Confessions of a Book Quitter
I rarely finish the books I start. But when I do, they’re usually like this.
I’m equal parts terrible reader and avid reader.
I have every bad reading habit you can think of. I start five different books at once. I never finish them. I skim. I skip chapters. I treat nonfiction like a TED Talk: once I get the thesis, I’m out. I abandon novels halfway unless there’s historical context to trick my brain into thinking I’m learning something. I buy books faster than I read them. And I never feel guilty.
Which is why, when I do read a book cover to cover, I’m delighted. I take it everywhere. I squeeze in reading during every pause. And lately, the only books that hook me this way are memoirs.
The latest one?
The Trading Game by Gary Stevenson.
And I couldn’t put it down.
Why?
Because it reads like a binge-worthy Netflix series: every chapter ends and you just need to know what happens next.
It’s about investment banking: how to break into the profession, what it takes to stay (and eventually leave), and all the characters and parties along the way. But it doesn’t glamorize, it exposes.
It’s also an underdog story: constant, unlikely wins powered by grit, intelligence, luck or all three. And who doesn’t love seeing an underdog win?
But beyond that, it’s really about something else: a reckoning.
Gary’s journey becomes less about finance and more about what kind of world he wants to help build. You witness his political, economic, and social awakening in real-time. That’s what makes it compelling, not just the story, but the way it’s unfolding as he’s living it.
What the book is not:
It won’t teach you how to manage your money or invest.
You won’t walk away with a career plan to break into investment banking.
If you're here for wild party gossip, there's just enough for your imagination, but not enough to sustain your attention throughout the story.
You also won’t get tidy answers or a grand economic theory to fix the world.
Any memoirs you’ve read and couldn’t stop thinking about?
I’d love recommendations: books or Substack pieces.
Another one I devoured cover to cover: Shoe Dog, the story of how Nike was built. And, on substack, I love reading
What about you?
Aww thanks for mentioning 😍😍