Jeff Madrick · The New York Review of Books
At the Heart of the Crash
A review of The Big Short examines Michael Lewis’s account of the mortgage crisis.
2005–2008 · New York and California
The housing crash & The Big Short
Financial crises & corporate fraud
A group of investors questioned the mortgage market’s apparent strength and bet against securities tied to risky home loans. Their perspective became one way to examine the housing crash and the failures of financial institutions. The story also sits within a crisis that cost many Americans homes and livelihoods.
Content note
Source note: screen portrayals may condense events or use fictional characters. Books and films are identified separately; a companion book is not necessarily the film’s source.
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The Story
When2005–2008
WhereNew York and California
In this collection4 resources
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Blogs & Essays
Read our articles here and explore outside perspectives, credited to their writers and publications. See this case in the Journal →
From the journal
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Blogs & essays
1 itemsAbout these sources
Outside essays and reading guides reflect their authors’ perspectives. Compare claims with reported and primary sources.
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Books
CONTINUE YOUR READING
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Books
1 itemsMichael Lewis
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
Nonfiction source book identified in the American Film Institute catalog. The film changes some names and compresses events.
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Movies & TV
Movies
1 itemsAbout these sources
Watch links, previews and title listings are identified below. Rentals or subscriptions may be required.
Film / television guide
The Big Short (2015)
Dramatized portrayal of these events. Film information and availability are provided by the linked source; dialogue and chronology may differ from the historical record.
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TV & documentaries
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Fiction Work · 1 adaptations & inspirations
Fiction Work
Browse all →Scripted stories and fictional inspirations. Scenes, characters, and dialogue can differ from the record.
Film / television guide
The Big Short (2015)
Dramatized portrayal of these events. Film information and availability are provided by the linked source; dialogue and chronology may differ from the historical record.
Search Amazon · paid linkViewing options & film details
Title search; Amazon availability is not confirmed. Check the edition, format, and viewing region.
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Podcasts & Audio
Podcasts
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Social Media
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News & Reading
Free & Library Reading
1 sourcesExplore free articles, book previews and library options. The label on each item explains what you can access; a catalog entry does not mean the whole book is free.
Library of Congress · Free Article
Dot-com & Real Estate Bubbles - Business Booms, Busts, & Bubbles: A Resource Guide on Economic Manias & Crashes
Publicly accessible source material and historical context related to this story.
Read Article ↗Reading Access Notes
Search reviewed 2026-09-15. Sources searched: Google Books, Internet Archive, Open Library, Library of Congress, Smithsonian Magazine, The Atavist Magazine. Search indexing is incomplete; this is not an exhaustive list of the web. Access can change by edition, country and library membership. Library loans may require sign-in or a wait.
A separate Texas Monthly search was blocked by the publisher’s automated-access rules and could not be verified.
News & reporting
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Newspaper clippings
0 itemsFeatured newspaper clipping
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Internet Archive
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Court & Files
Court records & documents
1 itemsAbout these sources
Documents are labeled by type and scope. Allegations in filings are not findings of guilt. This collection is not the complete case file.
Court document
Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission report
The official inquiry examines causes of the financial and economic crisis from a broader perspective than the investors followed in the book and film.
Historical source
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Roads Traveled
Roads Traveled
Open case map →New York and California. The map provides regional context; individually verified historical places are listed below.
Where this story happened
New York and California
Highlighted states show regional context, not exact addresses. Ontario and regions outside the contiguous U.S. are listed by name.
Explore the interactive case atlas →Boundaries: Natural Earth · public domain
Location research & source notes
This case was added after the September 14 map-source review and has not yet been checked against those sources.
The map shows regional context for this case. No individually sourced historical place is included below.
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Positive Outcome
Positive Outcome
0 itemsAbout these sources
Documented laws, advocacy and reforms. Listing a change does not claim it is effective or universally supported.
No case-specific reform has been verified for this collection yet.
Social Media
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