The 2008 collapse of the American economy wreaked havoc on the American people. While the stock market imploded before them, some investors were devastated by a far more trusted source. See the personal chaos brought onto individual investors by Bernie Madoff, a popular and trusted investor from middle-class Queens, New York – and alleged Ponzi schemer – as experts dissect his $65 billion scam, from its humble beginnings to its stunning downfall, in RIPPED OFF: MADOFF AND THE SCAMMING OF AMERICA. With the help of expert commentary and firsthand accounts from Madoff’s victims, HISTORY™ compares and contrasts this most recent fraud with other Ponzi schemes throughout history, while exploring the economic and historical climates in which they appeared. Then, as the United States attempts to rebound from economic meltdown, comparisons to the Great Depression are unavoidable. Is history repeating itself? CRASH: THE NEXT GREAT DEPRESSION? looks at the current financial crisis in the U.S. and compares and contrasts it with what led up to the Great Depression, the 1929 stock market crash, its immediate aftermath and the efforts that helped the country break free from the Depression. Will today’s crash turn into tomorrow’s depression? And is anyone safe from the economic pitfalls of such a vulnerable time?