Author:Yanis Varoufakis
** The Sunday Times #1 Bestseller**
'One of the greatest political memoirs of all time' Guardian
What happens when you take on the European establishment?
Read as world-famous, provocative economist, and former Greece finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, blows the lid on his battle with EU officials over the Greek debt crisis.
Varoufakis sparked one of the most spectacular and controversial battles in recent political history with his attempt to renegotiate Greece’s relationship with the European Union. Yet despite the mass support of the Greek people, and simple logic of his arguments, he succeeded only in provoking the fury of Europe’s political, financial and media elite.
Exposing the real business taking place behind the EU’s closed doors, Varoufakis reveals all in this fearless, personal account. Adults In The Room is an extraordinary tale of brinkmanship, hypocrisy, collusion and betrayal that will shake the European and economic establishment to its foundations.
Varoufakis is sending out an urgent wake-up call to renew European democracy before it is too late.
**ONE OF THE GUARDIAN'S 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE 21st CENTURY**
Varoufakis has written one of the greatest political memoirs of all time [and] one of the most accurate and detailed descriptions of modern power ever written
—— GuardianAn important, terrifying must-read. In particular, it anatomises the way in which EU leaders operate with a brutal clarity … shocking and ultimately tragic … He gets to the heart of their failure more acutely than anyone … Varoufakis has the greatest political virtues of all – courage and honesty
—— The TimesA tremendously indiscreet account … drawing upon his own audio recordings and diaries of top-level meetings. It is deeply personal and very well written
—— Financial TimesThe most jaw-dropping segments are the accounts of phone calls and closed-door meetings – often verbatim, courtesy of his secret recordings – between ministers and technocrats ... We see duplicity and cynicism ruling supreme .. A convincing critique ... Our own government should take note
—— Daily TelegraphThis is a superbly written account of the struggle to alleviate the austerity imposed upon the Greek people by the eurozone. Greece, argues Varoufakis, has been put in a debtors’ prison and robbed of autonomy and dignity for the indefinite future. Critics would argue that he failed as finance minister in 2015 because he was insufficiently politic. More plausibly, he could never have succeeded, such were the vested interests arrayed against him. This outcome was — and is — a tragedy, because he was — and is — right. The bulk of Greek debt should indeed be cancelled outright. Read and weep
—— Martin Wolf, Financial Times Summer ReadsAstonishing … not simply a political biography but a reflection on the nature and meaning of power in our times … This really is an important book … you should read it … This book could be a game changer if it shakes we the people from our compliant slumber as passengers within the sinking ship of contemporary high power
—— Open DemocracyRiveting … an extraordinary account of low cunning at the heart of Greece’s 2015 financial bailout … Admirably, he eschews denunciations, finding the human in his adversaries, even in his darkest moments
—— ObserverA blistering account ... should be required reading for David Davis and the government’s Brexit negotiating team
—— ScotsmanA fascinating reveal on the hidden world of what he calls the "deep establishment"… Varoufakis is a master of clarity and, as Theresa May prepares to steer the good ship GB through the dangerous shoals of Brexit, this is an invaluable account of how the political establishment really works
—— City AMOne of my few heroes. As long as people like Varoufakis are around, there still is hope
—— Slavoj ŽižekTogether with Bernie Sanders, Varoufakis is the only other honest politician around
—— Noam ChomskyThe most interesting man in the world
—— Business InsiderThe Thucydides of our time
—— Jeffrey SachsA brilliant economist
—— BloombergFew finance ministers have such a talent for economics as Yanis Varoufakis
—— Joseph StiglitzIt is important to take note of the ideas that Varoufakis continues to espouse … the essence of [his] agenda was – and remains – largely correct
—— Mohamed El-ErianA global celebrity
—— EconomistHis words about the European crisis speak universal truths about democracy, capitalism and social policy
—— GuardianTimely and important
—— Big IssueA whistle-blowing memoir that doubles as a penetrating analysis of the eurozone crisis, one caused in Varoufakis’s view by the stubbornness and ideological dogmatism of what he calls Europe’s “deep establishment.” As Britain prepares to enter exit negotiations with the EU, many will turn to this book for insights… Adults in the Room has a fly-on-the-wall quality that makes it a captivating read
—— Chris Bickerton , ProspectPassionate, indiscreet and forceful revenge on the smug elite of the European Union
—— Colm Tóibín , Irish TimesVaroufakis’ book… should be required reading for anyone who believes that a Brexit outcome satisfactory to the UK is likely
—— Richard Joyner , Times Higher EducationOutstanding
—— William Hague , Daily Telegraph[This] breezy page turner is essentially Bridget Jones goes to the White House.
—— New York TimesHilsum is a former colleague, well placed to chart her friend’s life, with an especially brilliant account of her final week, where Colvin’s exposure to peril again went beyond the call of duty
—— Strong WordsSuperb and moving
—— Emma Lee-Potter , Independent, **Books of the Year**[Hilsum’s] tone is admiring but never adulatory, and her book is richly informed by her close knowledge of the events described… [an] excellent book
—— Caroline Moorehead , Times Literary SupplementLindsey Hilsum… in this account… [shows] just how brim full of life and heart Colvin was: from the start to the finish of her brilliant career, and of her sassy, rambunctious life
—— Barney Bardsley , On: Yorkshire[An] excellent biography… I found it inspirational
—— Ann Treneman , The TimesThis is a remarkable book, deeply moving, disturbing in its sometime intensity… such is the power of Lindsey Hilsum’s book
—— Tony Jasper , Methodist RecorderColvin’s tumultuous life has inspired a number of recent accounts… it is Hilsum’s biography, written by a woman who both knew Colvin and had access to her unpublished reporting notes and private diaries, that seems to most closely capture her spirit.
—— The New YorkerHilsum writes with admiration and compassionate understanding of her colleague, and of their collegial friendship that gets close to what we can, without sentiment, call love.
—— The New York Review of BooksA refreshing take on the ecology of modern economics . . . This book serves as a fascinating reminder to business leaders and economists alike to stand back at a distance to examine our modern economics.
—— Best Business Books of 2017 , ForbesI am loving Kate Raworth’s book Doughnut Economics. It puts inequality in a far broader context, connecting a great many 21st century problems with a single vision. Every business leader and every policy maker should read it.
—— Tim O’ReillyWhat if it were possible to live well without trashing the planet? Doughnut Economics succinctly captures this tantalising possibility and takes up its challenge. Brimming with creativity, Raworth reclaims economics from the dust of academia and puts it to the service of a better world.
—— Tim Jackson, author of PROSPERITY WITHOUT GROWTHKate Raworth makes a powerful argument to look beyond economic growth alone for a true measure of prosperity and progress . . . The doughnut offers a vision for an equitable and sustainable future.
—— Intelligent HQThis book gave me faith that there is an alternative story to tell to the neoliberal narrative.
—— Marcus de SautoyFinding a healthy alternative to the prevailing growth model that has strained the planet to bursting is the holy grail of environmental economics. And it looks like maybe we’ve found it . . . It’s hard to understate how exciting this revelation is
—— InhabitatThis is truly the book we've all been waiting for. Kate Raworth provides the antidote to neoliberal economics with her radical and ambitious vision of an economy in service to life. Given the current state of the world, we need Doughnut Economics now more than ever.
—— L. Hunter Lovins, president and founder of Natural Capitalism SolutionsI read this book with the excitement that the people of his day must have read John Maynard Keynes’s General Theory. It is brilliant, thrilling and revolutionary. Drawing on a deep well of learning, wisdom and deep thinking, Kate Raworth has comprehensively reframed and redrawn economics. It is entirely accessible, even for people with no knowledge of the subject. I believe that Doughnut Economics will change the world.
—— George Monbiot, author and Guardian columnistRaworth’s groundbreaking book hand-picks the best emergent ideas – ranging from ecological, behavioural and institutional economics to complexity thinking, and Earth-systems science – to reveal the insights of eclectic economic re-thinkers . . . Revolutionary.
—— Judges' Statement, The Transmission Prize 2018In Doughnut Economics Raworth takes on the enormous task of sketching out a new approach to the economy in 290 pages . . . A dizzying whirl through the 300 years of economic theory, and challenges to their fundamental principles
—— City A.M.One of last year's most important books on (fixing) economics
—— Best Books on Innovation , NestaA good starting point for a much needed debate about economic policy priorities.
—— Reuters BreakingViewsHighly informed and intelligent.
—— Socialist Review[Raworth’s] business-friendly 2017 book Doughnut Economics advocated meeting the needs of all within the means of the planet.
—— 1000 Most Influential Londoners , Evening StandardPowerful and radical
—— Building.co.ukIt's an absolute must-read about the circular economy and an economic model beyond capitalism.
—— Sam Galsworthy, co-founder of Sipsmith , The GrocerExcellent
—— Ben Cooke , The TimesIt’s the first book about the future economy that I can’t put down!
—— Frances Morris , ELLE DecorationA fascinating look at future economic policy
—— U2’s The Edge , Daily TelegraphKate is not the first person to try to reconcile economic growth with our world's finite resources . . . but her book makes a complex thesis accessible.
—— George Alagiah , New StatesmanOne of the best books I have read in the last year or two was Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth, an economist. She puts economics into the framework of society and the environment, rather than at the top. I recommend it to all.
—— Lord GreavesIn Doughnut Economics, Kate Raworth's economics serve life - not the endless growth of late capitalism. Compellingly, she invites us to see the economy as an organism rather than a mechanism. By referring to our knowledge of natural systems instead of the machine models of Newtonian mechanics, she offers us a way to reimagine money in order to regenerate rather than degenerate. In this wonderful, readable book, Raworth completely rewrites the textbooks of economic theory in language that is lucid and inspirational: a must read!
—— Antony Gormley , GQRaworth radically redraws the system, putting people's needs at its heart . . . with growth bound by an ecological ceiling, the outer edge of the circle, beyond which there is climate change, freshwater stress and biodiversity loss. The doughnut is the safe space where there can be sustainable development.
—— Conde Nast TravellerAn accessible, relatable account that relays academic thinking back to everyday lives and communities.
—— Best Books on Climate Change , Independent