Anderson worked for Chase Bank, and had a front seat while various financial events were unfolding. A one-time Roosevelt supporter, he was quickly disillusioned where FDR abandoned most of his campaign promises and started his radical experiments and undermining of the constitution.

As a practicing economist, Anderson does not have a "model" to push. This makes the book a bit more empiricist in approach than I would have liked, but better this than the other extreme of reality-detached abstraction. I consider this an essential book for anyone studying the Great Depression. This is not a light-weight book either, so skip it if all you want is an overview of causes. ( )