The Wolf of Wall Street- Jordan Belfort

Why Did I Buy This Book?

I’m sure we have all been left in complete shock, horror and maybe even a slight bit of envy at this movie so I had in my head that the book would be an equally wild ride.  Sometimes you just need pure escapism.  Not some war-torn fantasy or a story of painful star-crossed lovers that truly tugs at the heart strings.  A little alternative reality in all the best ways is exactly the ticket to getting your head out of the office and your own troubles.  Thank you Mr Belfort for making sure I know that my life will never be as insane as yours!

Synopsis

The don’t call Jordan Belfort The Wolf of Wall Street for no reason as there might not be one person alive who could live up to his philandering, manipulating and wild drug abuse.  He is a man living at the top and right on the edge of it, who is constantly keeping 100 plates spinning waiting to see whether its his drug habit, gold-digger wife or illegal business transactions that are all going to make it come crashing down.  Jordan’s story is one like no other, with tales that you find it so hard to believe are even true.

The Verdict

I almost feel ashamed to say I enjoyed this book.  Much like I felt with the film, the whole time you are reading it you want to be horrified (99% of the time you definitely are) but that other 1% of the time you are kind of thinking to yourself wow what a life!  It’s certainly not a book for the faint hearted, be prepared for harsh language, graphic sex and drug taking senses.  Over all the book is well written although rather than seeming in anyway repentant for his actions Belfort is seems proud of them by making blowing hundreds of thousands of dollars on drugs and high class hookers for his employees seem all too glamorous.  It’s all a little self-serving right to the very end where he has his apparent revelation about how he should really be living his life. For those of you who are not well versed in economics (I only barely understand bits myself despite the fact I have had some recent experience in finance) it can get a little confusing to understand but actually you can breeze though those bits without the need to understand every word.  If you enjoyed the film then it’s worth a read but with a definite R rating!