Barbarians At The Gate

The Fall of RJR Nabisco

Bryan Burrough

Recommended By

Book Reviews

Book Synopsis

"Barbarians At The Gate" by Bryan Burrough is a riveting non-fiction account of the high-stakes corporate takeover battle for RJR Nabisco in the late 1980s. Burrough takes readers through the mesmerizing world of Wall Street deals, power struggles, and inflated egos.

The story delves into the intense rivalry between Ross Johnson, the charismatic CEO of RJR Nabisco, and Henry Kravis, the billionaire dealmaker leading the takeover attempt. As the battle unfolds, Burrough masterfully reveals the audacious tactics, backroom negotiations, and astronomical sums of money involved.

Through meticulous research and interviews with the key players, Burrough portrays the excesses of the era and the greed-driven mentality that dominated the financial industry. The narrative explores the intricate mechanisms of leveraged buyouts, junk bonds, and the complex web of relationships that allowed such deals to take place.

"Barbarians At The Gate" also paints a vivid picture of the personalities involved, from the corporate executives and brash traders to the journalists who chronicled every twist and turn. Burrough provides a nuanced understanding of their motivations, vulnerabilities, and the human drama that unfolded behind closed doors.

With expert storytelling and a fast-paced narrative, "Barbarians At The Gate" captivates readers, delivering an engrossing tale of corporate intrigue and the obscene amounts of money at stake. This book offers a fascinating insight into a pivotal moment in Wall Street history that forever changed the rules of the game.

Explore More Books

See All
The Craft
Be Here Now
The Immateriality of the Material
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt
#AskGaryVee
Read Write Own
American Nations
The Professor in the Cage
Epic Measures
What You Want
Rich Dad, Poor Dad
Gulag Archipelago
Thinking In Systems
Successful Investing is a Process
Win Your Inner Battles
The Statistical Mechanics of Financial Markets
Remote: Office Not Required
The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership
The Big Test
The Coddling of the American Mind
Sell with a Story
Tragedy and Hope
Mr. Putin
The World Until Yesterday
The Coming Wave
Idea Makers
Against The World
Mathematician's Delight
Exhalation
The Lessons of History
I Think, Therefore I Laugh
The Big Picture
Thinking and Deciding
A Life Decoded
A Life
Cold Calling Techniques
Lights Out
The Idealist
The Politics Industry
Triggered
The Moment of Lift
Malabar Farm
Things Never To Tell Children
The Amateur
Turtles All The Way Down
Motherless Brooklyn
Powering the Future
The MAGA Doctrine
Spiritual Enlightenment, the Damnedest Thing
Illusions
Adapt
A Few Lessons from Sherlock Holmes
The Making of the President 1960
One Billion Hungry
Tomorrow's Table
Whole Earth Discipline
The Paris Architect
Boom
The Power of Now
Essays In Persuasion
Natural
Diaspora
All I Want to Know is Where I'm Going To Die So I'll Never Go There
Fast Food Nation
The Last Days of Night
Spiritual Warfare
War and Chance
Talking To Humans
Eating to Extinction
An Agricultural Testament
The Warrior Ethos
The Jungle Grows Back
The Hustler
Striking Thoughts
The Biggest Con
Where The Wild Things Are
Life 3.0
Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius
A Wrinkle in Time
Son of the Morning Star
Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The Little Book of Investing Like the Pros
The Formula
At Play in the Fields of the Lord
The Elements of Statistical Learning
The Art of Spirited Away
I Will Teach You To Be Rich
Predictably Irrational
Business Adventures
How To Win Friends and Influence People
Meditations
Ringworld
Dear Founder
Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar
One Simple Idea
Mindfulness
Cradle to Cradle
Hiroshima
We Were Soldiers Once... And Young
Undaunted Courage