entirely serious one. The new book by Michael Lewis criticizing high-frequency trading has created quite a stir.

Flash Boys by Michael Lewis