In summary: Multi-level marketing scams have been around for about 70 years, and in the vast majority of them, 99 percent of "consultants" lose money.In summary: Multi-level marketing scams have been around for about 70 years, and in the vast majority of them, 99 percent of "consultants" lose money. MLMs are like a casino but less fun. If somebody keeps talking to you about a "business opportunity" and "mentoring" and retiring in one's 20s or 30s, and they are cagey about telling you the name of the business or the product, don't give them a dime. If you become part of an MLM, your real tasks are to buy motivational books and recordings and services and to recruit other people to join the MLM. Most of the products go unsold because they aren't any better than similar items sold in stores. ________________________
I found this a little slow to start, but I ended up enthralled. Bridget Read (apt name for an author) has written a sort of grand unified theory of pyramid selling/multilevel marketing/social marketing. She explores its origins and how it has spread and metastasized to China, Russia, and elsewhere. There are certainly innovations and tweaks along the way—what Herbalife distributors in Mexico are doing with "nutrition clubs" is fascinating—but I was a bit startled to find out that authors, motivational coaches, and podcasters are STILL ripping off Napoleon Hill (1883–1970) and his book Think and Grow Rich. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, I guess.
Read's main focuses are Amway, Herbalife, and Mary Kay, which are the older schemes. Some more recent MLMs, such as Rodan + Fields and the "pink drink" people, get only a brief mention. Even Tupperware gets only a few mentions. There are so many MLMs these days that she can't cover them all. I wish she had discussed LuLaRoe, a case in which the government did intervene and the company pretty much collapsed.
Naturally, Read spends a lot of time interviewing people at the bottom of the pyramid so we can learn about their high hopes and then their debt and despair and awakening. But she also describes how some of the folks in the middle of the pyramid—the ones with the mansions and fancy cars and other conspicuous consumption—actually make pitiful incomes and are in enormous amounts of debt. I do feel a little sympathy for them, even when they are actively exploiting people at the bottom....more
"Ever wondered what the lives of the chosen ones are really like?"
Short, soapy, fun novel about rich kids, with some not-rich kids thrown in for contr"Ever wondered what the lives of the chosen ones are really like?"
Short, soapy, fun novel about rich kids, with some not-rich kids thrown in for contrast. Simply written. I can see why this made a good TV show....more
Apocalyptic horror novel with social commentary. Very repetitive. I didn't love that the author introduces what appears to be the main character and tApocalyptic horror novel with social commentary. Very repetitive. I didn't love that the author introduces what appears to be the main character and then we don't hear about that character again for hundreds of pages....more
The resplendently named Wind Goodfriend delivers a lecture series that focuses partly on cult leaders but mostly on cult members. She does in-depth inThe resplendently named Wind Goodfriend delivers a lecture series that focuses partly on cult leaders but mostly on cult members. She does in-depth interviews with two former cult members who escaped and went on to have successful lives. I was especially interested in her review of what many cult members (as opposed to leaders) have in common: an ability to care deeply; humility; honesty about oneself; and a strong desire to create a kinder, more just world. Goodfriend draws some interesting parallels between people who join cults and people who are in abusive relationships....more
I did not expect a nonfiction book to have so many cliffhangers. I knew a bit about QAnon from news reports and a documentary series, but here's what I did not expect a nonfiction book to have so many cliffhangers. I knew a bit about QAnon from news reports and a documentary series, but here's what I learned from this book:
• There is little research or knowledge on the topic of counseling young children who have been watching apocalyptic QAnon videos on their mother's or father's lap since infancy. It's difficult enough when a child finds out about the death of a favorite relative, but it's even worse when the child believes another relative murdered that person by encouraging them to get a vaccine.
• If you fall down the Q rabbit hole and rage at your children, writing insults like "shed my DNA," they may not ever be willing to communicate with you again. Yes, even if you change your life and stop believing in Q and ask nicely for a truce.
• If your spouse gets into Q, antagonizes everyone you know, refuses vaccines, and ends up in severe pain from a treatable illness, you might eventually get them to accept medical treatment and treat you more kindly. It's an exhausting process. But they may not come all the way back. There may always be some amazing new video that they want to show you.
Kari Ferrell, the con artist formerly known as the Hipster Grifter, has a way with words:
premeditated flirter: a male who hits on women partly in hopeKari Ferrell, the con artist formerly known as the Hipster Grifter, has a way with words:
premeditated flirter: a male who hits on women partly in hopes that he will get lucky, but mostly in hopes that someone will offer him a place to sleep that night. Today many people use the term hobosexual.
ménage à moi: to have enough privacy to m@sturb@te. Kari does not achieve this because (a) she is in a jail and (b) there is about to be a riot.
thrown a hot dog down my hallway: had p-in-v s3x
Ferrell was born in Korea and adopted by White parents who converted to Latter-Day Saints and moved to Utah. I was unfamiliar with the insult banana, which means Asian on the outside and White on the inside. Things start to go wrong for Ferrell in high school, when she stops attending class and starts hanging out with a group of friends who practice competitive shoplifting. (She wins one contest by managing to steal a 35-pound bag of dog food.)
She starts out as a liar and escalates, stealing from friends and acquaintances and implying that she has cancer so that people will either give her money or stop asking for the money she owes them. She does time in Utah and then lights out for New York, where she develops this grift: 1. See a hot guy at a club 2. Write something shocking on a napkin (such as "I want you to give me a massage from the inside"), hand it to him, and walk away. 3. Wait for him to chase her, go home with him, have sex, and then steal cash and valuables (including an iPod that was engraved with "Happy Graduation"). Sometimes this turns into a relationship.
She does time in New York and Pennsylvania. The state of Utah is so angry with her that they make two detectives escort her on a flight to Utah so she can be reincarcerated there.
Ferrell seems to become a kinder person while in jail and mostly stays on the straight and narrow after her release. She starts going by her middle name and then by her middle name and married name, but eventually people at her work find out who she is/was and fire her. I enjoyed this lively read and hope she finds peace and security....more
The author didn't ask for my opinion, but I'll give it anyway: He should have left her the first time she hit him. She hit him in the chest, she assauThe author didn't ask for my opinion, but I'll give it anyway: He should have left her the first time she hit him. She hit him in the chest, she assaulted him with a Yankee Candle, and she dug her nails into his arm so hard that he bled. She told him that for years she had wished he would die, preferably in a bicycle accident. These are the actions of someone who has broken the covenant of marriage, regardless of whether she had sex with someone else. Which she did. If the roles were reversed, just about everybody would say that she should divorce him. But instead he tries to play things for laughs and flails around and embarrasses her and himself. And he let her write a chapter of this book, which I assume means she gets some of whatever profits there turn out to be. Someday their kids will read this book if they haven't already. What a shame for everyone involved....more
A witch trial in Pennsylvania in 1929? I had no idea. I also didn't expect Stephanie Clifford/Stormy Daniels to make an appearance. (She makes a prettA witch trial in Pennsylvania in 1929? I had no idea. I also didn't expect Stephanie Clifford/Stormy Daniels to make an appearance. (She makes a pretty good living as a tarot reader.)
Vivid and compassionate writing. I will look for more by this author....more
I read this for work. Very serious story about Ai Weiwei, who grew up in a prison camp, became a famous artist, and made art related to the refugee crI read this for work. Very serious story about Ai Weiwei, who grew up in a prison camp, became a famous artist, and made art related to the refugee crisis....more
I was in tears by the end of this book about the passengers and crew of a doomed cruise ship overwhelmed by Covid and turned away from port after portI was in tears by the end of this book about the passengers and crew of a doomed cruise ship overwhelmed by Covid and turned away from port after port. I knew that there was controversy over cruise ships at the start of the pandemic, but I didn't know that crew members and a few passengers languished on board for weeks on end, that rescue missions ended up aborted, and that Argentina refused reentry to its own citizens....more
I read this because of the strong ratings on Goodreads and was not disappointed. Rapid-fire plot and some appealing dialogue. My one complaint is thatI read this because of the strong ratings on Goodreads and was not disappointed. Rapid-fire plot and some appealing dialogue. My one complaint is that the author spoils the endings of the four best Agatha Christie novels in one paragraph, to which I say BOO HISS....more
I don't remember who recommended this, but I'm glad they did. Very dark, even for a mystery. There is animal abuse and human abuse. There's also effecI don't remember who recommended this, but I'm glad they did. Very dark, even for a mystery. There is animal abuse and human abuse. There's also effective character development and some good twists. I'm annoyed that the marketing copy describes one of the characters as a "gun nut." He goes to shooting ranges. It's a sport. I'm not good at it, but it's still a sport....more
"The screaming was much louder than I had anticipated." —Cassidy Hutchinson, former special assistant to the president, describing what it was like to"The screaming was much louder than I had anticipated." —Cassidy Hutchinson, former special assistant to the president, describing what it was like to stand outside the Oval Office
This had way more horror-movie elements than I had anticipated.
Summary: Cassidy Hutchinson says she chose a life of public service to advance the policies she believed in (which she cannot or will not describe except in the vaguest terms), to increase bipartisanship (in what turned out to be one of the most partisan administrations in U.S. history), to support her colleagues (who overworked, assaulted, insulted, and abandoned her), and to live the values of her parents (whom she despises, and with good reason).
Horror-movie elements:
• Little-kid Cassidy feels sad when her dad repeatedly breaks his promises to her and her little brother, but then her dad tells her that he has left her and brother a special surprise for them in their mailbox. She unwraps the foil package and finds two deer hearts, still warm, dripping with blood.
• Teenage Cassidy wakes up in so much pain that she pees in her bed. She calls both parents and begs for help, but they refuse. One doesn't want to be disturbed while on vacation, and the other one has been sh¡tty to her for her whole life. Neither of them believes in doctors, whatever that means. She drives herself to the hospital and is immediately treated for appendicitis.
• On January 6, Rudy Giuliani sexually assaults her. Her description of his cold fingertips creeping up her thighs is nauseating. I found myself wishing that she had belted him with one of the binders she was always carrying, so he would have crumbed into dust.
• Matt Gaetz exists.
Funny parts in a serious book:
• Donald Trump gives her hairstyling tips. She submits to his will, but the results don't flatter her. (Now that I think about it, that last sentence describes this whole book.)
• Mark Meadows's staff accidentally gets him drunk. While he's out sick with Covid, they leave White Claws in his fridge and forget to remove them. He comes back and pounds a couple of them (the White Claws, not the staffers) because he is Southern Baptist and has never previously had a drink in his life and doesn't know from White Claw. He offers a third can to his colleague, a Latter-Day Saint, who is Not Pleased. The whole thing is acutely embarrassing and Meadows manages to avoid Trump until sobering up.
• Debbie Meadows (Mrs. Mark) is so stupid that she tells Hutchinson to forbid Mark from burning things in his office fireplace. He's done this so often that his suits all stink and she can't keep up with the dry cleaning. It never occurs to Deb to wonder why Mark is burning stacks and stacks and stacks of documents at work.
• Governor Ron DeSantis is such a self-obsessed ninnyhammer that Hutchinson scolds him for asking for special favors and wasting everyone's time, and he apologizes profusely.
• There is a thwarted attempt to pardon Kimberly Guilfoyle's gynecologist.
Unanswered questions:
• What is Cassidy Hutchinson going to do with the rest of her life?
• Is her father actually mentally ill, or does he just feign mental illness when someone asks for help or expects him to be responsible about something, or is he just a complete sh¡tstain with no redeeming qualities?
• Have her family members abandoned her since she published this book, or are they not capable of reading it?
My verdict: The first 15 percent of this book, which covers Hutchinson's childhood and young adulthood, is weak. I don't know if she just couldn't bear to talk about her childhood or if the editors didn't leave enough time for this part to be fleshed out fully. Her descriptions of working in the White House are interesting and compelling. Her descriptions of her testimony and its aftermath are a little bit self-aggrandizing, but on the other hand she was only 25 when she wrote the book and had been through a lot. It is appealing to see someone actually learn from history—during her crisis, Hutchinson becomes obsessed with former Nixon aide Alexander Butterfield and models her actions and demeanor on his.
Hutchinson seems like a hard worker and a hard drinker. I hope she finds better friends and colleagues and is able to lead a peaceful life. She has bought herself a dog, which is a good start....more
I picked this up because it received such extravagant praise, which I think is justified. Appealing novel about the entire universe and love and deathI picked this up because it received such extravagant praise, which I think is justified. Appealing novel about the entire universe and love and death and separation and futility, but also about the minutiae of finding the right-size bottle of Jean Naté in a down-at-the-heels store in a tired neighborhood in New Jersey in the 1980s. The author has won many prestigious awards for her short fiction, and yet in her acknowledgments she thanks everyone who ever passed her over for a job, award, or other opportunity....more
This is a tell-some rather than a tell-all. And that's fine. Jill Duggar was exploited and abused for years—by her oldest brother, her parents, the teThis is a tell-some rather than a tell-all. And that's fine. Jill Duggar was exploited and abused for years—by her oldest brother, her parents, the television industry, and the media. So I understand why she doesn't want to reveal some details. What she includes is plenty. I knew the dad was a former used-car salesman and cult member who repeatedly covered up pedophilia, but I didn't know about the tax fraud. I wonder if the IRS will have anything to say about that. I suppose I should have guessed.
At one point the parents threaten to reduce Jill's inheritance. Which they just said was going to be split 19 ways. OH NOOOOOOOO. These people were missionaries in El Salvador. They don't want your filthy money.
The most devastating take-down in the book is from Jill to her dad: "You treat me worse than my pedophile brother."
I didn't know that the pedophile behavior happened before the Duggars were ever on television.
Jill reminisces about how things were so much easier when she was younger and there were "only" eight siblings in the family. (Now there are 19, plus Jill mentions her mom had some miscarriages along the way.)
Jill says the kids were happy when the documentary crews came because it meant they would get lots of food from Costco. So they ate all-beef chimichangas rather than bean sandwiches. BEAN SANDWICHES. I guess I shouldn't be surprised because there were already 14 kids by the time they did the first docu.
It's amazing that the oldest brother committed so many horrifying crimes that he finally did what Jill couldn't—he made it so that the dad would never again profit from the media phenomenon he helped to create. Golly, what will the dad do when all he has are a big house and multiple rental properties and multiple airplanes.
I understand that just because I read a memoir doesn't mean I know the person. But I worry that Jill's husband will turn out to be a jerk too. After all, Jill's dad picked him out for her.
Jill frequently describes incidents when her parents (especially her mother) acted honestly, kindly, and reasonably. Somehow this makes the other incidents seem even worse because it's clear she's trying to remember the good times and to honor her father and mother that her days may be long upon the earth. ...more
In a nutshell: Cryptocurrencies are bullsh¡t, and some of them are tied to human trafficking and organized crime. The Visa card that you probably haveIn a nutshell: Cryptocurrencies are bullsh¡t, and some of them are tied to human trafficking and organized crime. The Visa card that you probably have in your wallet is a much better deal—easy and fast to use, widely accepted, and pays you small amounts instead of charging you large fees.
Who were the people who enthusiastically talked up crypto in general and Bored Ape Yacht Club in particular? The same people who snorted ketamine in front of a reporter. So, maybe not the most reliable judges.
Faux is a globe-trotting investigative reporter who in this book travels to Cambodia, Switzerland, El Salvador, and many other places in attempt to figure out how people are using and misusing crypto, particularly a stablecoin called Tether....more
I've always wondered why people in predatory MLMs don't get out sooner. Anyone can fall for a sales pitch, but once you realize you're spending more tI've always wondered why people in predatory MLMs don't get out sooner. Anyone can fall for a sales pitch, but once you realize you're spending more than you're making, why not leave? Emily Lynn Paulson taught me that what keeps some people involved is the accolades.
At the time she got into an MLM (which the internet tells me was Rodan + Fields), Paulson was a college-educated former chemist who was staying at home with her five young children and what sounds like a significant alcohol abuse problem. So when she made a sales goal and received effusive praise and recognition from dozens, hundreds, or even a few thousand people, she delighted in the attention. And the fancy gifts (designer purses, luggage, diamond jewelry). And the sincere-sounding congratulations from people she believed were her friends. And the trips (that she ended up paying for). I can see why people, especially middle-class moms who are at home and a bit bored, would crave this attention and these perks. If some people can get addicted to the bleeps and bloops of video poker, then of course praise and flattery from actual humans could be even more addictive.
Because alcohol tends to break down inhibitions and make people more impulsive, Paulson was the guest and then the host at many, many MLM-centered wine tastings and champagne brunches. (Usually the wine was terrible, but the companionship and bonding were strong.) At some point, she started drinking from a Yeti tumbler full of champagne, which other MLM participants thought was normal. After posting phenomenal sales and recruitment numbers, the company provided her with a "free" high-end car—but she got a DUI the first night she drove it. She spoke publicly about her struggles with sobriety and her MLM colleagues congratulated her while they had alcohol on their breath.
Paulson was one of the one-half of one percent of MLM participants who actually make good money. She says that's because she was rich, had a rich husband, had rich friends who were willing to humor her and buy or recruit for her, and was financially stable enough to keep her home and children even when she was spending more on the business than she made. She says that thousands of others worked as hard as or harder than she did and got none of the rewards.
The tone of the book is a bit jarring because it veers between dishing out gossip and presenting research findings. I hope Paulson is able to stay sober and enjoy her new life....more
I'm giving this four stars because I found it compelling and because I feel so sorry for Britney Spears and all she's gone through, carrying her entirI'm giving this four stars because I found it compelling and because I feel so sorry for Britney Spears and all she's gone through, carrying her entire money-grubbing family on her back since childhood and being sexualized since then, too. But based on this book, this author does not have a rich inner life. The whole thing is a list of "This happened to me, and this is how I felt about it. And then this happened, and this is how I felt." There are few insights into the events she has participated in, the creative work she has done, the people she has met, and the places she has traveled. Others' feelings and motivations remain opaque to her.
I wish her editors had limited or forbidden the use of "amazing" and "nice" and "mean" and pushed her to be more descriptive. On the other hand, if you're Britney Spears and you were institutionalized against your will, do you really want to let others tell you what to do? And if you're the editorial and marketing team for this book, do you really have to push to make it top quality? It's going to sell millions of copies regardless because tens of millions of us are interested in Britney Spears.
I enjoyed that Spears mentioned how much she liked Paris Hilton—somebody else who has been flambéed in the media—and how kind Hilton was to her at a time when she really needed a friend. Unfortunately, their friendship sounds as if it was shallow and temporary, and Spears describes her as "sweet" with little other information.
When it comes to romantic partners, it sounds as if Spears has a bad picker. Justin Timberlake cheated on her and she pretended she didn't know. She knew that another woman had just had Kevin Federline's baby but she married him anyway. (Why did she pick him? Because he thought she was fine the way she was, or at least that's what he pretended to her. Also he would hold her for as long as she wanted him to. Wouldn't you think that legions of men would be willing to do that for her? But that's not how it worked out.) She knew or should have known that the photographer she dated was married. And she speaks lovingly of the most recent husband but doesn't mention that he filed for divorce this summer. I hope she is able to find someone who treats her kindly.
If you're looking for celebrity memoirs that have similar themes but are more insightful, I recommend ones by Mariah Carey, Jessica Simpson, Dolly Parton, and Elton John.
What's it like growing up in a household where your family members dislike you? The Scottish comedian Fern Brady knows. Brady has autism, but it wasn'What's it like growing up in a household where your family members dislike you? The Scottish comedian Fern Brady knows. Brady has autism, but it wasn't diagnosed until adulthood. She also grew up poor. She had advantages too—including intelligence, musical ability, and beauty—but her family's bafflement with her and her feelings of not-wantedness were corrosive. To be fair, if someone in my household had meltdowns regularly and scowled when spoken to and scratched their own skin when anyone touched them, I would probably dislike them too.
Brady is a comedian, but I wouldn't call this memoir funny at all. It's heartfelt and smart and useful and sometimes bizarre (the chapters on working in strip clubs are something else). I learned a lot about autistics, allistics (people who aren't on the autism spectrum), Scotland, and finding a way to win. Also she reads the audiobook, and I could listen to her voice all day....more