Review: Once Upon a Time in Russia, Ben Mezrich

Rating: 3 out of 5

The book was well-written with a decent introduction which perhaps did the most to keep me reading. Yet, it is more a look into one person who is used to illustrate everyone else rather than a look at the so-called club. The excesses of one, in that case, can shade others justly or unjustly.

Mr Mezrich’s book was brought to be by Motley Fool Money. Though it’s not the first book I’ve read from there, I’m overall least happy with this one mostly because I don’t think it lived up to the explanation from the podcast. The book doesn’t manage to describe much of the early rise of the newly rich while it does mention some aspects of it. This is overall perhaps the most interesting part of the story, and I felt that the events started midway into where they should have. The author’s penchant for action which gripped me originally got repeated and repeated by primarily describing gunfights or standoffs instead of the planning scenes behind that.

Overall, I learned some from this title but definitely not as much as I could have hoped for. The link to an investment podcast was minor and I can’t say that much of that’s here could be applicable for anyone else, though the consummate skill with which opportunity was pursued by the wealthy, looking to make another buck and to buy another yacht, is probably as good a description of the motivation behind the wealthy getting wealthier that one could try to find.

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