The World’s Greatest Bitcoin Book
Some books sneak up on you.
They’re not what you expect.
But by the time you’re done, you’re convinced they’ve changed the way you think.
The Mandibles, by Lionel Shriver, is one of those books.
It’s been called “the best book about Bitcoin” by many Bitcoin influencers…
And yet, it’s not at all about Bitcoin.
At least, not in the obvious sense.
In fact, Bitcoin is barely mentioned—just a fleeting reference in one sentence.
And not even in a flattering light.
I finally got the chance to read it over the holiday break.
Today, let’s look at why Bitcoiners are so keen on Shriver’s novel…
And, no less, we’ll see what it really means for Bitcoin and crypto-at-large.
[Warning: The details make the story, but my fiancé treats spoilers like cursed objects. Tell her what happens in the first three minutes of a movie and she’ll throw her hands up like you just revealed the ending to The Sixth Sense. If you’re anything like her, skip to the next section titled, “Why This Matters”.]
Spoiler Alert!
The book opens in 2029.
The Mandibles—a wealthy, multi-generational family—is expecting their patriarch’s fortune to trickle down.
But then the world flips upside down.
The U.S. dollar collapses. A BRICS-like currency called the Bancor dethrones it as the global reserve.
The U.S. government defaults on its debt in what’s called "The Great Renunciation," making treasuries essentially worthless.
In fact, U.S. treasuries become slang for garbage: “You’re talking treasury, kid.”
Mexico builds a wall—to keep starving Americans out. Pop music evolves into “Beast Rap,” featuring bird calls and wolf howls.
Hyperinflation kicks in. Grocery shelves empty. Gold is seized. Farms are nationalized. Cash is outlawed.
Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) dominate.
The government tracks every cent, controlling your money with the push of a button.
Want a job? You’ll need a brain chip tied to your CBDC account.
Say the wrong thing? They’ll wipe your funds.
In this bleak future, the only refuge is Citadel, where people flee to escape the system.
But Citadel isn’t without its problems, either.
Why This Book Matters
Shriver’s dystopia isn’t just fiction.
It’s a reflection of real fears.
We’ve seen hints of it in China’s CBDC rollout (and the hint that more are coming) alongside the ever-expanding global surveillance state.
Shriver simplifies her scope—the collapse mostly affects the U.S.—to make the story manageable. But she admits that such a crisis would likely be global.
Which is why, despite being a crypto-skeptic, she sees the value.
She said as much in an op-ed in The Spectator -- all the way back in 2018.
Her main argument, as laid out in the book, is simple: everyone is hurt in the long run by government-run money.
“Government,” she said, “is too self-interested to be trusted to maintain a currency that sustains its value.”
On Bitcoin, she wrote:
“Imagine a secure international cryptocurrency whose steady value was not subjected to deliberate, systematic decay, whose supply was strictly limited, whose coin was universally accepted, and whose production was beyond the control of the state.”
Even if the investment couldn’t be expected to appreciate at all, she said, “I’d put my every last farthing in such a currency in a heartbeat.”
Keep in mind…
Shriver wrote the book in crypto’s earliest days.
Inevitably, she missed the target on the industry’s true potential -- especially as we look beyond the (although obviously non-trivial) “digital gold”.
