The Courage to Act

In "The Courage to Act," former Federal Reserve Chair Ben S. Bernanke delivers a riveting, insider account of the monumental struggle to avert economic catastrophe during the 2008 financial crisis. From his unexpected appointment to the Fed's helm in 2006, Bernanke found himself confronting the implosion of the housing bubble, which threatened to unravel the entire global financial system. The book plunges readers into the frantic, round-the-clock efforts by Bernanke and his team, collaborating with two U.S. presidents and the Treasury Department, to stabilize a teetering economy. Facing intense public scrutiny and a fractious Congress, they navigated unprecedented challenges, from the collapse of Bear Stearns to the bailout of AIG. Bernanke details the creative and often unorthodox policy responses that not only prevented an economic collapse of unimaginable scale but also laid the groundwork for recovery, setting a model for other nations. Rich with detail and vivid portraits of key players, this memoir offers an unparalleled, authoritative look at the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression and the courageous decisions that shaped its outcome.