Perfect for Book Club!

It is rare that I check out a ‘current affairs’ style of book or any nonfiction in general, but this was heavily recommended to me by other librarians I respect as the perfect book to use for my last-minute book club. Annoyingly, they were entirely correct. 

Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes were names I knew, though at the time this story was in the popular media, I never bothered to look into it. I knew Elizabeth Holmes’ name was synonymous with fraud and that the company she had started went under after it came out that she had lied repeatedly about what her company could do. Outside of those basic understandings, I didn’t know much about the entire controversy. 

Bad Blood is a fantastic and shockingly compelling read for being nonfiction circulating around the science of blood testing apparatuses. I have severe blood-triggered PTSD, and thus, even getting a routine blood draw can result in hours-long panic attacks. Reading about Holmes’ initial invention was fascinating, as I wish it could have come to fruition and been a godsend for someone like me. 

Of course, we know now what really happened. Plucky upstart Elizabeth lied her way to the top, resting on the hope that her incredibly wealthy board members would back her up and protect her from any major legal issues. The awful thing is that she was right! For almost a decade, she was able to hide under the radar despite her company constantly failing to meet the expectations it had set for itself. Rich, powerful men who had given Theranos money were more conscious of their image and the hit to their pride than anything else, and few dared to admit they made a mistake in investing in Theranos. In some cases, the issues ran so deep that they wouldn’t apologize for them until years later, which, honestly, checks out for rich men who rarely deal with the consequences of their actions. 

This is a fantastic book club book as there is an insurmountable deal of acts to discuss. The only issue my book club had with it is how depressant it was to read sometimes, as there isn’t much change. The rich are still rich, the poor are still screwed, and Elizabeth Holmes will likely get out of jail early for ‘good behavior’ despite actively ruining the lives of many with no remorse. The American Dream. 

Title: Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup
Author: John Carreyrou
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 339
ISBN: 9781524731656

Three Descriptors: Dramatic, Compelling, Well-Researched

Read Alikes:
Red Notice by Bill Browder
The Hard Sell by Evan Hughes
No One Would Listen by Harry Markopolos
All The President’s Men by Carl Bernstein
Chaos Monkeys by Antonio Garcia Martinez