The House of Dimon: How JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon Rose to the Top of the Financial World

by Patricia Crisafulli

A behind-the-scenes look at Wall Street's top banker Following the eleventh-hour rescue of Bear Stearns by JP Morgan, Jamie Dimon's profile reached stratospheric levels. And while the deals and decisions he's made have usually turned out to be the right ones, his journey to the top of the financial world has been anything but easy.

Now, in The House of Dimon, former business journalist Patricia Crisafulli goes behind the scenes to recount the amazing events that have shaped Dimon's career, from his rise to prominence as Sandy Weill's protŽgŽ at Citigroup to the drama surrounding his purchase of Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual. Each step of the way, this engaging book provides insider accounts of how Dimon successfully acquired and integrated companies, created efficiencies, and grew bottom-line results as the consummate hands-on manager.

Includes interviews with Dimon himself, Sandy Weill, and colleagues who've known Dimon over the course of his career Shows how Dimon's management style and talent for taking calculated risks have allowed him to excel where many others have failed Places Dimon in the context of contemporary Wall Street, an environment that has destroyed several top CEOs During one of the most difficult and tumultuous periods in Wall Street history, Jamie Dimon has survived and thrived. The House of Dimon reveals how he's done it and explores what lies ahead for Dimon, as he attempts to grow JPMorgan in the face of the unrelenting pressures of Wall Street.

Genres: Business, Biography, Nonfiction

260 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 6, 2009

About the author

Crisafulli grew up in northern New York State near the Canadian border and worked as a journalist in New York City before settling in Chicago, where she was a reporter and correspondent for Reuters. Her work has appeared in a variety of media, including The Wall Street Journal and The Christian Science Monitor, and she is currently a featured blogger for Huffington Post.

Crisafulli also is the creative force behind what she calls her labor of love, Faith, Hope, and Fiction, a free, bimonthly literary ezine that features fiction, poetry, and essays.

Reviews

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember watching Louis Rukeyser on Wall Street Week with Louis Rukeyser on Public Television. Sandy Weil and Jamie Dimon were frequent guests on the show both as interviews and on discussion panels.

Crisafulli covers Dimon’s work history but provides very little information about his early life or education. The author provides a brief summary of his personal life near the end of the book. It appears that Dimon is one of the few business men that not only has the ability to do strategic planning but also tactical planning and implementation. In other words, he is able to see the big picture but also able to implement the actions and do the daily operation of a business. I found the detailed discussion of his restructure of Bank One most interesting.

The book is well written and the research was meticulous. My only complaint is there was a bit too much repetition. I found the book most interesting and the information about Dimon during the 2008 recession most informative. Patricia Crisafulli is a journalist and the book is written in the manner typical of an investigative journalist.

Suzanne Toren does an excellent job narrating the book and is a multi-award winning audiobook narrator.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not the first book I’ve read about the great Jamie Dimon, and it certainly won’t be the last. The book does an excellent job of clearly illustrating what makes Dimon such an exceptional leader and how he’s managed to grow JPMorgan Chase into the powerhouse it is today, setting himself apart from his peers. Though it’s been 15 years since the book was written, Dimon remains at the top of his game, truly the greatest in his field. While the book’s narrative flow felt somewhat disjointed, it effectively captured the key traits that have driven his success at every stage of his career.

[James Austin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had trouble finishing the book, since after awhile it read like a never-ending Wikipedia’ish puff piece. I enjoy learning about leaders, feeling Jamie Dimon is a great one in his industry. Regardless, after awhile the book seemed to become sycophantic. It’s accurate and well-thought out and to others might be a great read…but I wasn’t entirely into it.

[Ruben Figueroa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book details the span of Jamie Dimon’s career and the expectations working for J.P. Morgan.

[Joshua Duran]

Audible Audiobook

[Jasmine Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good biography.

[M Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

This reads like a clip job of other articles and books on Dimon. If you know his story, you won't learn anything new. If you don't know anything, it is mostly factually accurate.

[Tim Slomka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Needs an updated version. There needs to be a section on cons to Jamie as well. He's not perfect, and the book goes into that a little bit, but also sounds too much praise for him.

[Troy Poulin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but a bit repetitive.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book covers a good overview of Dimon's life as well as the history of JPM. However, personally, I would have preferred it more if the book were written in a more neutral tone.