Darryl Cunningham starts his analysis of the 2008 financial crisis from what is considered its philosophical source. THE AGE OF SELFISHNESS: Ayn Rand, Morality, and the Financial Crisis, covers everything in its title and more. Cunningham opens things up with a concise biography of Ayn Rand, whose life, influences and writings make up the bulk of the book’s first part. I’m no expert on Rand or her writings, but the opening section does well in keeping the breakdown on her background fair and even-tempered. After Cunningham creates a foundation for Objectivist politics, economics and philosophy, he follows the ripples of Rand’s influence through the impact left by her immediate circle. This was Rand’s legacy, and contextually important when attempting to understand the source of the financial crisis from which the world is currently attempting to recover.

"Darryl Cunningham puts together a strong narrative.... The story is laid out as fairly and even-handedly as possible."

We quickly learn that Rand had a relatively comfortable early childhood that was taken from her during the Russian Communist Revolution. The explanation of this childhood trauma allows for a natural progression to her later beliefs in Objectivism. As her life and message reached further and further, and as her legend grew, Rand was able to add new facets to her philosophy. These little updates to her ideals, Cunningham shows, were added like footnotes to suit her needs as she grew older. The strongest example is the long affair she conducted with one of her students, despite being married. To skip to the end --- and at the risk of sounding callous --- Rand dies alone, stubborn and hateful to the last.

Without spoiling too much, the book’s second section is a crystal clear look at the details of the global financial crisis. Followers of Rand’s philosophy were by no means evil --- though a majority of the world would likely believe this now. Reading through parts one and two of THE AGE OF SELFISHNESS, it is easy to take away from it a message of cautious moderation. The third part carries us, as understanding people who have come this far, through this message, and shows how we have been distracted, duped and blindsided into blaming opposing political parties, peoples and nations, rather than the greedy men behind worldwide monetary troubles.

Darryl Cunningham puts together a strong narrative --- one so well-researched that in the advance copy, there were still facts being corrected and double-checked near the end of the book. The story is laid out as fairly and even-handedly as possible. The book is almost charming in how it approaches the material therein --- I was able to read in depth on subjects that would normally infuriate me long before I could finish even half of the material. This approach helps make THE AGE OF SELFISHNESS important to understanding how we wound up more worried about money than we have been for decades --- and how we will be for decades to come.