From the Publisher
"A page-turning journey of radical transformation with rare insights into the dysfunction of Wall Street and our achievement-obsessed culture, written with a level of honesty and depth that is rare for any author, let alone a former hedge-fund trader!”—Jack Canfield, bestselling co-author of the CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL series
"Beyond a cautionary tale on wealth addiction and the toxic culture of Wall Street, For The Love of Money is also a tender and clear story of the transformation of a soul in search of self and healing. Along with a vivid entry into the world of a hedge fund trader, the reader finds resonance in Sam Polk's excavation of his essential wound and is likewise brought into the bright light of wholeness."—Gregory Boyle, S.J., founder of Homeboy Industries and New York Times bestselling author of Tatoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion
“For the Love of Money is one of the most important memoirs of our time. Sam Polk takes us on a journey through the upper echelons of Wall Street, where money and self-worth are often inseparable. Polk shows how he got swept up in a culture of accumulation, and how he managed to extract himself by making peace with his past. Polk’s humility and unflinching honesty offers us hope for tomorrow, and an account of what truly matters. This is a must read.”—Christina McDowell, author of After Perfect: A Daughter's Memoir
"Riveting. Polk has managed to write a fast-paced thriller, while at the same time exploring the pain underneath our desire for money, power, and success with startling honesty, brilliance, and depth. But perhaps the best part (and there are so many best parts in For the Love of Money), is that Polk’s story is a remarkable blueprint of hope and transformation for what comes after greed. I was blown away."—Geneen Roth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Women Food and God
"A compelling, mesmerizing, and deeply psychological memoir. Polk’s journey is both courageous and inspirational, and a reminder to all of us that there are pursuits far more fulfilling than the accumulation of material wealth."—Robin Berman, MD Associate Professor of Psychiatry, UCLA author of Permission to Parent
"I read Sam Polk’s For the Love of Money in one night. It’s an engrossing and important book—required reading for the legions of bright, young students who assume that money brings well-being. As Polk shows, the quest for money never ends, and only becomes more urgent. Instead, enduring happiness comes from a career grounded in passion and meaningfulness. As long as you’re happy and have enough to live on, the rest takes care of itself."—Adam Alter New York Times bestselling author of Drunk Tank Pink and Associate Professor of Marketing and Psychology, New York University Stern School of Business
"Engrossing....A heartfelt andcautionary success story incorporating both the deceptive promises of wealthand the life-changing power of self-awareness."—Kirkus Reviews
"A journey of self-discovery."—Forbes.com
"Compellingly written...unflinchingly honest...a book that seems, on the surface, to be about finding professional fulfillment, ends up being, at its core, about the inner journey Polk undertakes to redefine success."—Forbes
"Part coming-of-age story, part recovery memoir and part exposé of a rotten, money-drenched Wall Street culture."—Salon
"A raw, honest and intimate take on one man's journey in and out of the business...It really gives readers something to think about."—CNBC.com
"Though it glosses at first as a trading desk memoir, [For the Love of Money] is in fact an account of addiction and recovery, similar in structure to classics of the genre such as Jerry Stahl’s 'Permanent Midnight' or Caroline Knapp’s 'Drinking: A Love Story.'...A vivid picaresque...riveting."—NewYorker.com
"Raw...compelling."—The Times (UK)
"Polk's redemptive one-step-forward, one-stepback story, along with his insider's view of Wall Street and the larger issues of income inequality, make for a memoir that's not only revealing but also timely."—BookPage
"This memoir reads like a thriller, and also makes you cry. Staggering."—Richard Price
Adam Alter "New York Times" bestselling author of DRUNK TANK PINK and Associate Professor of Marketi
"I read Sam Polk’s For the Love of Money in one night. It’s an engrossing and important book—required reading for the legions of bright, young students who assume that money brings well-being. As Polk shows, the quest for money never ends, and only becomes more urgent. Instead, enduring happiness comes from a career grounded in passion and meaningfulness. As long as you’re happy and have enough to live on, the rest takes care of itself."
Robin Berman
"A compelling, mesmerizing, and deeply psychological memoir. Polk’s journey is both courageous and inspirational, and a reminder to all of us that there are pursuits far more fulfilling than the accumulation of material wealth."
Geneen Roth
"Riveting. Polk has managed to write a fast-paced thriller, while at the same time exploring the pain underneath our desire for money, power, and success with startling honesty, brilliance, and depth. But perhaps the best part (and there are so many best parts in For the Love of Money), is that Polk’s story is a remarkable blueprint of hope and transformation for what comes after greed. I was blown away."
Christina McDowell
For the Love of Money is one of the most important memoirs of our time. Sam Polk takes us on a journey through the upper echelons of Wall Street, where money and self-worth are often inseparable. Polk shows how he got swept up in a culture of accumulation, and how he managed to extract himself by making peace with his past. Polk’s humility and unflinching honesty offers us hope for tomorrow, and an account of what truly matters. This is a must read.
Gregory Boyle
"Beyond a cautionary tale on wealth addiction and the toxic culture of Wall Street, For The Love of Money is also a tender and clear story of the transformation of a soul in search of self and healing. Along with a vivid entry into the world of a hedge fund trader, the reader finds resonance in Sam Polk's excavation of his essential wound and is likewise brought into the bright light of wholeness."
Jack Canfield
"A page-turning journey of radical transformation with rare insights into the dysfunction of Wall Street and our achievement-obsessed culture, written with a level of honesty and depth that is rare for any author, let alone a former hedge-fund trader!
Library Journal
02/01/2016
Former hedge fund trader Polk relates when he realized that pursuing wealth had become an unhealthy obsession, even an addiction, as he described it in a 2014 front-page feature in the New York Times Sunday Review that went viral. Given a $3.75 million annual bonus, he was initially angry because it seemed too small. Disgusted with himself and the shallow culture of the financial world, he turned his back on it all. Now he runs two nonprofits.
Kirkus Reviews
2016-05-01
A former Wall Street hedge fund trader's transformative turnabout from greed to philanthropy. Raised in Southern California by a doting mother and a crass, dismissive father, Polk grew up dreaming of the day when the need for money wouldn't dictate his every choice. In his engrossing debut memoir, the author retraces his beginnings as an overweight youth mercilessly bullied at summer camp and protective of his twin brother, Ben. Polk reinvented himself in high school, and his competitive nature matured as he became voraciously determined to outshine Ben in grades, sports, and dates. Acceptance at Columbia University further fed his overachievement fixation, though things almost derailed after bouts of bulimia, a suspension for theft, and problems involving drugs and alcohol. The memoir picks up narrative tension once Polk shifts his attention to his early 20s, during which his motivation and greed began to surmount his better judgment. A summer internship on a frantic stock market trading floor fueled a drive to succeed in business. Once he was hired on Wall Street, the salary and exorbitant bonuses became intoxicants to Polk, who became addicted to money with an eagerness to adopt the "easy confidence of millionaires." The author writes with sincerity and passion, traversing over the increasing trouble his greed immersed him in, though it's clear his behavior is derived more from a self-sabotaging, deep-seated psychological need to accumulate wealth, validation, and for "someone to tell me I was worth being taken care of." Though Polk impressively aced the Wall Street learning curve and became a high-ranking senior trader, his introspection brought his insatiable avarice, maltreatment of women, and general misery into stark focus. This epiphany, somewhat rare for a self-made millionaire, inspired him to break away and embark on more personally enriching and rewarding humanitarian ventures like the food, education, and empowerment-building program he founded for families in low-income communities. A heartfelt and cautionary success story incorporating both the deceptive promises of wealth and the life-changing power of self-awareness.
