Book review: 'Whoppers' exposes historical lies and liars - East Idaho News
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Book review: ‘Whoppers’ exposes historical lies and liars

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"WHOPPERS: History's Most Outrageous Lies and Liars," by Christine Seifert, Zest Books, $13.99, 224 pages (nf)

From a person who pretended to be the heir of a very rich man, to someone who invented a disease in order to sell more of a product, to another who carved and buried a “prehistoric” statue in a yard, Christine Seifert shares more than 40 stories about people who weren't exactly honest.

Her book “Whoppers: History’s Most Outrageous Lies and Liars” tells the fascinating stories of famous and not-so-famous liars, cheaters and hucksters throughout history, from the man who sold the Eiffel Tower twice to the woman who won the Boston Marathon without actually running the race.

“Whoppers,” which is due out on Tuesday, is divided into four sections: “Tall-Tale Tellers,” “Great Pretenders,” “Cheaters and Thieves” and “Aliens, Ghosts and Creature Hoaxes,” each containing 10 or so profiles of people who spun stories, created fake identities or found other ways to dupe the unsuspecting for their own ends. Throughout the book, Seifert explains that the craziest thing about these outrageous lies is that people believed them.

Seifert’s fun, informal but informative writing style keeps readers turning the pages to find out more about supposed ancient curses, alien activity, get-rich-quick schemes and fake discoveries. Still, not all of the liars had nefarious designs in mind; the book also highlights authors who wrote under pen names and a woman who pretended to be a man in order to fight in the Revolutionary War (although two women made it in for passing as men in order to become pirates, a somewhat less noble career choice).

Each story is a few pages long, with the liar’s name, date, lie and motivation right up front, making for a quick and easy read. Quizzes at the beginning of each section preview the upcoming stories, and sidebars throughout the chapters provide interesting facts about related topics. There are a few instances where a liar’s story seems less compelling or gets bogged down by extra detail, but they’re sensational and entertaining overall.

There’s no profanity, but there are a few references to sex and bodily functions.

Katherine Kitterman hails from Flagstaff, Arizona, and is a two-time graduate of Brigham Young University. She’s currently pursuing a doctorate in history from American University in Washington, D.C. Her email is katherine.kitterman@gmail.com.

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