The Confidence Game: Why We Fall for It . . . Every Time by Maria KonnikovaMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Fascinating expose on con artists (men & women) down through the past century mainly. Well written with so many fascinating details on how these con artists achieved their cons--taking people & their money for a ride. Not by violence, or by the barrel of a gun, but by a slick, wily exploiting of human nature. As Konnikova so well points out, it's not just the con artist who has confidence in their game--it's those who are so masterfully swindled who are often brimming with confidence that they are know what's what and are above being cheated. Figures straight into self-deception and human hubris, pride, and blindness due to over-confidence, shame, and gullibility (implicit trust in the supposed overall "goodness" of other humans). Konnikova does an excellent job of outlining, step-by-step, how a con takes place--and how people willingly end up believing a lie and often giving away thousands/millions of dollars, as well as property and other possessions sometimes.
Masterfully told, very engaging, never a dull moment--with lots of research & studies to back up the insights into human nature and its weaknesses. Over & over again. Down through the ages. Watch for it--there's a sucker born every minute, someone said. It's true, unfortunately. Don't get sucked in. Borrowed from the library--read on my Kindle. Plan to read another Konnikova book soon.
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