We did not choose The Big Short as our Book of the Year for 2010 because it was our #1 bestselling title, although it was. We chose it because Michael Lewis can write, and he has a compelling and important story to tell. This book should be required reading for... everyone! We are all living the consequences of financial insanity, and seem doomed to repeat ourselves. Lewis is a voice of informed reason. Yet, despite the seriousness of his subject, he is never preachy or boring. The Big Short reads like a thriller, with larger-than-life characters. It is more informative, more fun and more infuriating, than you could ever expect from a book about banking. -Sara

Fun Fact:
The greatest trade by a Wall Street Banker was Greg Lippmann's $11 million bet that turned into a whopping $3.7 billion. That is a 33,000% annual return.