The Age of Cryptocurrency

How Bitcoin and Digital Money Are Challenging the Global Economic Order

By: Paul Vigna, Michael J. Casey

Narrated by: Sean Pratt

Length: 14 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

Bitcoin became a buzzword overnight. A cyber enigma with an enthusiastic following, it pops up in headlines and fuels endless media debate. You can apparently use it to buy anything from coffee to cars, yet few people seem truly to understand what it is. This raises the question: Why should anyone care about bitcoin?

In The Age of Cryptocurrency, Wall Street journalists Paul Vigna and Michael J. Casey deliver the definitive answer to this question. Cyber money is poised to launch a revolution, one that could reinvent traditional financial and social structures while bringing the world's billions of "unbanked" individuals into a new global economy. Cryptocurrency holds the promise of a financial system without a middleman, one owned by the people who use it and one safeguarded from the devastation of a 2008-type crash.

But bitcoin, the most famous of the cyber monies, carries a reputation for instability, wild fluctuation, and illicit business; some fear it has the power to eliminate jobs and to upend the concept of a nation-state. It implies, above all, monumental and wide-reaching change--for better and for worse. But it is here to stay, and you ignore it at your peril.

Vigna and Casey demystify cryptocurrency--its origins, its function, and what you need to know to navigate a cyber economy. The digital currency world will look very different from the paper currency world; The Age of Cryptocurrency will teach you how to be ready.

©2015 Paul Vigna and Michael J. Casey (P)2015 Gildan Media LLC

Critic reviews

" The Age of Cryptocurrency not only demystifies and explains bitcoin, but also shows where it fits into the cultural zeitgeist and where it's pointed, and what that may mean for our financial system." (John Mauldin, New York Times best-selling author of Endgame)

Extremely well written, clear, interesting

Sean Pratt does an excellent job reading Vigna and Casey's extremely well written text. The authors explain a range of challenging technical concepts well enough for non-techies to grasp.

Insightful and Informative Second Half

Front-end origin story rehash was painful to skip through ( a necessary evil to be deemed a thorough piece), but it was followed by a very worthwhile insightful and informative back half of the book.

Informative and interesting

Very informational and educational on cryptocurrancy. Worth buying and learning where the future of money is heading.

Awesome information

Awesome information to challenge the common beliefs and misconception of this invention. I endorse this message.

Good Overview of Cryptocurrency

This book is like a history book of the technology of decentralization and its coins, cryptocurrencies. It mainly talks about the inception of bitcoin, and it follows the worldwide phenomenon of Bitcoin and the impacts it has had up to the year it was published. And in the fast cryptocurrency world, it feels like it's been forever so it felt a bit outdated however, one cannot deny the overall good information that it has.

It is very well written with the non techies in mind, but even so, it can be a bit hard to follow since it decentralized technology is technical in nature. With that said, if you have no idea what cryptocurrency or decentralized technology is, or you want to know more about it, then this book is for you.

A balanced thought provoking book

An excellent accounting of bitcoin beyond the hype and naysayers. I learned a lot from this book.

Thorough review of subject

Thorough analysis of bitcoin and cryptocurrency. A good read for those seeking to understand more about this topic and its potential implications on the economy.

Good information but slightly outdated

this book is a good listen for anyone that wants a general understanding of crypto currancy.

Read it or listen to it but don't pass this one up

This is a must read/listen!

Published in 2015, Bitcoin was trading in the $375 range. Today it’s closer to $18,500 range. The writers are very balanced on the future of cryptocurrencies but I think the recent run up should demonstrate the strength of Bitcoin. Others are beginning to take off as well. While Bitcoin is discussed at some length, the blockchain is examined in depth as well and I think that is the most interesting subject matter in this book.

I’m recommending this one to everyone I know!

Enjoyed 90% of the book

If you could sum up The Age of Cryptocurrency in three words, what would they be?

Currency without Borders

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Age of Cryptocurrency?

I left the book understanding why a crypto currency like Bit Coin would be of use in a world with too many currencies already.

Any additional comments?

The book is an entertaining and informative read. For the most part he did a good job of being unemotional, or opinionated and just gave the facts. He editorializes some near the end of the book with his opinions on the financial issues of 2008. The book would have been better without but that is less then 5% of the book.