Books by Larry McDonald

When Lehman Brothers bank went under, the world gasped. One of the world's biggest and most successful banks, its downfall was the event that sparked the slide of the world economy toward a Great Depression II.This is the gripping inside story of the dark characters who ruled Lehman, who refused to heed warnings that the company was headed for an iceberg; the world-class, mid-level people who valiantly fought to get Lehman off its disastrous course; the crash that didn't have to happen. A news-breaking explanation that answers the question everyone still asks: "e;why did it happen?"e;Larry McDonald, a former vice-president at Lehman Brothers in charge of distressed debt trading and convertible securities, was right at the centre of the meltdown of the company and gives an intimate look at the madhouse that Lehman became. This book shows beyond a doubt that Richard Fuld, the long-time CEO of Lehman, and his top executives, were totally out to lunch, allowing Lehman's risk profile to reach gargantuan proportions. While the traders, like Larry McDonald, clearly predicted more than two years in advance that the market for packaged subprime mortgages and credit default swaps would evaporate, the high-flying Lehman bosses pushed hard on the gas pedal until the very end.

This book is loosely based on actual life stories of my childhood spending summers in Canyon, TX at my grandparent's house. I took some liberties in the story telling to make it a little more entertaining but the events that took place are fairly actual. The two main characters are L.D. (myself) and Jaime (my cousin and best friend in life). It takes place during the early 1960's when kids could roam around a small town on their own without fear of any wrong doing by anyone else. It was a wonderful time to be a kid. We both got into our own mischief and predicaments but all usually ended in a life lesson learned. This is about a time gone by, when kids did not have computers or cell phones and played outside all day and went fishing and such for entertainment. I truly enjoyed writing these little short stories and reliving those wonderful memories. I hope the readers can immerse themselves into the stories and experience the memories as I did.