Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
There's not much here besides a smattering of stories about famous con men; the books saving grace for about 150/352 pages.
informative
I just finished watching "Bad Vegan" on Netflix and listening to the audiobook of "Bad Blood" so this seemed a really fitting follow-up to understand the psychology behind how and why we can let people mislead us so badly. It was really well researched and very thorough, but perhaps a bit too thorough? I really enjoy learning about psychology but it definitely started to really lag for me. Although perhaps because she went into detail describing cognitive biases that I am already well familiar with? So, to Maria I would give 5 stars for the effort put into it, but as a reading (or listening) experience in this case it was a 3.
informative
slow-paced
challenging
informative
medium-paced
Really interesting but I used an audiobook and don’t think it was the best format to enjoy this. It’s one of those that you need to have a physical book to pick up and put down to enjoy. There are so many stories, names, and concepts that make starting and stopping an audiobook disruptive.
Accurately subtitled and well researched. Konnikova includes many stories of cons, using them to illustrate parts of the process of a long-con and explain why people continue to be swindled. This is not just a historical overview of the subject -- she conducted tons of interviews and cites related studies. I was impressed by the time that must have gone into creating this book.
As someone with an unfailing optimism about other people's intentions, this was particularly valuable for me to read. It's not really intended as a how-to guide for preventing yourself from being suckered, but it may help do that. As Konnikova demonstrates again and again, though, even when people are aware of the existences of the biases that enable susceptibility to scams, they still fall into the traps that are set for them.
As someone with an unfailing optimism about other people's intentions, this was particularly valuable for me to read. It's not really intended as a how-to guide for preventing yourself from being suckered, but it may help do that. As Konnikova demonstrates again and again, though, even when people are aware of the existences of the biases that enable susceptibility to scams, they still fall into the traps that are set for them.
First, let me say that I really like Maria Konnikova. I listen to her on the Gist religiously, and I reserved this book from my library the minute I was able to.
I am so sad to report that I am temporarily putting this on my "DNF" shelf. I was so excited to read Konnikova that I didn't pause to see what it was actually ABOUT. I am halfway through and cannot muster anymore interest in the psycology of the con. (I do not, in fact, find psychology interesting. At all. Whatsoever.)
Hopefully, one day, I will pick this up again. For now, it goes back to the library.
Why three stars? The writing is fantastic. Just like I thought it would be.
I am so sad to report that I am temporarily putting this on my "DNF" shelf. I was so excited to read Konnikova that I didn't pause to see what it was actually ABOUT. I am halfway through and cannot muster anymore interest in the psycology of the con. (I do not, in fact, find psychology interesting. At all. Whatsoever.)
Hopefully, one day, I will pick this up again. For now, it goes back to the library.
Why three stars? The writing is fantastic. Just like I thought it would be.
informative
sad
medium-paced
Wait, before you read this review: I NEED YUOR HELP!!!! Someone. Anyone. I've fallen into hard times and my cat/dog/brother/grandma was stricken by the plague/a bus/disco fever. It's terminal. All I ask is for a small loan of $10k for my family, or even just one like on this review..... I'll reward you tenfold (after fleeing the country for unrelated reasons.)
Now that all the discerning readers have left, I'll start the actual review. I'm a big fan of scams, cults, and cons. As crimes go, these are definitely the most insidious, exploiting human psychology itself in myriad fascinating ways. The Confidence Game reads almost like a would-be scammer's introductory textbook: a step-by-step breakdown of the snare, complete with examples of large and small cons and psychological studies exposing the underbelly of our mind. I especially appreciated how Konnikova introduces commonly exploited fallacies (sunk-cost, Monte Carlo) as well as reasons the "fallacy" actually helps in everyday life. On the whole, a comprehensive answer to the question "How could they fall for that?!"
On paper, I would love this book, and I'm definitely glad I read it. The stories of cons are all varied and interesting, showcasing how the thread of the grift runs through history. But in practice, something about the writing style failed to really grip me. Maybe I suffered from inflated expectations -- I've read very few books on this subject despite my interest -- or maybe winter break strangled my attention span. Don't get me wrong, the writing is very competent, clear, and consistent. But the first few chapters are rather slow with more dubious pseudo-scientific claims than the latter portions of the book. That being said, I think Konnikova did a fine job illuminating the anatomy of the most exciting crimes out there as well as how vulnerable you (yes, even you) can be.
Verdict: 3.5/5. Excited to test out all these tips and tricks on my (soon-to-be-ex) friends!
P.S. The dates are strange because my semester hit like a truck when I picked this up for the first time lolol. Not that anyone's looking but still.
Now that all the discerning readers have left, I'll start the actual review. I'm a big fan of scams, cults, and cons. As crimes go, these are definitely the most insidious, exploiting human psychology itself in myriad fascinating ways. The Confidence Game reads almost like a would-be scammer's introductory textbook: a step-by-step breakdown of the snare, complete with examples of large and small cons and psychological studies exposing the underbelly of our mind. I especially appreciated how Konnikova introduces commonly exploited fallacies (sunk-cost, Monte Carlo) as well as reasons the "fallacy" actually helps in everyday life. On the whole, a comprehensive answer to the question "How could they fall for that?!"
On paper, I would love this book, and I'm definitely glad I read it. The stories of cons are all varied and interesting, showcasing how the thread of the grift runs through history. But in practice, something about the writing style failed to really grip me. Maybe I suffered from inflated expectations -- I've read very few books on this subject despite my interest -- or maybe winter break strangled my attention span. Don't get me wrong, the writing is very competent, clear, and consistent. But the first few chapters are rather slow with more dubious pseudo-scientific claims than the latter portions of the book. That being said, I think Konnikova did a fine job illuminating the anatomy of the most exciting crimes out there as well as how vulnerable you (yes, even you) can be.
Verdict: 3.5/5. Excited to test out all these tips and tricks on my (soon-to-be-ex) friends!
P.S. The dates are strange because my semester hit like a truck when I picked this up for the first time lolol. Not that anyone's looking but still.
Beginning was promising but didn't last. Agree with other reviewers. Got 70% through before giving up. Same old psychology concepts you've heard before and some oddly told stories thrown in. Could've been great with more editing and organization.