Open Outcries

Charley LaRocca is ringmaster of two circuses, his family and the Silver Futures pit at his job in the wacky world of commodity trading. Witness a year in his life as he copes with a rebellious teenage daughter, the dog eat dog philosophy at his place of employment, and an obsession with the New York Mets. The year is 1988. "Open Outcry" is the way at the Exchange. The electronic trading that would eventually supplant it is but a pipe dream at which many scoff. What is all the yelling and screaming about? Come inside and see. None of the incidents is exaggerated. Caution: aggressive men under intense pressure do and say regrettable things. Political correctness is out the window. The trading floor was one of the last outposts of speech that was truly free. The novel concentrates on personalities, not trading technique or strategy. It is another chapter in the human comedy, the bittersweet mystery of life. This is how it was. Immature audiences only.