A writer delivers on his promise. The material in this book “is concise, non-technical and fluff-free,” and than much more. One would think “Mastering Uncertainty in Commodities Trading” focuses solely on a narrow niche within the financial world, but one would be wrong.

As I read Krainer’s exceptionally well written book it dawned on me: in its core this book is a generous narrative of personal discovery. As such, his book is a treasure trove for a reader. It’s a small wonder Krainer does not quote only the most famous investors like Warren Buffet, George Soros, Paul Singer or Victor Niederhoffer but also uses words of Baruch Spinoza, Thomas Aquinas, Sigmund Freud and Albert Einstein to better illustrate his points. He uses the quotes sparingly but those give us insight into an excited, mighty mind of an author who masterfully waves all that together, adding a nice flair to the book. (charts and graphs, also included in the narrative, serve to satisfy a reader more interested in the nuts and bolts of trading)

Krainer’s book, I guess, provides the most value for those willing to embark on a career in finance (Psychology of Trading and Speculation and Society chapters will prove invaluable to eager young minds ready to be seduced by the lore of high finance) but it’s a thrilling read for a layperson like myself as well.

When Krainer quotes Aeschylus, “I’m not afraid of storms, for I’m learning to sail my ship,” he in fact writes of himself. The learning curve, I reckon, has not been an easy one. When expressing humility, “Nothing sharpens your focus quite so keenly as the pain of a total and humiliating defeat,” the writer realizes that he has, indeed, learned how to navigate through a laborious process of writing his first book.

A masterful achievement.