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Reviews tagging 'Trafficking'
Number Go Up: Inside Crypto's Wild Rise and Staggering Fall by Zeke Faux
14 reviews
danpolta's review
funny
informative
medium-paced
5.0
A surprisingly-easy read about a rather abstract concept. Faux is at his weakest when trying to detail the intricacies of how the deregulation inherent to crypto exactly allows unethical players to conduct fraud, but he has a few shining moments that I suspect will convey the concept to most readers. The author never lingers for too long on any subject and has an appropriate sense of humor.
If you like this book, you may enjoy the podcast Behind The Bastards and vice versa.
If you like this book, you may enjoy the podcast Behind The Bastards and vice versa.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Trafficking and Slavery
Moderate: Kidnapping and Pedophilia
piperclover's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
The narrator is fantastic and the author wrote so much detailed information that is so confusing in a way that and also really funny a lot of times. The offer throws so much shade at these crypto influencers and fraudsters that it made me giggle out loudd multiple times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Confinement, and Trafficking
vallhund's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Trafficking
betzal_eel's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
fast-paced
4.75
Frustrating and terrifying to learn this is how so much money is controlled. I feel like the author does a great job keeping the subject engaging and explaining financial and computer terms consicesly and clearly. But I am taking off a quarter star because he does not really explain the significance of any of the memes that come up-- and *a lot* of memes come up. I could still understand what was being discussed, because I'm online a bit too much, but if I gave the book to someone who isn't, I feel like the book would be hard to follow and some of the depth of how much these people treat massive sums of money (life changing amount of money, to the average reader) as trivial, is lost if you don't understand the memes mentioned. Also, I worry that it makes this book understandable for only a short period of time- 20 years from now, readers will have to comb through this book with many tabs of know your meme open. Maybe as it ages as glossary could be helpful? It sounds ridiculous, but I do feel like this investigation and commentary on cryptocurrency is worth preserving, and providing context to future readers is part of that.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Trafficking and Torture
Minor: Pedophilia and Drug use
In one of the discussions of the background of one of the founders of a cryto exchange, there is discussion of the person being predatory to teenage boys, and a few quotes from survivors of his abuse, about his abuse. Specific acts are not described. In the chapters Pig Butchering and "We have freedom", the investigates how some criminal groups kidnap and enslave people and force them to run cryptocurrency scams. He includes quotes from surviors about their experience and treatment, which is brutal. As for drug use- it seems like everyone in the crypto world is doing drugs. The author mentions it when he observes it. Nothing graphic.bellisk's review
dark
funny
informative
fast-paced
4.0
A very satisfying read if, like me, you've been sceptical of and irritated by the cryptocurrency boom from the very beginning. Working in Faux's favour as narrator are the access and travel budget he had to investigate these stories over the years as a writer for Bloomberg, his own scepticism (balanced by a willingness to experiment just a little), and the humility with which he admits he missed some clues to which way the crypto chips would finally fall.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Slavery, and Trafficking
cuppajoy's review
challenging
funny
informative
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Slavery and Trafficking
A great book that kept me interested, despite my typical allergy to financial topics. A nuanced discussion about crypto currency and its origins and future. Starting with origins onraggedyman1342's review
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Trafficking and Slavery
michireading's review
challenging
funny
informative
medium-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Trafficking and Slavery
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Cursing
Minor: Death, Murder, Physical abuse, and Torture
striver's review
emotional
funny
informative
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Trafficking
Minor: Drug use
themorsecode's review against another edition
dark
funny
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.25
Enjoyed this, extremely readable and doesn't get too bogged down in the technical weeds - more interested in the people and community. The difference between the crypto-bro culture Vs the exploited people in East Asia working in slave labour conditions to make their masters money is quite stark and the book takes quite a turn when it heads over to this side of the world. Despite his work unravelling some of the crypto scams, Faux was fortunate with his timing of the fall of Sam Bankman-Fried and Tether, I'm not sure that his book would have had a neat conclusion without this - but he was definitely sniffing in the right direction so his instincts were certainly true.
Content Warnings
Minor: Slavery and Trafficking