Extraordinary circumstances - Cynthia Cooper

The longer WorldCom Chief Audit Executive Cynthia Cooper stares atthe entries in front of her, the more sinister they seem. But theCFO is badgering her to delay her team's audit of the company'sbooks and directing others to block Cooper's efforts. Still,something in the pit of her stomach tells her to keep digging.Cooper takes readers behind the scenes on a riveting, real-timejourney as she and her team work at night and behind closed doorsto expose the largest fraud in corporate history. Whom can theytrust? Could she lose her job? Should she fear for her physicalsafety?

In Extraordinary Circumstances, she recounts for thefirst time her journey from her close family upbringing in a smallMississippi town, to working motherhood and corporate success, tothe pressures of becoming a whistleblower, to being named one ofTime's 2002 Persons of the Year. She also provides a rare insider'sglimpse into the spectacular rise and fall of WorldCom, a telecomtitan, the darling of Wall Street, and a Cinderella story forMississippi.

With remarkable candor, Cooper discusses her struggle toovercome these challenges, and how she has found healing throughsharing the lessons learned with the next generation. This bookreminds us all that ethical decision-making is not forged at thecrossroads of major events but starts in childhood, "decision bydecision and brick by brick."

At a time when corporate dishonesty is dominating publicattention, Extraordinary Circumstances makes it clear thatthe tone set at the top is critical to fostering an ethicalenvironment in the work-place. Provocative, moving, and intenselypersonal, Extraordinary Circumstances is a wake-up call tocorporate leaders and an intimate glimpse at a scandal that shookthe business world.