Adults In The Room
My Battle With Europe’s Deep Establishment
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Vintage Publishing
Published:3rd May '18
Should be back in stock very soon

An explosive, headline-making account from the world-famous economist of what happens when you take on the EU establishment
** The Sunday Times #1 Bestseller**
'One of the greatest political memoirs of all time' Guardian
What happens when you take on the European establishment?
** The Sunday Times #1 Bestseller**
'One of the greatest political memoirs of all time' Guardian
What happens when you take on the European establishment?
Read as world-famous, provocative economist, and former Greece finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, blows the lid on his battle with EU officials over the Greek debt crisis.
Varoufakis sparked one of the most spectacular and controversial battles in recent political history with his attempt to renegotiate Greece’s relationship with the European Union. Yet despite the mass support of the Greek people, and simple logic of his arguments, he succeeded only in provoking the fury of Europe’s political, financial and media elite.
Exposing the real business taking place behind the EU’s closed doors, Varoufakis reveals all in this fearless, personal account. Adults In The Room is an extraordinary tale of brinkmanship, hypocrisy, collusion and betrayal that will shake the European and economic establishment to its foundations.
Varoufakis is sending out an urgent wake-up call to renew European democracy before it is too late.
**ONE OF THE GUARDIAN'S 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE 21st CENTURY**
Varoufakis has written one of the greatest political memoirs of all time [and] one of the most accurate and detailed descriptions of modern power ever written * Guardian *
An important, terrifying must-read. In particular, it anatomises the way in which EU leaders operate with a brutal clarity … shocking and ultimately tragic … He gets to the heart of their failure more acutely than anyone … Varoufakis has the greatest political virtues of all – courage and honesty * The Times *
A tremendously indiscreet account … drawing upon his own audio recordings and diaries of top-level meetings. It is deeply personal and very well written * Financial Times *
The most jaw-dropping segments are the accounts of phone calls and closed-door meetings – often verbatim, courtesy of his secret recordings – between ministers and technocrats ... We see duplicity and cynicism ruling supreme .. A convincing critique ... Our own government should take note * Daily Telegraph *
This is a superbly written account of the struggle to alleviate the austerity imposed upon the Greek people by the eurozone. Greece, argues Varoufakis, has been put in a debtors’ prison and robbed of autonomy and dignity for the indefinite future. Critics would argue that he failed as finance minister in 2015 because he was insufficiently politic. More plausibly, he could never have succeeded, such were the vested interests arrayed against him. This outcome was — and is — a tragedy, because he was — and is — right. The bulk of Greek debt should indeed be cancelled outright. Read and weep -- Martin Wolf, Financial Times Summer Reads
Astonishing … not simply a political biography but a reflection on the nature and meaning of power in our times … This really is an important book … you should read it … This book could be a game changer if it shakes we the people from our compliant slumber as passengers within the sinking ship of contemporary high power * Open Democracy *
Riveting … an extraordinary account of low cunning at the heart of Greece’s 2015 financial bailout … Admirably, he eschews denunciations, finding the human in his adversaries, even in his darkest moments * Observer *
A blistering account ... should be required reading for David Davis and the government’s Brexit negotiating team * Scotsman *
A fascinating reveal on the hidden world of what he calls the "deep establishment"… Varoufakis is a master of clarity and, as Theresa May prepares to steer the good ship GB through the dangerous shoals of Brexit, this is an invaluable account of how the political establishment really works * City AM *
One of my few heroes. As long as people like Varoufakis are around, there still is hope -- Slavoj Žižek
- Short-listed for Parliamentary Book Awards 2017 (UK)
ISBN: 9781784705763
Dimensions: 200mm x 131mm x 35mm
Weight: 399g
576 pages