Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt

Veteran actor Baker brings his distinct patrician manner, with its smooth elocution and precise pronunciation, to the audio edition of Lewis’s investigation into the world of high-frequency stock trading. The book chronicles a new band of marketplace rebels who engaged in a David and Goliath battle with Wall Street to level the playing field for investors. Baker’s polished vocal mannerisms, though characteristic of the stodgy stereotypes of today’s business tycoons, provide an effective contrast with the diverse cast of outlaws in the book. Issues of ethnicity remain at the heart of this tension, as technically gifted Wall St. outsiders from around the globe fuel the movement with their discomfort of the mainstream American financial industry. Baker’s portrayal of Russian immigrant programmer Sergey Aleynikov is especially striking and evocative. Though not quite as dramatic, Baker’s voicing of Irish finance expert Ronan Ryan also leaves an impression upon the listener. A Norton hardcover. (Apr.)