Early Reviewers

A well-informed, good-humored, and critical narrative of the chicanery and troubles in Greece that have shaken Europe and the world's economy Over the last three years, tiny Greece, normally associated with ancient philosophers and marble ruins, whitewashed island villages and cerulean seas, has repeatedly brought world financial markets into panic and has cast the 60-year project of cultivating European unity into question. In The Full Catastrophe, James Angelos makes sense of these two images of Greece and explains how and why Greece became the corrupt, socially fractious and bankrupt nation it is today. With vivid character driven narratives and engaging reporting, he delivers an intimate look at Greece the place, as well as Greece the economy and political player. It is a place that has spent over a quarter of its existence in loan default or rescheduling. It's a culture where you're considered a fool for paying your taxes honestly and not "cooking the books." And it's a people who, in a rush toward modernization and wealth, have become disconnected by their own traditions--and deeply suspicious of some of their European counterparts. The Full Catastrophe goes beyond the transient, note-by-note account of the daily headlines to deliver an enduring and absorbing account of modern Greece.