I was given a review copy by the publisher.
I will admit, I was hesitant to read this. After the last few years of being bombarded by "fake news" and social media propaganda, the constant daily list of lies from You-Know-Who, and the growing acceptance of the "post-truth society", I really didn't want to think about this topic. Can't we just try being honest with each other?
Well, as it turns out, no. We're hard-wired, almost literally from birth, to deceive each other. The only questions are how much we're going to do it and whether we're going to get caught. (Short answers, more than we like to admit, and, eventually, yes, but it it may not matter.)
Raden delves into the different types of deceit, from the Big Lie, the Shell Game, and the Bait and Switch to the Long Con. She goes from small-scale grifters to massive civilization-wide cons such as the value of diamonds or the mortgage market, and even religion. She doesn't just tell stories, though, she addresses philosophical questions like what it takes for a lie to be accepted as fact, or why we refuse to accept it when we're told we've been lied to. (And although Raden mostly stays away from contemporary politics, the implications for how we're going to rebuild our world are horrifying.)
What really hooked me was the easy-going and conversational writing style. It was fun to read, and I read most of the book in one sitting. (Though if you're offended by f-bombs, you should probably stay clear of this - personally, I like them, because they made the writing feel authentic.) It was a great mixture of stories, psychology and philosophy, combining humor and shock with fascinating information.
If you enjoy shows like Hustle or Lupin, you'll enjoy this book.

Humans love to be lied to. Well, we don’t like the consequences of lies, but that doesn’t seem to slow us down on stumbling into cons throughout the centuries. Raden takes us through a laugh out loud history of the con. And while the players may change, the outcomes stay exactly the same.

Structured into nine sections, Raden explores everything from the Big Lies, such as making up a country, pyramid schemes and the 2008 financial crisis, to illusions, shell games, and counterfeit masterpieces. (Fun fact of today, 20-30% of the art in every museum is actually counterfeit.)

What takes these lessons beyond the history books is Raden’s humor and psychological grounding. She explains how our trusting nature as humans allowed us to become the world dominating species we are today - due to collective intelligence. She discusses biases, the need for confirmation, and even lapses of memory - all which prime us to be conned.

I loved how she delved into what distinguishes a fact from truth, and how our perception isn’t as grounded as we’d want to believe. For anyone looking to understand lying, social psychology, and a slice of human nature - you can find no better guide.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Truth About Lies.

This was a fascinating, informative (sometimes hilarious) read about dishonesty, deceit, and the illusion of honesty.

Lying is essential to the human species. We lie because we can. We lie to survive. We lie to deceive. We lie to achieve. We lie to succeed.

But, why do we lie? How do people fall for it?

The author breaks it down for the readers, the psychological and behavioral and cognitive factors behind why we lie, how so many people are suckers and get suckered in, and why con games are an enduring part of capitalism.

The writing is great; straightforward, blunt, no fancy schmancy words, some cussing which adds gravitas to the topic.

I highly recommend this book; it might not make you smarter, but it might prevent you from falling for a business proposition that sounds just a tad bit too good to be true.

Thought Provoking, But Could Have Used More Documentation. This is a very thought provoking book that looks at lies and how we deceive both ourselves and others, using scams from prehistory all the way through the 2010s. In its examinations of how we deceive both ourselves and each other, it seems to this reader to be very well reasoned, very well thought out, and very well written. Lots of education, a fair degree of humor, and (warning to those "sensitive" to it), a few F-bombs to boot. Indeed, the one main weakness here is the dearth of its bibliography - coming it at just 6% ish of the text rather than the more common 25-30% of well-documented nonfiction texts. Also, the cover - I don't believe Washington and the (very likely apocryphal, and thus... a lie) story of his childhood cherry tree is ever mentioned in the text. So the cover lies... which may be the point. ;) Overall a superb book, but the bibliography issue knocks it down a star. Very much recommended.