"The authors offer a valuable new perspective by focusing on the tragicomic miscues of the people who were ostensibly meant to “govern” out-of-control managements... The authors write in a nonpedantic, readable style, and they don’t mince words....In the wake of the global economic debacle, the name of the game for authors of business books is assigning blame. Many recent books have pointed accusatory fingers at the problems of specific firms like Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers and Fannie Mae, and of certain executives. But "Money for Nothing” casts a much wider net, blaming the financial crisis on a systemic collapse of corporate democracy caused by the failure of many if not most corporate boards to simply do their jobs."

Harry Hurt III, The New York Times, January 17, 2010

William D. Cohan, author of House of Cards, a book about the dramatic collapse of Bear Stearns, recently interviewed Money for Nothing co-author John Gillespie on bloggingheads.tv

BOROWITZ: You mention that some corporate boards seem to like having celebrities around the table–the most inappropriate (or appropriate, now that I think about it) example being O.J. Simpson, who served on the board of a knife company [The Forschner Group]. What do you make of the mutual attraction between boards and famous people?

GILLESPIE: Some CEOs want sports and entertainment celebrities with little or no relevant experience in the boardroom because they add a kind of prestige, ask few questions and are especially prone to agreeing with management, although some might have difficulty operating unfamiliar business equipment such as a rubber stamp.

In addition to O.J., who also served on the audit committee of Infinity Broadcasting before a jailhouse resignation, my favorite examples are Elvis's ex-spouse, the actress and perfume promoter Priscilla Presley, who has served on the compensation committee at MGM; and Lance Armstrong, who left the board of Morgans Hotel Group in 2008 after missing every single one of the eleven board meetings the previous year.

Read more at Fortune online .

“It's hard to imagine a more important or perfectly timed book than Money for Nothing. The reporting and research are impressive, the cool ferocity of the critique entirely persuasive. John Gillespie and David Zweig, a pair of blue-chip capitalist insiders, are the perfect whistleblowers for our shockingly corrupt and dysfunctional corporate system.”

Kurt Andersen, author of Reset and Heyday, columnist, former editor-in-chief of New York Magazine, co-founder and editor of Spy, and host of public radio’s Studio 360

"Money for Nothing: How the Failure of Corporate Boards Is Ruining American Business and Costing Us Trillions" is the best book on boards I have ever read, with details of board actions—and inactions—that would be hilarious if they were not so tragic. The authors understand that when a CEO talks about how "supportive" his board is, this is not a good thing. They understand that a board that cannot say no to the CEO on excessive pay is not going to suddenly become brave when it comes to approving strategy or overseeing the financial reports. "Even well-intentioned directors find themselves hopelessly compromised, badly conflicted, and essentially powerless." As gripping as a novel, this is by far the most thoughtful analysis I have seen of what went wrong, why it went wrong, and what to do to make it possible for boards to perform the functions our system depends on them to do.”

Nell Minow, Editor and Co-Founder of The Corporate Library, co-author of Corporate Governance, frequent Congressional hearing witness, subject of Oct. 12, 2009 New Yorker profile.

“Rarely have I opened a book and enjoyed every minute of the next several hours of reading. There are so many aspects of the elusive nature of the modern US director that are sketched with real life insight, precise observation and literary grace that Money for Nothing will be a classic for many years to come.”

Robert A.G. Monks, founder of Institutional Shareholder Services and Lens Governance Advisors; chairman of the board of Governance for Owners – G40; and co-author of Corporate Governance, 4th Edition

“Please read Money for Nothing. This brilliant book properly shines the light of day on the true enablers of the systematic looting of the American shareholder and the financial crisis that brought our economy to its knees. I predict Money for Nothing will prove a world changer for humiliated investors and those corporate directors who betrayed them.”

Frederick E. (Shad) Rowe, founder and president of Investors for Director Accountability, General Partner of Greenbrier Partners investment firm and former chair of the Texas Pension Review Board