The Wolf Of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort

The Wolf Of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort

Publisher:  Bantam

Pages: 520

Rating: 5/5

     By day he made thousands of dollars a minute. By night he spent it as fast as he could, on drugs, sex, and international globe-trotting. From the binge that sank a 170-foot motor yacht and ran up a $700,000 hotel tab, to the wife and kids waiting at home, and the fast-talking, hard-partying young stockbrokers who called him king and did his bidding, here, in his own inimitable words, is the story of the ill-fated genius they called . . 

                   THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
     From the stormy relationship Belfort shared with his model-wife as they ran a madcap household that included two young children, a full-time staff of twenty-two, a pair of bodyguards, and hidden cameras everywhere—even as the SEC and FBI zeroed in on them—to the unbridled hedonism of his office life, here is the extraordinary story of an ordinary guy who went from hustling Italian ices at sixteen to making hundreds of millions. Until it all came crashing down . . .

In The Wolf Of Wall Street, Belfort reflects on his life as the owner of Stratton Oakmont, marketing penny-stocks and manipulating the stock market.  However, his time at the investment firm was only a small part of his life as a multimillionaire.  During this time he was also addicted to Quaaludes, cocaine, and sex.  On the cover, Belfort writes "I partied like a Rock Star, lived like a King" and this book most definitely proves that claim true.  The book starts with Belfort almost crashing his helicopter from which he walks away completely indifferent.  This is only the beginning of the crazy tale that was his life.

I loved this book so much I needed to share it.  I haven't posted a book review since The Brothers Karamazov back in June!  The Wolf of Wall Street pulled me out of this lull because I need to tell you to read this book.  I decided to pick up this book after seeing the movie trailer.  I wasn't incredibly interested in the story to begin with but as soon as I began to read it, I was completely enthralled.  This memoir is incredibly engaging.  I was reminded of an over-the-top dramatization of How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying but these events actually happened.  However, Belfort's writing style was even more appealing than his slightly disturbing life.  He writes with is balls out, unashamed to admit what he's done and relay his, sometimes flawed, thinking.  It was reminiscent of a best friend telling you their drunken misadventures.  I would really recommend this book to anyone who wants insight into a fascinating world of billionaire investors.  Just beware; you're entering a world of sex, drugs, and bad decisions.