Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
There Is No Ethan
There Is No Ethan: How Three Women Caught America's Biggest Catfish | Anna Akbari
9 posts | 9 read | 28 to read
Part memoir, part explosive window into the mind of a catfish, a thrilling personal account of three women coming face-to-face with an internet predator and teaming up to expose them. In 2011, three successful and highly educated women fell head over heels for the brilliant and charming Ethan Schuman. Unbeknownst to the others, each exchanged countless messages with Ethan, staying up late into the evenings to deepen their connections with this seemingly perfect man. His detailed excuses about broken webcams and complicated international calling plans seemed believable, as did last minute trip cancellations. After all, why would he lie? Ethan wasn't after money he never convinced his marks to shell out thousands of dollars for some imagined crisis. Rather, he ensnared these women in a web of intense emotional intimacy. After the trio independently began to question inconsistencies in their new flame's stories, they managed to find one another and uncover a greater deception than they could've ever imagined. As Anna Akbari and the women untangled their catishs web, they found dozens of other victims and realized that without a proper crime, there was no legal reason for Ethan to ever stop. THERE IS NO ETHAN catalogues Akbari's experience as both victim and observer. By looking at the bigger picture of where these stories unfold a world where technology mediates our relationships; where words and images are easily manipulated; and where truth, reality, and identity have become slippery terms Akbari gives a page-turning and riveting examination of why stories like Ethan's matter for us all.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
review
ClairesReads
post image
Pickpick

Outrageous, compelling, literally unputdownable. I find most catfishing stories pretty engaging, because I both can‘t believe that people do it, and am amazed at how long people are taken in by catfish. This story blew me out of the park though. Even more compelling than the catfishing itself, is the unravelling of the work of the catfish by the three women at the centre of this story. This is like watching the best reality tv.

BarbaraBB You sold it! Stacked!! 3w
Ephemera The person doing the catfishing is a sociopath. 2w
34 likes3 stack adds2 comments
review
Chelsea.Poole
post image
Pickpick

A propulsive work of nonfiction about an intense catfishing episode suffered by the author and at least two others, who join forces to uncover the truth of who “Ethan” really is. And let me tell you, I was shocked to find out who was behind this debacle. I hate that these intelligent individuals got scammed, but I love that they came together to fight back. A good (and super fast!) audio as well.

Hooked_on_books I found this one fascinating! 4w
Suet624 This sounds great! 3w
82 likes7 stack adds2 comments
review
Ephemera
post image
Pickpick

A true cautionary tale about how the internet allows people with selfish motives to victimize others. Although most of this story happens in 2011, the perpetrator is still free today and perhaps still doing the same things they did back then. The book is a real page turner and quick reading. The agenda of this emotional vampire will repel you, as will their attitude once they‘re caught. Five stars.

review
BookishTrish
post image
Pickpick

Completely compulsive true story. I was shocked and outraged and utterly hooked. I am glad these women can find healing with one another. (Pictured: my neighbours try and invite themselves for breakfast)

julesG Cute neighbours 2mo
Ladygodiva7 🦝 hahaha so adorable 2mo
kspenmoll How many??!!! 2mo
BookishTrish @kspenmoll a mama and six Littles 2mo
57 likes4 comments
review
Hooked_on_books
post image
Pickpick

In 2011, Anna Akbari met Ethan online and started falling for him as the chatted online and texted. But gradually she started having suspicions and frustrations when they never met up. So she did some sleuthing, found other women involved with him, and discovered the truth. While I found myself wondering how these women had gotten so drawn in, I found this story fascinating and unputdownable. It was basically a one sitting read.

AmyG Good to read. I just picked this up. 2mo
Christine Same re: disbelief that they got so hooked! Settled on it being a different time (emergent tech, catfishing still a newish concept, etc.) and the extraordinary effort put into sustaining the cons. 2mo
Megabooks Yeah!! This was a really good one! 2mo
See All 8 Comments
squirrelbrain Ooh, stacking! 2mo
Hooked_on_books @Christine I tried to tell myself that about a different time, but the reality is, I tried online dating before the events here and quickly figured out not to spend too much time on the online bit before actually meeting people. And these are smart, successful women! But I‘m trying not to be judgey, since it really was an engrossing story. 2mo
Christine Such a good point (esp. given your firsthand experience!), and I tried not to judge, too. I imagine wanting to believe in the possibilities of the meaningful connection/relationship played into it for them, along with who knows what other psychological factors. I also wonder if there's more to “Ethan“'s manipulation skills than what was discussed here. But yes, it was a great read! 2mo
kspenmoll My nephew got lured into a woman‘s catfishing scheme when he only 18 & it was a nightmare for him & his parents to extricate him from her net so to speak. He would stop, then get caught up again. He got off all social media, & asked all his friends to unfriend him, etc. He spent time in therapy with an expert in catfishing. He finally let it all go when he moved out of state. Biggest nightmare- 2mo
Hooked_on_books @kspenmoll Holy cow, that poor kid! I could easily see that happening at that age. I think so many teens are just trying to fit somewhere and could be so easy to get drawn in. I‘m so glad this stuff didn‘t exist when I was that age. I would not have known better. Few teens would. 2mo
47 likes4 stack adds8 comments
review
Christine
post image
Pickpick

Almost set this aside because Part 1 was painful! Hearing so much detail about how an accomplished, intelligent woman (who shared my career field) fell hard for a manipulative creep in an online dating setting was rough. But I‘m glad I kept going because the story overall was riveting (and infuriating), and Akbari is a great writer. In the end, definitely a pick!

44 likes1 stack add
review
guinsgirlreads
post image
Pickpick

Wow. Just, wow 🤯! I had never heard of this story, but what a crazy, hard to digest one that it is! This book is very well-written, and if you go into not knowing the story, like I did, pretty true-life mind blowing!

wanderinglynn Your tumbler! 😹😹😹❤️ 3mo
29 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
Megabooks
post image
Pickpick

I couldn‘t put down this catfishing memoir!! Audio is done well and so is the story of Anna‘s relationship to Ethan, an emotionally manipulative man she met on a dating site, but never met irl. Later she teams up with two other victims to unmask the person behind Ethan‘s profile. The ending is wild!

JenReadsAlot That sounds good! 3mo
Megabooks @JenReadsAlot it was really engaging! 3mo
LeahBergen Stacked! 3mo
See All 6 Comments
Megabooks @LeahBergen awesome! 3mo
Christine The ending is indeed wild! I can't believe there weren't more consequences for “Ethan,“ whom I looked up and was just in disbelief that they're out there doing their thing professionally. 😳 😡 3mo
Megabooks @Christine right?! I can‘t believe she‘s actually practicing medicine!! 3mo
64 likes8 stack adds6 comments
blurb
nitalibrarian
post image

Started a new audiobook. This one is about a catfisher and the three women who find him and expose him. #audiobook

Kristy_K This one looks interesting! 3mo
22 likes1 comment