This is an amazingly thorough reference that should be on the bookshelf of every banker and MBA student. Barrons does a very thorough job.

I found it wanting in only one area. Some of the newer products like total return swaps and credit derivatives whiched surged in volume last year aren't covered.

I highly recommend: "Credit Derivatives" by Tavakoli if you need more on these important banking products.

Working in an IT company catering to bankers I bought this book to help understand their lingo. I have to say it hasn't disappointed yet. It is also very up to date the latest IT/banking terms. If you were to read all the definitions in this book you would probably know more than you banker. A great reference. Buy it!

This can almost be considered an inexpensive textbook. It not only defines, but explains the terms in a simple, easy to understand format. Although in dictionary form, it consistently relates the terms to one another so the reader will understand how the concepts interwind. Includes financial and banking terms.

White Oleander exposes truth about a subject rarely written about, the plight of a little girl in foster care. It reveals the harsh reality of what these children go through in a smart, sensitive and painfully truthful manner.

Ingrid is a woman who prides herself on being stong and dominant. Manipulative and cold she has never allowed herself to feel any real positive emotion for fear it will make her weak. She teaches her young daughter:" We are the Vikings, we are the ones who sacked Rome.", and to never apologize, never explain. She meets a man and falls in love for the first time. Her lover leaves her and she gets revenge. She poisons him and is sent to prison for life. Meanwhile she leaves behind a young, vulnerable , innocent daughter who is not wise to the survival instincts of her mother.

White Oleander shows us the foster hell this child goes through and how she finds ways to survive. It speaks of the strength of the human spirit, Ingrid must survive prison life and Astrid must endure foster hell. She encounters memorable yet sad charactes such a Starr, a bible thumping mama who is all but saintly and Claire a neglected housewife who shows Astrid what true love is really all about. Rena shows Astrid about the ways of the world.

White Oleander is beautifully written and the author displays wisdom far beyond her years. It is a novel of the highest quality and will stay with you long after you've read it.

White Oleander by Janet Fitch was a captivating book. By tying together themes from mother daughter bonds to love affairs, it had something for everyone. All 469 pages are worth reading. Don't by intimidated by its length, it'll be over and have you begging for more in no time.
The book starts out with Ingrid, an accomplished poet and her daughter living happily together. Astrid, Ingrid's daughter is a budding artist following in the shadows of her artist father who left her and her mother when she was young. The plot starts when Ingrid, who is accused of killing her boyfriend Barry, is sent to jail leaving her 12 yr. old daughter Astrid in the hands of social workers and foster homes. Astrid, throughout the course of six years, is passed through a series of foster homes. Each foster home brings with it a foster mother, who in some way, whether it physical, emotional or even spiritual leaves a mark in Astrid's life. Bullet shots to suicides, Astrid learns to adjust to her life and live with whatever comes her way. While being tossed around from foster homes, Astrid also sends and receives letters to and from her mother. Along with an occasional visit, the letters are basically the only connection Astrid has with her mother. Even through letters her mother tries to control her life. By the end of the book Astrid realizes she only wants to be independent from her mother. Astrid forms a strong bond with one of her foster mothers and thinks she's found her true home. But after ending in tragedy, Astrid is devastated and gives up hope. She returns to the group foster home where she forms a relationship with a fellow foster care child and artist Paul Trout. After She is adopted by a Latin woman, where she is forced to rummage through trash and sell all her expensive clothing bought by her recent foster mother, she still writes Paul letters and maintains a relationship of sorts with him. With Rena, the Latin foster mother, and two other girls whom she has adopted, Astrid is forced to work at flea markets and sell all her cherished items. Astrid let's go of all her hopes at this point, and learns to live with who and how she is.
Astrid is faced with starvation, bullet holes, dog attacks, cruel foster mothers, drugs and horrid social workers throughout the book. It was a very interesting book and kept me reading till' the last page. Its constant flow of action and drama was its alluring characteristic. Astrid's character was well detailed and developed.The plot was realistic and fascinating; it made you feel sorry in a sense for foster children. It makes you wonder if children really go through as much as Astrid does.
I recommend reading the book, even though the endings are different, before viewing the movie. The book is much more interesting and detailed and lets you visualize things your way instead of the director's way. Also, the movie depicts Ingrid as an artist instead of a poet, which sort of takes away from Astrid's artwork in my opinion. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good dramatic story.

I picked up this book at my local library after reading an excerpt on Amazon.com. Because I work more than 40 hours a week plus have a family, I read very few books for pleasure. This one, I just couldn't put down! First of all, the author very much captures the look, feel and even smells of Los Angeles--right down to the varieties of architecture. Then second, Astrid is the epitome of how girls in our society really try to fit in--regardless of how horrific their environment may be. Life has taught me over and over that "truth is stranger than fiction", so I don't agree with other readers that the many awful events that happened to Astrid strained the book's credibility. I also don't agree that the ending was weak! In fact, I reread it several times because I loved how Astrid had found a way to compartmentalize, express and thus redeem the various experiences of her life. And I think it's okay that we don't know how her relationships with her boyfriend and with her mother will work out! The best books end ambiguously, leaving the reader to imagine what happens next. This book will become a classic!

I purchased this book to gain a better understanding of the industry as a whole. It served it's purpose! I am new to working in banking and I will have to learn how my bank operates, but now I can ask the right questions to speed up the process.

Includes a lot of information about banking but not in much detail. A handy reference afterall. But for the folks who want more in depth knowledge into banking, go for a larger volume.