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riviwriter's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator had an interesting tone/rhythm which made the book appealing to listen to. The book was okay, it wasn't great. If you were someone who followed the story of the rise and fall of Gawker or Hulk Hogan's sex tape, it would definitely be a fascinating read. It kind of gives the background story of how it all went down, the players, the background actors, and its effect on journalism as a whole. It felt very much like an academic read, and I could easily see it assigned as a text for a journalism or media studies course. I wouldn't recommend it as a fun read but it was interesting and I appreciated the insight it gave me into the world of internet journalism and the specific case regarding Gawker and Peter Thiel.
shareen17's review against another edition
4.0
Such an interesting story about the billionaire investor Peter Thiel's personal vendetta against Gawker and the lengths he was willing to take to destroy the company. The book delves into issues like privacy, what environment is necessary for new ideas to develop and thrive, and what it takes to decide that something in the world needs to change and that you are the person to do it.
emilyhwinn's review against another edition
4.0
Rounding up. I’d give this a 3.5… the premise is telling us a very interesting story; a car crash story, if you will (horrible to watch but we can’t help but look). I am generally a fan of Ryan Holiday’s books on stoicism, but his writing style fell flat here. Too many interjections of lessons and relations with unrelated events. It felt way too long, I think it would have been a much more effective book without all of the extra comments, and it would have been much shorter as well.
moggg_'s review against another edition
4.0
A really interesting story with compelling profiles on the characters involved. Although, the few chapters near the end that went into detail and Thiel’s political beliefs and the rise of Trump seemed really unnecessary
mikelchartier's review against another edition
2.0
Also published as Conspiracy: Glib Sophistry, False Equivocations, and the Writing of Better Writers to Fool You Into Reading This Book
This is a masterclass in padding. I can only imagine that the reason this wasn't published as a long-form article at a reputable publication would be that there really aren't any reputable publications that would have published something that literally quotes Hamlet to characterize Peter Thiel in its conclusion. Or was it one of the preceding chapters? I don't remember, try as it might to the contrary, the book did finally end.
I shall not look upon his like again, indeed.
This is a masterclass in padding. I can only imagine that the reason this wasn't published as a long-form article at a reputable publication would be that there really aren't any reputable publications that would have published something that literally quotes Hamlet to characterize Peter Thiel in its conclusion. Or was it one of the preceding chapters? I don't remember, try as it might to the contrary, the book did finally end.
I shall not look upon his like again, indeed.
abeckstrom's review against another edition
4.0
Even though I was aware, at least tangentially, of the antecedents of this book I still came away surprised at how tech billionaire Peter Thiel managed to pull off this real world conspiracy and shut down the millennial snark media empire Gawker.
Conspiracy is equal parts Machiavelli, Robert Greene, and True Crime thriller. I was completely caught up in the intrigue and real-life drama.
Conspiracy is equal parts Machiavelli, Robert Greene, and True Crime thriller. I was completely caught up in the intrigue and real-life drama.
dannberg's review against another edition
4.0
This is a highly engaging and educational read, with a few fatal flaws that kept me from completely loving the book.
Holiday has learned a lot from his mentor, Robert Greene, and this book feels a lot like 48 Laws of Power. It's the story of Peter Thiel's lawsuit against Gawker, yes, but it's also about the history of conspiracies in general. Using the narrative framework of "conspiracies" brings a lot of extra value to what would otherwise be a story better suited for a longform journalism piece, rather than a full book. The fact that the conspiracy against Gawker was revealed in such a detailed way made me think critically about other current events, and how they too played out.
But as I mentioned, I couldn't help but feel that there were some fatal flaws in the book, the biggest of which is that the story fully fleshes out Peter Thiel's point of view, but we're left seriously lacking when it comes to Gawker. As an occasional reader of Gawker, I found them to be an incredibly complex organization. Holiday mentions briefly how sometimes news that broke on Gawker would be tomorrow's headlines, but doesn't dive into any of the articles or pieces that had a positive impact. While I'm not attempting to argue that the good things made up for, or even balanced out, the bad, but the image painted of Gawker is one sided: Thiel's side. For example, one could argue that Reddit's big reforms to remove "jailbait" (and other controversial) content from its site was a direct result of Gawker's reporting. Exploring stories such as these would have made Gawker a more well-rounded character in the story. Instead, it presents the organization as hiding behind the moniker of "free speech" and harboring angry and spiteful journalists. The truth is way more complicated.
Also, there was one section that I found extremely trouble, but was quickly brushed over. As another reviewer pointed out, there were hints of a possible connection between Thiel's posse and Gamergate. This, to me, needed way more investigation and fleshing out, because the implications are huge.
Holiday discusses the struggles that he had with trying to be impartial, especially when you're working with your subject matter in such a personal way (the book is a result of several lengthy interviews with almost all the main players). It's as if he knew what people's issues with the book were going to be, and was already trying to explain his reasoning.
But this section also serves to humanize the author. It's a flawed story about one flawed character utterly destroying another flawed character. It's also a quick and very entertaining read. So I do recommend the book despite it's flaws.
History really is written by the winners.
Holiday has learned a lot from his mentor, Robert Greene, and this book feels a lot like 48 Laws of Power. It's the story of Peter Thiel's lawsuit against Gawker, yes, but it's also about the history of conspiracies in general. Using the narrative framework of "conspiracies" brings a lot of extra value to what would otherwise be a story better suited for a longform journalism piece, rather than a full book. The fact that the conspiracy against Gawker was revealed in such a detailed way made me think critically about other current events, and how they too played out.
But as I mentioned, I couldn't help but feel that there were some fatal flaws in the book, the biggest of which is that the story fully fleshes out Peter Thiel's point of view, but we're left seriously lacking when it comes to Gawker. As an occasional reader of Gawker, I found them to be an incredibly complex organization. Holiday mentions briefly how sometimes news that broke on Gawker would be tomorrow's headlines, but doesn't dive into any of the articles or pieces that had a positive impact. While I'm not attempting to argue that the good things made up for, or even balanced out, the bad, but the image painted of Gawker is one sided: Thiel's side. For example, one could argue that Reddit's big reforms to remove "jailbait" (and other controversial) content from its site was a direct result of Gawker's reporting. Exploring stories such as these would have made Gawker a more well-rounded character in the story. Instead, it presents the organization as hiding behind the moniker of "free speech" and harboring angry and spiteful journalists. The truth is way more complicated.
Also, there was one section that I found extremely trouble, but was quickly brushed over. As another reviewer pointed out, there were hints of a possible connection between Thiel's posse and Gamergate. This, to me, needed way more investigation and fleshing out, because the implications are huge.
Holiday discusses the struggles that he had with trying to be impartial, especially when you're working with your subject matter in such a personal way (the book is a result of several lengthy interviews with almost all the main players). It's as if he knew what people's issues with the book were going to be, and was already trying to explain his reasoning.
But this section also serves to humanize the author. It's a flawed story about one flawed character utterly destroying another flawed character. It's also a quick and very entertaining read. So I do recommend the book despite it's flaws.
History really is written by the winners.
dibooks43's review against another edition
4.0
Este livro aborda imensos temas importantíssimos, como a liberdade de imprensa. a privacidade de figuras públicas, o jornalismo "cor-de-rosa" e de sensacionalismos. E liga-os na descrição perfeita de uma conspiração, com paralelismos a outras grandes conspirações da história mundial. Um dos melhores livros de non-fiction que já li
allarminda's review against another edition
5.0
SO good. I couldn’t stop listening. Ryan Holiday’s books are always great reads and extremely informative and this one is no exception. However, it is exceptional in that the tale of conspiracy he tells is entirely true and most will remember the Hulk Hogan trial, at least in passing memory, since it took place just a few years ago. I’m still captivated by and contemplating what I read, reevaluating what I thought to be true about conspiracies from the history books against what Holiday lays out in this modern-day drama. It’s an absolutely fascinating exploration of conspiracy, motivation, right, wrong and neutral, and consequences of actions once set in motion. I highly recommend this book.
jmk1217's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting story, but not enough to make an entire book from. Better as a long form article.