THE PLUNDER YEARS

An in-depth, narrative analysis of how America's economy and healthcare system came to benefit a small group of private equity firms and predatory lenders, with government assistance every step of the way, as small businesses and hospitals struggle to survive.

Over the last 30 years, American capitalism has morphed from a system that could provide prosperity for many to one that imperils through debt. The plunderers--lords of private equity firms, commercial banks, and others--pile leverage upon companies they acquire, cut costs, and slash pay for workers. These companies often collapse, while the plunderers receive federal bailouts, avoid consequences, and amass great wealth. Character-rich and authoritative in its analysis, THE PLUNDER YEARS will be an unflinching assessment of how America conducts commerce today and how robbing from the many has enriched the few.

Gretchen Morgenson is a business reporter and columnist at The New York Times, where she also serves as assistant business and financial editor. She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 2002 for her "trenchant and incisive" coverage of Wall Street. Prior to joining the Times in 1998, she worked as a broker at Dean Witter in the 1980s, and as a reporter at Forbes, Worth, and Money magazines. She lives with her husband and son in New York City.

Joshua Rosner is a managing director at the independent research consultancy Graham Fisher and Co. and was among the first analysts to identify accounting problems at the government-sponsored-enterprises and to warn of the coming credit crisis. He advises regulators and institutional investors on housing and mortgage-finance-related issues. He lives in New York City.