Take a photo of a barcode or cover
emotional
fast-paced
I feel compelled to state that I bought SCAMMER on eBay rather than give Caroline Calloway a dime, and that was only after my library declined my purchase request.
I'm not sure why I find her persona so compelling. I haven't had a personal Instagram account in six years, I don't keep up with influencer culture, and I'm likely far outside her target audience. I used to be an embarssingly heavy Twitter user, but I don't recall seeing the thread that went viral outlining her scam artist tendencies years ago.
I'm pretty sure I first learned about Calloway from Natalie Beach's article in The Cut, which I read because I compulsively read every buzzy article regardless of subject matter. I listened to the audiobook for Beach's Adult Drama last year and enjoyed the experience. It was also immediately clear that Beach has moved on from the ghostwriting and media frenzy. Calloway, to a depressing extent, has not.
While I admit there were flashes of true writing talent in SCAMMER, many sections are repeated. I didn't read the collection as a "daybook" as Calloway intends, rather picking up SCAMMER a few separate times over the course of a month, but the repetition of topics and phrases still jumped out to me. I've also read convincing posts suggesting she plagiarized bits and pieces.
But ultimately I rate SCAMMER so low because it is a creation at odds with its premise. Calloway has always wanted to be not just a famous author but a famous memoirist, and memoirs need to be believed to be respected. I cannot believe a single thing Calloway claims — she even contradicts herself within SCAMMER! This would however make an interesting book for a Death of the Author discussion in an undergrad literature class.
I relisted my copy on eBay again.
I'm not sure why I find her persona so compelling. I haven't had a personal Instagram account in six years, I don't keep up with influencer culture, and I'm likely far outside her target audience. I used to be an embarssingly heavy Twitter user, but I don't recall seeing the thread that went viral outlining her scam artist tendencies years ago.
I'm pretty sure I first learned about Calloway from Natalie Beach's article in The Cut, which I read because I compulsively read every buzzy article regardless of subject matter. I listened to the audiobook for Beach's Adult Drama last year and enjoyed the experience. It was also immediately clear that Beach has moved on from the ghostwriting and media frenzy. Calloway, to a depressing extent, has not.
While I admit there were flashes of true writing talent in SCAMMER, many sections are repeated. I didn't read the collection as a "daybook" as Calloway intends, rather picking up SCAMMER a few separate times over the course of a month, but the repetition of topics and phrases still jumped out to me. I've also read convincing posts suggesting she plagiarized bits and pieces.
But ultimately I rate SCAMMER so low because it is a creation at odds with its premise. Calloway has always wanted to be not just a famous author but a famous memoirist, and memoirs need to be believed to be respected. I cannot believe a single thing Calloway claims — she even contradicts herself within SCAMMER! This would however make an interesting book for a Death of the Author discussion in an undergrad literature class.
I relisted my copy on eBay again.