This book is fiction based on a true story. It’s just like reading his last book “The Informant,” in that all the conversations are concocted and filled with vulgarity. Eichenwald has Skilling using f–k four times on page 10 alone. In “The Informant” he wrote that FBI agent Brian Shepard also used profanity. Agent Shepard told the Decatur Herald and Review, “Several quotes used in Eichenwald’s book, particularly those that were reconstructed based on recollection of others, were off the mark. He quoted me using profanity that I never used.” I personally audio-taped Eichenwald for over four years during the ADM scandal, and f–k is just part of his everyday vocabulary. I don’t know about Skilling. I am mentioned in “The Informant” and Eichenwald is well aware that I know how unethical his reporting is at the New York Times and also his writing. Eichenwald trying to paint Ken Lay as innocent is like saying Adolf Hitler wasn’t aware of the death camps.

The law firm of Kirkland & Ellis and the MacArthur Foundation of Chicago were not even mentioned in his book. The law firm was a big facilitator of criminal activity at Enron. I know Eichenwald has a friend at the firm who gave him a rave review in the ABA magazine when “The Informant” came out.

“The True Story” can be found at http://www.enronfraud.com “consolidated complaint for violation of the securities laws.” Written by attorney William S. Lerach, it’s 503 pages long, based on fact, good reading and it’s free. Eichenwald is a little boy running around in men’s clothing, and it’s about time he grows up. His books should be sold as fiction based on true stories. John Grisham’s fiction books are more believeable than Eichenwald’s.

Rating: 1 / 5

im reading this book for extra credit in an accounting class, its not the most exciting book, a lot of technical accounting terms that i wouldnt understand if i wasnt in that class. But Eichenwald does do a good job of taking the whole story and turning into a novel and not just a list of facts and events that lead up to Enrons fall.
Rating: 2 / 5

I hope Ken Lay gives Kurt Eichenwald a share of his proceeds, because it is clear Ken wrote this favorable bull@#$% and Kurt merely signed his name. I gave this 2 stars because the names are spelled correctly.
Rating: 2 / 5

This is the book counterpart of a video reconstruction. As best I can tell from the extensive endnotes, the author did a phenomenal research job, and then (from my point of view) turned his work into fiction. Instead of presenting us with the facts (fascinating in themselves) the author presents everything “through the eyes” of the participants, pretenting to be in their thoughts, and using quotation marks with the abandon of a novelist. We all know that this is just plain made up, but by using this form of presentation, the author blurs the distinction between fact and fiction. He DOESN’T know what these people were thinking, and making it up implies that he does; requiring me to search the footnotes at the end of each sentence — what is true and what is made up? For example, on the first page we follow Ken Lay’s thoughts as he is driven to work — the footnote shows us the source for what kind of car it was — but of course no reference for Lay’s thoughts (and even if Lay had said what he was thinking, we have know knowledge that he told the truth). Accordingly, although the book is entertaining, I demote it to a “2″ for horrendously bad journalistic practice.
Rating: 2 / 5

This one is a real page-turner, and is truly one of the best books I have read in years. The Enron story is something that attracted my attention from afar, but in truth I never paid much attention. When I began thunbing through this book in the bookstore, I could not put it down. This is an epic tale, one told with the stirring pace of a thriller. Not only did I enjoy it, but I now understand what happened at Enron and it is an unbelievable story. For extra enjoyment, be sure to read the endnotes. Eichenwald seems to have obtained every document and record from the company and the investigation and used them to document almost every scene. It is an prodigous reporting accomplishment.
Rating: 5 / 5