“A scathing indictment of white-collar crime and its unpunished practitioners . . . In this steely-eyed examination of these brazen criminals, Taub holds that this lack of effective punishment merely encourages the wealthy to prey on the rest of society . . . A significant manifesto for judicial reform that aims at cracking the cabal of big-money grifters at the top.”

“The United States is drowning in dirty money; we’ve constructed a two-tiered system of civil and criminal justice, of corruption and campaign finance; of bailouts and bankruptcies. Jennifer Taub ably and cogently strips bare the racism and the regulatory failures that have made America’s wealthiest predators too big to fail and too spectacular to jail. Anyone worried about the current failures of accounting and accountability, and how these failures shape politics, elections, journalism and justice should take notice.”—

“In the corporate and political worlds, Taub finds a rampant crime wave, touching more than our financial markets and the halls of Congress. It intrudes into our daily lives, threatening our health, food, environment, and well-being. Sweeping and comprehensive, her work culminates in a groundbreaking series of imaginative solutions to refocus our efforts on combating elite crime to help American society recover.”

“A stimulating and provocative book that challenges the current administration on its handling of white collar crimes. It sets the stage for change.”

“Donald Trump’s time as president has shown that there are different standards for those in power—a ruling class that appears untouchable as in authoritarian regimes. But well before that, Trump was used to escaping accountability like other corporate insiders. Jennifer Taub details how this cycle of rewarding bad behavior has consolidated power in the hands of few and hurt our country.”

“It’s no accident that African-American citizens can be brutalized or even killed for minor alleged infractions, while corporate wrongdoers escape punishment or prosecution. When we see corner drug dealers denied bail but pharmaceutical conglomerates payout dividends, we are seeing the justice system work as intended. Jennifer Taub explains how the rot goes right to the heart of our legal and regulatory systems themselves.”

“This powerful book explains how weak laws and ineffective enforcement enable some people to cause enormous harm with near impunity. Taub shines light on fraud, tax evasion and corruption, where wrongdoings can be hard to detect and the bar for creating accountability is too high. She issues a passionate call to action and outlines sensible reforms, at least some of which should resonate broadly and across our political divides.”

“Demonstrating an academic’s rigor and a style that is accessible to all, Taub takes us through decades of bad housing policy by bringing to life the greedy bankers and indifferent regulators who seem to keep bringing our financial system to its knees. Other People’s Houses makes a relentless case for the need to level the playing field for Main Street homeowners and the consequences for our failure to do so. A must-read for anyone seeking to understand the causes of the last financial crisis and why we may very well be heading towards another.”

“By unearthing the personal stories of homeowners, bankers, and regulators, Jennifer Taub shows that our recent financial crisis was no accident—it resulted from decades of government policies that bailed out banks and their wealthy executives while turning a blind eye to ordinary people.”

“No matter how much you think you know about recent financial debacles, you will make some astonishing discoveries in Other People’s Houses. This is first-rate financial history.”

“Taub exposes three decades of predatory lenders, greedy investors, and lax regulators, with a much-needed focus on the dire consequences of preventing bankruptcy judges from restructuring mortgage debt.”

“A page-turner that reads like a Michael Lewis financial thriller, this bracing account of the roots of financial crises debunks stubborn myths with insight that would make Louis Brandeis proud.”

“Taub argues persuasively how the seeds for the 2008 financial crisis were sown back in the 1980s as deregulation paved the way for the S&L debacle. But that was only an appetiser for even greater calamity later.”

“Meticulously argued and guaranteed to raise the blood pressure of the average American taxpayer.”

“Over the years I’ve read a tall stack of books about the financial crisis. Other People’s Houses by Vermont Law School professor Jennifer Taub, provides the clearest, beginning-to-end explanation I’ve seen of what went wrong. And Taub’s beginning is a surprise: A 1993 Supreme Court decision about how bankruptcy law applies to mortgages.”

“Provides a concise, clear, and compelling account.”

“Taub’s cogently written, accusatory work will interest a wide readership. She highlights the negative treatment of homeowners compared to banks and places over three decades of mortgage lending since the 1980s savings and loan (S&L) crisis in sharp perspective.”

“Taub does an excellent job retelling and reframing a reasonably well-known story to make it fresh and interesting, and makes a strong case tying the 2008 crisis to the 1980s deregulation. . .All in all, this is a very good book on the housing bubble. . . Highly recommended.”

“Brilliant account of the housing crisis and its lingering impact. I have read many books about the financial crisis, and Taub’s is one of the best. What’s really remarkable about this account is that it shows exactly how practices that were widely proscribed as criminal in the 1980s and 90s were rebranded or tinkered with in various ways to create similar, often strikingly similar, replicas of older scams.”

“A compelling narrative that keeps the reader’s attention from cover to cover.  .  .She pulls no punches as both Democrats and Republicans alike are implicated in Wall Street’s policy agenda. . .It is a must read for anyone interested in understanding and reforming our broken financial system.”