Description:"Stephen Axilrod's aptly titled book is, indeed, the ultimate Federal Reserve insider's account. Leaving aside only the five chairmen under whom he served, no one played a greater role in shaping U.S. monetary policy during these turbulent years or had a closer view of how the policy was made. And, true to the author, Axilrod's book is full of plain common sense about central banking, economic policy, and much beyond. No one seriously interested in American monetary policy in the post-World War II era can ignore what Axilrod recounts here."--Benjamin M. Friedman, William Joseph Maier Professor of Political Economy, Harvard University (Benjamin Friedman )