"In Unaccountable: How the Accounting Profession Forfeited a Public Trust, former communications director for KPMG and business journalist Mike Brewster explores the fascinating transformation of CPAs from independent voices on behalf of the shareholder to close allies of Corporate America. This vivid snapshot of the twenty-first-century accounting firm clearly examines the implications of this shift for investors, the industry, and the overall economy. Brewster's exploration of the key issues facing accounting traces the profession from its birth in the Middle East, to its rise as one of the most universally respected in the Western world, to the calamitous scandals of the past two years, to the fall of Andersen and passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley law." "From the first accountants to the future of accounting, Unaccountable offers an up-close and personal view of the accounting industry. Unaccountable turns up the heat on an already beleaguered profession, but also shows how the best and brightest within the profession can still save the day by implementing much-needed reforms."--Jacket.