The Antisocial Network: The GameStop Short Squeeze and the Ragtag Group of Amateur Traders That Brought Wall Street to Its Knees

In early 2021, the stock price of a mostly-forgotten video game mall chain was going through the roof, and at first glance, no one could figure out why. Mezrich (Bitcoin Billionaires) brings his characteristic cinematic flair to this breathless account of the “amateur investors, gamers, and Internet trolls” behind the skyrocketing GameStop shares. Mezrich tells the full story, covering the rise of the subreddit WallStreetBets (the titular antisocial network), the Robinhood investing app that enabled the unprecedented short squeeze and turned stocks into “a highly playable video game,” the infusion of cash from the financial firm Citadel, and the ensuing congressional hearings. A number of characters come to life, including Wall Street powerhouse Gabe Plotkin, who was “bested by some unseen force,” as well as the ordinary people who changed the game—livestreamer Keith Gill, for example, started the focus on GameStop with a post on WallStreetBets. It’s this angle, of new investors willing to lose their investments so long as they brought down the wealthy and powerful with them, that formulates the most page-turning part of the tale. Mezrich’s is a lively, thrilling, and comprehensive account. Agent: Eric Simonoff, WME. (Sept.)