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Jun 30, 2014jmenitsch rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
This book is very different from the movie of the same name. I saw the film version first so had certain expectations for the book. The same thing happened with "Goodfellas" also directed by Scorsese. In both cases, the books were something of a disappointment. Partly because I expected too much from the books, and partly because in a movie you can add to what's in the book, and take out what's boring and/or repetitive. In this book I would have liked to know more of Jordan's background and how he actually started his company (which was shown in the film) and I didn't need to know exactly how many pounds of drugs he was consuming on a daily basis which he mentioned several times, Once is really enough. And while I'm far from a prude, the descriptions of Jordan's and others' sexual attempts and encounters just weren't sexy. I agree with one reviewer that I really didn't get a sense that he cared too much how he destroyed "ordinary" people when they bought his low rent stocks. He kept claiming that Steve Madden "ruined" him, but from what I read, that didn't seem to be the case. Finally, if you see the movie first, be aware that Scorsese took a few liberties with what happened to Jordan with the SEC and how everything actually played out for him. Basically the book is the book and the film is the film.