Randall Smith 

Sunday, March 14, 1:00 p.m.

The Prince of Silicon Valley: Frank Quattrone and the Dot-Com Bubble  BUY NOW

The Prince of Silicon Valley traces the rise of the foremost investment banker of the Internet stock-market bubble, from the back streets of South Philadelphia to the peak of finance as the highest paid banker on Wall Street. From Cisco to Netscape to Amazon, Frank Quattrone took some of the biggest names in technology public. During the bubble years of 1999 and 2000, his California-based technology banking group led the most hot initial public offerings, which lifted the entire stock market to record heights.

But after the bubble burst, the hot stocks cooled and ordinary investors lost billions. It emerged that brokers in Quattrone’s firm had created lucrative investment accounts, stuffed with hot IPOs, for banking clients who became known as “Friends of Frank.” Some of the brokers, regulators charged, cut off other investors who refused to pay back a share of their IPO profits.   

The story of Quattrone's fall from grace, however temporary, remains a cautionary tale of ambition gone wrong--of a Wall Street Icarus who flew too close to the sun. The Prince of Silicon Valley is an absorbing noir detective story of the investigations and trials that brought him to the brink of disaster.

The Commonwealth Club presents John Heilemann & Mark Halperin

Monday, March 15, 12:00 p.m.

Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime  BUY NOW

National Semiconductor - Bldg. E, 2900 Semiconductor Drive, Santa Clara

Go behind the scenes of the historic 2008 election and learn more about the riveting book that even Stephen Colbert just can't put down. Political journalists Halperin and Heilemann, discuss in extensive detail the momentous rise of Barack Obama, shocking fall of Hillary Clinton's bid for the White House, and the national phenomenon around John McCain choosing Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate.

From hundreds of interviews with people working inside the '08 campaigns, learn more about the Obama campaign machine, how McCain staffers truly felt about Sarah Palin, and how Hillary Clinton was wooed as secretary of state. Since its debut, Game Change has been one of the most talked about books of the year - skyrocketing to #1 on The New York Times bestsellers list. 

Mark Halperin Editor-at-large and Senior Political Analyst, Time

John Heilemann National Political Correspondent & Columnist, New York magazine

For reservations call 1-800-847-7730 or register online at https://tickets.commonwealthclub.org/open.asp?show=1693 

Lionel Shriver

Monday, March 15, 7:30 p.m.

So Much for That: A Novel  BUY NOW

From the acclaimed author of the New York Times bestselling novel The Post-Birthday World comes a searing, deeply humane new novel about the tragic costs of the American healthcare system.

Shep Knacker discovered long ago that the same money that lasts one year in Westchester lasts 10 in the Developing World. That lesson has guided him towards fulfilling the dream of moving. Yet instead of Tanzania, Shep is stuck in New York, thanks to the foot-dragging of his wife, Glynis. With no exit date in sight, the 48-year-old Shep reluctantly returns to the company he founded as an employee. Angry and humiliated, he gives Glynis an ultimatum: he’s leaving for Tanzania, with or without her.

Glynis, too, has news: she has cancer. Shep cannot abandon her now; in addition to his love and support, she needs his health insurance. But this “health insurance company from hell” only partially covers the staggering bills, and suddenly this once well-off family is hurtling toward bankruptcy.

So Much for That takes a hard look at America’s healthcare “system,” and poses the disturbing moral question that affects more of us each day: How much is one life worth? 

Photo Credit: Suki Dhanda