Rating: 
Summary: A delightful read
Review: This book is an excellent journalistic account of Alan Greenspan's life up to the first part of 2000 - the zenith of his career and fame.The book is not a serious biography. You will be disappointed if you expect the book to give you a deep and insightful analysis of Greenspan's life philosophy, his work methodology, or a revelation of the detail working of the Federal Reserve System. On the other hand, this book is a fascinating account of his life - both its private and public sides. Greenspan's brush with band music, his own economic consulting business which employed mostly female economists, his relationship with Ayn Rand and as an esteemed member of her Objectivist Collective, his role and relationship with the Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush and the Clinton teams. There are also some vivid accounts of how he handled some high profile financial and monetary situations as well as how he left his handprints on several important presidential commission reports and recommendations. And, of course, the book has not neglected to give brief but interesting accounts of the women in his life. This book is very well written - the material is interesting and well organized, and presentation is smooth and captivating. I find it to be very enjoyable reading. Read to the end. The last two paragraphs of the book were as weighty as everything written prior!
Rating: 
Summary: We see Greenspan as unique and learn some history
Review: This is a good read. It paints a vivid picture of a very unique individual, from childhood on. The author presents the facts in a reasonably captivating way without drawing conclusions for us. He also gives us a nice review of U.S. economic history without putting us to sleep. A task not easily done.
Rating:
Summary: This is THE book on Greenspan
Review: This is a true biography of the man - who he is and how he became the most respected head of the Federal Reserve Bank. Here is a man who is a principled adherent of free markets and liberty; yet he heads the most powerful means of government intervention in the economy. He has defended the efficacy of the markets over four decades, from his opposition to anti-trust laws to the deregulation of financial institutions. Now he is Chairman of the Federal Reserve. Here is a man who is a passionate believer in the ethical defense of free markets; however, he wins the respect of people with a broad range of views by his tempered rhetoric, patience, and considerate manner. Notably, he has worked with Republican and Democratic administrations as Fed Chairman. Here is a man who maintained close ties to philosophical and ideological political writers while running a profitable economic consultancy involving hard-core statistical modeling of economic predictors. This seemingly complex multi-faceted man is made intelligible through the excellent research of Mr. Martin. I have been reading about Greenspan for over 25 years and I have followed his public career. In addition, we in the finance industry follow his every word. From common acquaintances, I have heard numerous stories about the man that have added the human dimension. From what I know, Mr. Martin has written a fair description of Greenspan's life to date. What emerges is a balanced picture consisting of human development, professional development and public achievements. Martin contrasts Greenspan the other characters that enter the story: Milton Friedman, Richard Nixon, Ayn Rand, Gerald Ford, George Bush, Bill Clinton, Andrea Mitchell, Arthur Burns, etc. There is a priceless story during a meeting of a commission addressing the feasibility of replacing the draft with a volunteer military - there was a confrontation between General Westmoreland on one side and Greenspan and Friedman on the other side. These and other contrasts are used effectively in building a picture of the man.
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