Monday, February 2, 2015

Giveaway - God's Bankers - Gerald Posner

Here's a giveaway for the non fiction fans out there. God's Bankers: A History of Money and Power at the Vatican by Gerald Posner is newly realeased and thanks to Simon and Schuster, I have a copy to giveaway to one randomly chosen reader.

From the publisher:

"A deeply reported, fast-paced exposé of the money and the cardinals-turned-financiers at the heart of the Vatican—the world’s biggest, most powerful religious institution—from an acclaimed journalist with “exhaustive research techniques” (The New York Times).

From a master chronicler of legal and financial misconduct, a magnificent investigation nine years in the making, this book traces the political intrigue and inner workings of the Catholic Church. Decidedly not about faith, belief in God, or religious doctrine, this book is about the church’s accumulation of wealth and its byzantine entanglements with financial markets across the world.

Told through 200 years of prelates, bishops, cardinals, and the Popes who oversee it all, Gerald Posner uncovers an eyebrow-raising account of money and power in perhaps the most influential organization in the history of the world. God’s Bankers has it all: a rare exposé and an astounding saga marked by poisoned business titans, murdered prosecutors, mysterious deaths of private investigators, and questionable suicides; a carnival of characters from Popes and cardinals, financiers and mobsters, kings and prime ministers; and a set of moral and political circumstances that clarify not only the church’s aims and ambitions, but reflect the larger dilemmas of the world’s more recent history. And Posner even looks to the future to surmise if Pope Francis can succeed where all his predecessors failed: to overcome the resistance to change in the Vatican’s Machiavellian inner court and to rein in the excesses of its seemingly uncontrollable financial quagmire. Part thriller, part financial tell-all, this book shows with extraordinary precision how the Vatican has evolved from a foundation of faith to a corporation of extreme wealth and power."

Sound like a book you'd like to own? I have a copy to giveaway to a randomly chosen winner. Simply leave a comment to be entered. Open to US only, no PO boxes please.  Ends Feb 14/15.

14 comments:

bermudaonion said...

My mom might like this, so I'll enter for her. Thanks for the giveaway!

kathy(at)bermudaonion.net

traveler said...

This book would be fascinating. Thanks for this great giveaway. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

petite said...

A most interesting book which I would enjoy greatly. Many thanks. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

This is a book that my dad would like to read so I am entering for him. Thanks for the giveaway!

mdcast1972 at gmail dot com

Maureen said...

I enjoy some non-fiction occasionally and this looks like a good one.
mce1011 AT aol DOT com

Carl Scott said...

Sounds like a wonderful non-fiction read. I'm very interested in winning a copy. Thanks

Grandma Cootie said...

We have heard so many rumors about what goes on at the Vatican. It would be interesting to see what this book might reveal.
sallycootie@gmail.com

James Doud said...

Sounds like a great read, can not wait to see who wins, and will definitely look for it, win, lose or draw.

KAS said...

I first found this book on goodreads, and I was immediately interested...I've been reading a lot more non-fiction lately. Thanks for the great choices for features and the plentiful giveaways here on the blog, Luanne. Best wishes, Kara S
shamy at post dot harvard dot edu

Margie said...

This sounds like an intriguing expose. Thanks for the giveaway.
mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com

beth said...

This looks like a book that I would love to read.
dez3b(at)yahoo(dot)com

Unknown said...

I have read the reviews on this book and I believe it gives more details to things that are known but things that some would hope to that all of us would forget. I want the books so that I have a source to point. I make comments online. I try to be positive and point to solutions and support those who are attempting to make changes. My suspicion is that Francis will do better if he gets rid of the bank. Just Christ did not intend to found an earthly kingdom, the Catholic Church does not need a bank and would do much better without one. That is what I would do with the book.

Patti V said...

This looks very interesting!!

G Chen said...

It may well be that the Pope is not aware of all of the financial dealings of the Church. Certain high-level subordinates and even some local officials may have engaged in unethical, or at least unauthorized, dealings either for personal gain or even with good intentions. Indeed, the tremendous power wielded by religious entities in history is not unique to the Church. Furthermore, investigative reporters or historians are often biased perhaps unwittingly. For example, I wonder whether the author of this book reads Italian, or German, or merely relied on translations by other sources.