This fast-paced, gripping, and disturbing examination of Andrew Tate’s swift rise and slow fall reads like a higher-stakes version of Jon Ronson’s psycho subculture gonzo investigations.

Examining Tate’s past and present to explore how cycles of abuse expand and perpetuate, you’ll come away with a deeper knowledge of modern exploitation as sex trafficking goes zero hours, with corporate psychopathy going freelance.

Starting silly, the deeper this book goes, the more repulsive it gets. Be prepared for a lot of misogyny, misanthropy, and descriptions of SA / R which, despite being delivered with journalistic integrity, are extremely tough to read.

Clear-eyed and comprehensive, Clown World is a chilling screenshot of our current culture.

A startling descent into the mind of the manosphere. A warning siren for anyone with young men in their lives.

I've followed Matt Shea's work for a while so being approved for this book was something I was really excited about. This book dives deep not only into Andrew Tate but the people, culture, and ideology that sounds him, the people he works with, and the people who pay/watch for his commentary and services. The book doesn't shy away from showing the consequences of these views and how they effect both men and women and the relationships that we are apart of with one another. It is a well rounded book, covering multiple topics, people, and events that occurred during Andrew Tates rise to fame and doesn't shy away from exposing the true nature of people. The book covers a lot but it is very approachable and breaks down the arguments, ideologies, and events in a way that is easy to follow for the readers. Jamie and Matt's work flows smoothly and their combined research and writing talents have created this book. When reading it, they really paint a picture of who this man is and you forget that he's a real person because he reads like a super villains in stories. I recommend this book if you are looking into learning more about the rise of this man and how it effects everyone who listens to him.

Somehow I missed a lot of the press surrounding the absolutely loathsome Andrew Tate…was he big during COVID? I was aware of him, but not too in the know, so I was interested in reading this book by two “Vice” documentarians who took an incredibly deep dive into his mad world. To call Tate a piece of shit is an insult to excrement, but I found the book quite interesting.

If you don’t know Andrew Tate is a noxious failed reality show star turned misogynistic online “lifestyle” icon turned organized crime figure. So you can’t say the boy hasn’t lived a full life, right?

Authors Tansin and Shea really put it on the line, especially Shea, God bless him. They agree to participate in some of Tate’s madness in order to uncover the full story of this monster and brother Tristan, along with their motley crew of male and female accomplices and those misguided souls who thing Tate is the greatest…and one thing you have to give the Tates is that are pretty good at marketing.

The Tate brothers preyed on the insecurity of young males, an insecurity that they likely shared given that their father was one of the only African American chess masters, and also authoritarian and very right wing.

In discussing the influence of the Tates the authors note “a common misconception is the idea the people are crueler on the internet because there is no face to face interaction to dissuade them.” This is known as mismatch theory. However some political scientists have tested this supposition and found no evidence that mismatch theory is true, instead finding “‘political hostility reflects a deliberate strategy among individuals with particular personality traits’ particularly ‘aggressive bullies seeking to gain status.’l

In other depressing news a recent “Financial Times” poll found that Gen Z isn’t necessarily more progressive. Well, the women are, the men are more conservative. This is the attitude that gives rise to incels and MGTOW, as well as providing fertile ground for someone like Andrew Tate to sow young men who want to degrade women.

So there you go. Oh, and as an added bonus, you’ll come away from this hating Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk far more than you already do, especially Carlson, who went to the Tates’ compound for a happy happy interview AFTER THEY HAD ALREADY BEEN INDICTED.

So the subjects are vile, but the book, quite good. Recommended.

I guess it has been hard to avoid hearing about Andrew Tate in the last few years, even if you - like me - are as far from his target audience as possible. But I didn't know much except for some news about his outrageous statements and the criminal charges he's facing, so a book about him piqued my interest. And it was so worth it!

It is a fine work of investigative journalism, written by a very brave and somewhat reckless pair of reporters. They are excellent storytellers - what begins as a rather amusing trip to Romania, culminating in a cage with an MMA fighter, soon takes a darker turn. The authors follow their story no matter what, and discover that a controversial influencer is a cruel criminal. They resist the temptation to be impressed by him, focusing instead on compassion and empathy for his victims.

And they also expose a larger problem - how it is possible for a person like Tate to gain such influence. The answer points to social media algorithms and the lack of scruples of their creators.

Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys gripping nonfiction.

Thanks to the publisher, Quercus (Hachette Book Group), and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.