CHANGING THE RULES: Adventures of a Wall Street Maverick

Although Siebert isn't a household name, she's made waves in financial and political worlds, from the New York Stock Exchange to the Senate. Siebert's gritty determination shines throughout this motivating memoir sprinkled with alluring anecdotes and tidbits. The author's experiences as the first woman to hold a seat on the NYSE and as the superintendent of banking for New York State have taught her much about working hard and taking advantage of lucky breaks, but lest readers think she's a heartless, money-hungry magnate, she reminds them, "I sleep well at night, knowing that I've been competitive but honest, tenacious but scrupulous, tough but fair." This slim volume contains more hard information about Wall Street than many popular books on financial planning for women, even if the authors, perhaps concerned about the average reader's ability to digest comments on airline stocks and financial laws, pepper many of the pages with simplistic success maxims (e.g., "Know a lot about a little" and "You've got to know the right questions to produce the right answers") in boldface type. Published at a time when Wall Street's reputation is less than stellar, this account by Siebert, who's donated substantial time and money to charitable, educational and women's programs, adds some badly needed luster to the stock exchange's tarnished image. Agent, Mel Berger. (Nov.)