A review by koberreads
Number Go Up: Inside Crypto's Wild Rise and Staggering Fall by Zeke Faux

adventurous challenging dark funny informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.75

“Number Go Up” by Zeke Faux is a must-read in 2025, especially as we enter yet another cycle of crypto bullishness. Even though this book was published around the time Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) filed for bankruptcy (2022) and became the Madoff of the crypto world, its insights into what cryptocurrency actually is remain timeless. This book provides much-needed wisdom—whether you’re considering investing in crypto or simply preparing for the potential financial chaos that could unfold if cryptocurrency ever manages to infect and destabilize the U.S. dollar.

It’s both funny and ironic that Bitcoin and crypto were initially created to free ordinary people from the control of traditional banks and governments by offering decentralization. Yet now, the entire crypto world is hanging by a thread—and that thread is the U.S. government and the promises of a president who looks like a giant Cheeto in a suit. Or, as some call him, “Darth Cheetos” or “Felon 47.” And what does Darth Cheetos do? He launches his own Trump Coin and Melania Coin, creating a blatant pump-and-dump scheme so shameless that even crypto fraudsters—who normally operate in the shadows—are left stunned. I can’t tell if they’re outraged at Trump for the ethical violation or just jealous that he pulled it off so openly while making a fortune.

The author is legit and fully committed to his investigation. If risking his life to uncover the crypto scam slavery linked to Tether doesn’t convince you of his credibility, consider this: he invested his own family’s savings (potentially his kids’ college fund) to buy an NFT just so he could gain access to an exclusive party promoting NFTs. He did this to experience firsthand what NFTs are and what really goes on at these Bored Ape Yacht Club cult-like gatherings. It was a risky move, and I found myself worried for him at that point—but it proves his dedication to exposing the truth about crypto.

Also His experience of buying the said NFT above, storing it in a Fox icon on a browser extension, and navigating the whole convoluted process highlights just how daunting and impractical crypto can be for the average consumer—especially when compared to something as simple as using PayPal for online shopping.

As for the NFT he invested in, don’t worry—he managed to get some of his money back. In Number Go Up, Zeke Faux details his purchase of a Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) NFT for approximately $20,000. He later sold it for around $18,000, resulting in a minor loss. This investment was part of his investigative efforts to immerse himself in the NFT and crypto community. (See source here.)

Read Number Go Up because it’s a solid preparation guide for the financial dumpster fire that might be coming in the years ahead, thanks to the current U.S. administration. Some parts of the book felt slow to me, but that’s likely because I was already familiar with a lot of the details from the news. Overall, though, it’s a fast-paced and even darkly entertaining read about the horrifying financial reality we live in today—you might finish it faster than I did.

Whether you support Trump or not, this book will be useful to you. But if you’re a hardcore crypto bro, well… you might find it a bit annoying.
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