On the Brink

　　When Hank Paulson, the former CEO of Goldman Sachs, wasappointed in 2006 to become the nation's next Secretary of theTreasury, he knew that his move from Wall Street to Washingtonwould be daunting and challenging.　　But Paulson had no idea that a year later, he would find himselfat the very epicenter of the world's most cataclysmic financialcrisis since the Great Depression. Major institutions includingBear Stearns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers, AIG,Merrill Lynch, and Citigroup, among others-all steeped in rich,longstanding tradition-literally teetered at the edge of collapse.Panic ensnared international markets. Worst of all, the creditcrisis spread to all parts of the U.S. economy and grew moreominous with each passing day, destroying jobs across America andundermining the financial security millions of families had spenttheir lifetimes building.　　This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime economic nightmare. Events noone had thought possible were happening in quick succession, andpeople all over the globe were terrified that the continuingdownward spiral would bring unprecedented chaos. All eyes turned tothe United States Treasury Secretary to avert the disaster.　　This, then, is Hank Paulson's first-person account. From the manwho was in the very middle of this perfect economic storm, ON THEBRINK is Paulson's fast-paced retelling of the key decisions thathad to be made with lightning speed. Paulson puts the reader in theroom for all the intense moments as he addressed urgent marketconditions, weighed critical decisions, and debated policy andeconomic considerations with of all the notable players-includingthe CEOs of top Wall Street firms as well as Ben Bernanke, TimothyGeithner, Sheila Bair, Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank, presidentialcandidates Barack Obama and John McCain, and then-President GeorgeW. Bush.　　More than an account about numbers and credit risks gone bad, ONTHE BRINK is an extraordinary story about people and politics-allbrought together during the world's impending financialArmageddon.