Truth and Consequences

This is the story of the Bernie Madoff crisis and scandal.  I know we all know this story and it is out of the news now but I ran across the book this week and sat down to see what it was.  I was pulled in and by the way Sandell writes the story.  It reads almost like you are friends with the family and you are talking to them about what happened.  This is the personal side of what happened to children and grandchildren who did not question their rise to the top.  Who believed in their father and his business abilities and were not prepared for their fall to the bottom.

Laurie Sandell the author of this non fiction book relates to the family she is writing about and believes their view of events.  She also found herself in a similar situation when she discovered her father also had been practicing a financial fraud.  So she brings across a feeling of believability to this book that makes you want to see it from that point of view.

It is interesting because the reader can feel you are a voyeur without fear of getting caught.  Like the paparazzi that followed the family to bring the public pictures of them we can read this story in safety and not feel guilty for peeking.

But in the end, I will say that, I do feel sorry for Madoff's sons and their families.  Each son has an ex-wife and children from those marriages that were still very much a part of their everyday lives. They also had a current relationship with a woman.  All the women cared very much and were not in these relationships for the money.  The grandchildren were affected just by sharing the last name.

Each son suffered in their own personal way and reacted to the situation differently.  Andrew seemed to have been able to try and get his life back on track and create a better atmosphere for his children and fiance Catherine.  Though he has passed away from cancer since this book was written.

Unfortunately, Mark reacted much more harshly to the discovery of his father's deceit, and could not recover emotionally.  It is no spoiler to say that he took his own life in 2010.  But you feel his pain when you read this book.