Structure

In the Introduction of Flash Boys, Lewis lays out his rationale for writing the book. Foremost was his desire to educate the reader on what he believes are incredibly complex financial, legal, and business concepts. He notes that he is not necessarily interested in the stock market. However, he felt compelled to write about HFT. To Lewis, it is unfair that ordinary Americans have lost their jobs, businesses, or retirement savings to an incomprehensible financial system. Therefore, Lewis takes great care to whittle down terms like dark pools, arbitrage, and fiber-optics into something understandable. Lewis targets the secretive and complex world of high-frequency trading. In a way, Lewis sees himself as somewhat of a lone hero, bravely traversing the dark passages of Wall Street, revealing to the reader that the system is rigged by design. Lewis leaves little room for dissent. In his mind, and in the...