This month, Michael Lewis retook Wall Street by storm with "Flash Boys," his new book about a group of traders who banded together to understand the damage that high-frequency trading (HFT) was doing to markets.
Whether or not you agree with the premise that HFT is harmful, there's no question that it's sparked some serious debate on Wall Street. It's the kind of thing only a writer with Lewis' amazing track record — which started with the modern classic "Liar's Poker"— could do.
The bond salesman turned literary sensation has changed careers three (or maybe it was four) times before settling into his current niche as one of the most prolific journalist-authors of the past two decades.
What's driving this success? Well, most have attributed it to Lewis' obsession with the "arena of success," the competitive spirit that drives the athletic, entrepreneurial, and financial minds.
It's no doubt that Lewis has built his own arena of success, and it's only getting bigger.
Lewis was born to a wealthy New Orleans lawyer.
Lewis was born in New Orleans to J. Thomas Lewis and Diana Monroe Lewis, a corporate lawyer and a community activist, respectively.
He attended the prestigious Isadore Newman prep school, where fellow alums include NFL brothers Eli and Peyton Manning.
Source: New York Magazine
After spending his life in the South, he studied art history at Princeton.
Art history. That's right, Lewis graduated from Princeton with a B.A. in art history — not necessarily a common major for bankers.
His thesis: "Donatello and the Antique."
Source: Princeton.edu
After graduation he worked in fine arts for a year, but the pay was awful.
His first job after Princeton was with art dealer Daniel Wildenstein as a stock boy in Wildenstein and Co.'s New York office.
Source: Telegraph
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