Ex-Morgan Stanley Analyst Tells Most in "Suits: A Woman on W

Liar's Poker it's not, but Nina Godiwalla's memoir Suits: A Woman on Wall Street will give you a good sense of what it's like to work as an analyst at a bulge-bracket investment bank.

Godiwalla -- who holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Texas, an MBA from Wharton, and an MFA from Dartmouth -- worked for J.P. Morgan (as an investment banking summer intern) and Morgan Stanley (as a first- and second-year analyst) in the late 1990s. In Suits, she recounts those 27 months on Wall Street, as well as what prompted her to ditch investment banking for good.

Godiwalla also gives some color on the difficulties of working in the white-male-dominated world of Wall Street as a woman and minority (she's Persian and Indian). And if you fall into either category (woman or minority), I'd recommend taking a glance at Suits before donning your blue and gray and calling the street known as Wall your home for the next couple of years.

In addition, if you who missed that late '90s scandal involving Christian Curry, the Morgan Stanley analyst who posed nude in a glossy magazine, Suits might also be right up your alley. The incident occurred while Godiwalla worked for the firm, and she includes a few scenes about it in her book. Here's one (note that Godiwalla changed a few names in her book to protect the innocent, and guilty):

Even though we were all thrilled to have a girl's night out, as at most dinners with bankers, we mostly complained about how inconsiderate our officers were, how mundane the work was, and how unbearable the hours were. But then the subject abruptly changed. Midway through dinner, while a litteneck clam slithered in her mouth, Pam casually announced that Luke, one of the analysts on her floor, had posed in a nude magazine.

"Wow!" said Leanna, who worked in the finance group. "That's bold."

"No way," I said, shaking my head. "That's got to be a rumor. Have you seen it?"

"No," said Pam, "but I heard someone in the office talking on the phone to a friend about it. He said Luke took these pictures a while ago, and then this magazine just publishd them ... I don't know, his story went on, but I only heard the beginning."

"Do you think it's true?" I asked, staring at the aged mirrors reflecting rows of French wine bottles. "Or is he just looking for attention?"

"I think he really did it," Pam said. "I think it was in Playguy."

"You mean Playgirl?" Leanna asked.

"No," Pam said. "He said Playguy. I think it's gay porn."

(Amazon)

(New York Magazine)