Leg The Spread: A Woman's Adventures Inside The Trillion-dollar Boys' Club Of Commoditiestrading

by Cari Lynn

Based on the author's own firsthand experiences as a clerk on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, this entertaining look into the world of commodities trading celebrates the handful of hard-hitting, resourceful, and determined women who are making a success in the ultimate boy's club. Reprint. 17,500 first printing.

Genres: Nonfiction, Finance

320 pages, Paperback

First published October 5, 2004

Reviews

[Tina · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated, hated, hated this book. It opened with a good story that was never linked up. The first 100+ pages talked about the author's fear of walking out onto the training floor. I was so frustrated. I wish that I could get back the time that I wasted reading this book. The rest of my book club didn't even finish it.

[Jina · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting contrast to several books I've read about Wall Street traders. This focuses on Chicago commodities traders, mainly at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange ("the Merc") and also at the Chicago Board of Trade. The book talks mainly about the culture, which sounds even worse than Wall Street.

She describes in vivid detail how the Merc is filthy, how the traders there break all the rules (no spitting, no littering, no threatening other traders), but the rules are strictly enforced against any women on the floor (no open-toed shoes, your skirt's too short, etc.). She also describes how trading gets people hooked on the money even while it makes them miserable, and it warps their view of the world (asking women to take off their shirts for thousands of dollars).

On the bright side, one woman trader at the CBOT managed to enforce some level of civility in her trading pit (wheat futures). Cari Lynn is a capable writer but no Michael Lewis, so there's no deeper analysis here, just a description of the scum on the surface.

[James · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a disappointing book,
the author doesn't say anything about how this business works,
she just talks about the rowdy atmosphere, her fears,
and a lot of the book is about her eating and drinking with others.

Just a lot of blather.

And the press reviews!!!
Give me a break, nothing sexy here, or anything else of interest.

[Cory Deckard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bit partial in my rating because the subject matter is reflective of what I do for a living. Overall, I enjoyed the authors perspective not only on trading but the culture of trading and the industry as a whole.

[Gail Mclinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an intriguing look at the good old boys club of commodity trading from a women's perspective. It helps to understand the foundation of commodities trading, the harsh environment, the unforgiving atmosphere and the coping methods used by both men and women in making it through trading.

I liked here journalistic perspective, as well as her lay person's point of view that helps hone in the "real" world of commodity trading in the pits.

I highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in commodity trading as a career, especially women. It is vital to understand your motivations, your responses and the way the futures/options markets grew up...

[Thomson Kneeland · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting set of vignettes and stories in the trading pits of Chicago. Interesting to hear about the different personalities she encountered and all their quirks, as well as trials and tribulations. No this is not a book about trading, but for someone that has no experience in that world, it's interesting to get a sense of how the things operate in the trading pits.

[Kelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very insightful, and I did learn a lot about trading, namely how scary a world it is for a woman. But, there was a lot of details about trading that I could have done without. A trader or someone who wants to trade would really love this book.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book!

[Carley Garner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ms. Lynn puts an interesting spin on the word of commodities and the increading role that women are playing in it.

[MikeFromQueens · Rating 3 out of 5]

A somewhat interesting look into into the commodities and futures trading business. I enjoyed the author's picking up of new friends which provided new and different insights.

[Laury]

Written by my cousin

[Hanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally Chicago-centric.

[Lori Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

A should-read autobiography on women in business.