Book · 1997
You Can Be a Stock Market Genius
by Joel Greenblatt
Joel Greenblatt's guide to finding mispriced stocks in spin-offs and merger arb—the book Michael Burry loved despite hating the title.
What does Reddit think of You Can Be a Stock Market Genius?
That's the Reddit footprint for a book Michael Lewis put in The Big Short. One commenter cited it in a list of recommended reads (↑31), bundled with Cialdini and a handful of behavioral-finance titles. The second quote (↑11) supplies the book's best marketing line: Burry is on record saying he 'hated the title but loved the book.' That tension is the whole story. The cover sounds like a late-night infomercial; the contents are a reasonably rigorous tour of special-situation investing—spin-offs, rights offerings, merger securities, restructurings. Reddit hasn't rallied around it, but the two commenters who did mention it reached for it as a foundational text, not a curiosity. Low volume, no noise, and the one data point worth keeping is that Burry's endorsement is what gets it named at all.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · special-situation investing
- · spin-offs and corporate restructurings
- · merger arbitrage
- · value investing fundamentals
- · behavioral finance
Common praise
- + The spin-off chapters give you a concrete framework for a category most retail investors ignore entirely.
- + Burry's documented endorsement in The Big Short routes serious readers here faster than any review would.
- + The book covers rights offerings and stub stocks with a specificity you won't find in general investing primers.
Common criticism
- − The title does real damage—readers who judge covers skip a book that quietly influenced one of the most famous trades of the century.
- − The special-situation strategies require access and effort that don't map cleanly onto most retail brokerage accounts today.
Who it's for
If you've finished the standard Buffett and Lynch reading list and want the next level down—where the actual edge lives—this is where Burry went. Suited to investors who can read a proxy statement without flinching. The casual index-fund reader will find the mechanics fiddly and the opportunities hard to act on. Value investors who already think in terms of catalysts will recognize the framework immediately.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
Which Reddit comments matter for You Can Be a Stock Market Genius?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“Don’t follow anyone. Read some books instead. Here’s a list to get him started: **Behavioral/Psychology** - Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini - Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind by Guy Clayton - What it Takes: Seven Secrets of Success from the World's Greatest Professional Firms by…
“Joel Greenblatt - 'You Can Be a Stock Market Genius' This is directly referenced in Michael Lewis's chapter on Burry in The Big Short. I think Burry is quoted as saying he 'hated the title but loved the book.'
“No debt. The game in times of distress is capital preservation and a return above inflation (10% growth don’t mean s*** if inflation is at 11. But if you earn 0 with things crashing in value all around you, your good) Read Taleb. Trim convexity of your growth assets and look at regulated utilities …
Convinced? Pick up You Can Be a Stock Market Genius
What else does r/investing read?
Other books mentioned in the same sub, ranked. Shared-sub overlap with this title breaks ties.
You Can Be a Stock Market Genius — frequently asked
What does Reddit actually say about You Can Be a Stock Market Genius?+
Not much, volume-wise. But both are substantive: one commenter recommended it alongside behavioral-finance classics (↑31), and another cited Burry's own endorsement from The Big Short (↑11). Low mention count, zero noise.
Is You Can Be a Stock Market Genius worth reading if I already know basic value investing?+
Yes, probably. The book goes beyond generic value principles into specific situations—spin-offs, rights offerings, merger securities—that most introductory texts skip. The Burry connection via The Big Short is not just marketing; it points to the parts of the book that describe how to find genuinely mispriced securities.
Why does You Can Be a Stock Market Genius have such a low Reddit mention count?+
Depends on how you read it. The title screens out casual browsers, the strategies are niche, and the book predates the current retail-investor wave.
Is the Michael Burry connection to You Can Be a Stock Market Genius real?+
Yes. An r/investing commenter (↑11) flagged it directly: Greenblatt's book is cited in Michael Lewis's chapter on Burry in The Big Short, with Burry quoted as saying he 'hated the title but loved the book.' That quote is the closest thing to a Reddit consensus the book has.