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The Bling Ring: How a Gang of Fame-Obsessed Teens Ripped Off Hollywood and Shocked the World
In time for the 2013 film The Bling Ring directed by Sofia Coppola and starring Emma Watson: an in-depth exposé of the exploits of the infamous Hollywood "Bling Ring"-a band of beautiful, privileged teenagers who were caught breaking into celebrity mansions and stealing millions of dollars' worth of valuables
Meet the Bling Ring: six club-hopping LA teenagers accused of stealing more than $3 million in clothing and jewelry from the likes of Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Orlando Bloom, Rachel Bilson and other young members of the Hollywood elite-allegedly the most audacious burglary gang in recent history.
Driven by celebrity worship, vanity, and the desire to look and dress like the rich and famous, the Bling Ring made headlines in 2009 for using readily available sources-like Google maps, Facebook and TMZ, to track the comings and goings of their targets. Seven teens were arrested for the crimes, and instantly became tabloid fodder. The world asked-how did the American obsession with celebrity get so out of hand? And why did a band of ostensibly privileged LA teens take such a risk?
Vanity Fair reporter Nancy Jo Sales found the answer: they did it because they could. And because it was just that easy.
Author of the acclaimed Vanity Fair story on the Bling Ring "The Suspect Wore Louboutins," Sales gained unprecedented access to the Hollywood thieves, and in the process uncovered a dark world of teenage arrogance, greed, obsession, and delusion. Now, for the first time in a full book length work, Sales details the Bling Ring crimes up close and in depth, and reveals the key players' stories in a shocking look at the seedy world of the real young Hollywood.
Meet the Bling Ring: six club-hopping LA teenagers accused of stealing more than $3 million in clothing and jewelry from the likes of Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Orlando Bloom, Rachel Bilson and other young members of the Hollywood elite-allegedly the most audacious burglary gang in recent history.
Driven by celebrity worship, vanity, and the desire to look and dress like the rich and famous, the Bling Ring made headlines in 2009 for using readily available sources-like Google maps, Facebook and TMZ, to track the comings and goings of their targets. Seven teens were arrested for the crimes, and instantly became tabloid fodder. The world asked-how did the American obsession with celebrity get so out of hand? And why did a band of ostensibly privileged LA teens take such a risk?
Vanity Fair reporter Nancy Jo Sales found the answer: they did it because they could. And because it was just that easy.
Author of the acclaimed Vanity Fair story on the Bling Ring "The Suspect Wore Louboutins," Sales gained unprecedented access to the Hollywood thieves, and in the process uncovered a dark world of teenage arrogance, greed, obsession, and delusion. Now, for the first time in a full book length work, Sales details the Bling Ring crimes up close and in depth, and reveals the key players' stories in a shocking look at the seedy world of the real young Hollywood.
288 pages, Paperback
First published September 10, 2013
257 people are currently reading
5682 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Jo Sales
14 books109 followersNancy Jo Sales is the New York Times bestselling author of American Girls: Social Media and the Secret Lives of Teenagers and The Bling Ring: How a Gang of Fame-Obsessed Teens Ripped Off Hollywood and Shocked the World. She is also the director, producer, and writer of the documentary film Swiped: Hooking Up in the Digital Age. Her writing has appeared in Vanity Fair, New York Magazine, The Guardian, and many other publications. Known for her stories on teenagers, social media, and fame culture, she is the recipient of a 2010 Mirror Award, a 2011 Front Page Award, and a 2015 Silurian Award. She lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 755 reviews
May 31, 2013
"Maybe, I thought, the Bling Ring kids felt they could just walk into the stars' homes because stars no longer shined. Maybe the Bling Ring, for all its silliness, represented a turning point in America's relationship to celebrity."
*In which our reviewer takes a break from her usual intelligent discussion of Serious Literature to express her love of trashy reality TV shows*
Gather 'round, my blueberries, and let me tell you the tale of an ill-fated reality show called Pretty Wild (it's currently streaming on Netflix, and if you wanted to go ahead and watch the entire show right now I would support you). The show was intended to be a bastard stepchild of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, in that it would followed the exploits of three sisters living in LA and being "wild" etc. However, on the first day of filming, the main character, Alexis Neiers, was arrested for her alleged involvement with a group of teenagers accused of burglarizing celebrities' homes. After that, the show had to create an awkward blend of general teen partying and scenes of Alexis's ongoing legal troubles. At some point during filming, Alexis was interviewed by Nancy Jo Sales for Vanity Fair, for an article that would eventually be titled "The Suspect Wore Louboutins." Alexis felt that she had been wrongly portrayed by this article and, while the cameras rolled, called Nancy Jo Sales to express her anguish. The result was one of the greatest scenes in television history, and also the reason the terrorists hate us.
The reality show lasted one season, because apparently there is a threshold for people's enjoyment of watching narcissistic monsters disguised as human beings, and it stopped with the Kardashians, but then Sophia Coppola read Sales's article and breezed in from France and was all, "I want to make a movie about this! Spoiled rich kids behaving badly set to mournful indie soundtracks? That's kind of my thing." So she met with Sales to discuss the whole case of the teenage burglaries, which had been dubbed "The Bling Ring" (and featured three other girls - Diana Tomayo, Rachel Lee, Courtney Ames - and one boy, Nick Prugo) and expanded her original article, proving more information about the suspects and follow-up on the their legal battles. The result is The Bling Ring.
I'm going to be honest about you guys here: one, I typed all that shit up there from memory. Two, this book is not that great, but it was like fucking crack to me. Did I mention that I've seen every episode of Pretty Wild three times (Netflix will be my downfall)?
So I was going to love this no matter what, and that love was only made worse by Sales's occasional inside look at the creation of the reality show that shot Neiers to quasi-fame.
That being said, it's not great. Sales makes many attempts to bring deeper issues into the book, like when she discusses teen suicide rates in boys versus girls, or whenever she tries to divine some deeper cultural meaning for the burglaries besides "the kids loved famous people and wanted to steal their shit" and you just find yourself thinking, "Okay, calm down, Nancy Jo. This whole book is basically a highbrow US Weekly article, and no amount of statistics you throw out can convince me otherwise. Now, give me some more dirt!" Also she throws out weird pop culture references that have no place being there, like when she says that "Until recently, the fame bubble has always seemed magical, impossible to pierce, like the protective force thrown out by Violet, the 'super' girl in The Incredibles." (First of all, Sales, Violet was super, and there's no need to qualify it with quotation marks. Second, what the hell? You could have just said that the fame bubble was like an invisible forcefield and we would have known what you meant.) And, although Sales managed to score interviews with almost all the alleged perpetrators, the one person who is conspicuously absent from the book is Rachel Lee, the alleged ringleader of the group, who ignored all of Sales's attempts to contact her. I don't think it's any coincidence that the one person who isn't interviewed by the book's author is the one cast as the villain and the mastermind - if, say, Nick Prugo had been the one who refused to talk to Sales, I'm sure he would have been described as the mastermind behind the robberies.
Still, the fact remains that I read this book in a day and a half, and do not regret a minute. As beach season approaches, this seems like the perfect eponymous "beach read" (who the fuck goes to a beach to read, by the way?) The point is: if you, like me, delight in trashy stories of the rich and vapid behaving badly, The Bling Ring will be your shit. Otherwise, run far away, for that way madness lies.
*In which our reviewer takes a break from her usual intelligent discussion of Serious Literature to express her love of trashy reality TV shows*
Gather 'round, my blueberries, and let me tell you the tale of an ill-fated reality show called Pretty Wild (it's currently streaming on Netflix, and if you wanted to go ahead and watch the entire show right now I would support you). The show was intended to be a bastard stepchild of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, in that it would followed the exploits of three sisters living in LA and being "wild" etc. However, on the first day of filming, the main character, Alexis Neiers, was arrested for her alleged involvement with a group of teenagers accused of burglarizing celebrities' homes. After that, the show had to create an awkward blend of general teen partying and scenes of Alexis's ongoing legal troubles. At some point during filming, Alexis was interviewed by Nancy Jo Sales for Vanity Fair, for an article that would eventually be titled "The Suspect Wore Louboutins." Alexis felt that she had been wrongly portrayed by this article and, while the cameras rolled, called Nancy Jo Sales to express her anguish. The result was one of the greatest scenes in television history, and also the reason the terrorists hate us.
The reality show lasted one season, because apparently there is a threshold for people's enjoyment of watching narcissistic monsters disguised as human beings, and it stopped with the Kardashians, but then Sophia Coppola read Sales's article and breezed in from France and was all, "I want to make a movie about this! Spoiled rich kids behaving badly set to mournful indie soundtracks? That's kind of my thing." So she met with Sales to discuss the whole case of the teenage burglaries, which had been dubbed "The Bling Ring" (and featured three other girls - Diana Tomayo, Rachel Lee, Courtney Ames - and one boy, Nick Prugo) and expanded her original article, proving more information about the suspects and follow-up on the their legal battles. The result is The Bling Ring.
I'm going to be honest about you guys here: one, I typed all that shit up there from memory. Two, this book is not that great, but it was like fucking crack to me. Did I mention that I've seen every episode of Pretty Wild three times (Netflix will be my downfall)?
So I was going to love this no matter what, and that love was only made worse by Sales's occasional inside look at the creation of the reality show that shot Neiers to quasi-fame.
That being said, it's not great. Sales makes many attempts to bring deeper issues into the book, like when she discusses teen suicide rates in boys versus girls, or whenever she tries to divine some deeper cultural meaning for the burglaries besides "the kids loved famous people and wanted to steal their shit" and you just find yourself thinking, "Okay, calm down, Nancy Jo. This whole book is basically a highbrow US Weekly article, and no amount of statistics you throw out can convince me otherwise. Now, give me some more dirt!" Also she throws out weird pop culture references that have no place being there, like when she says that "Until recently, the fame bubble has always seemed magical, impossible to pierce, like the protective force thrown out by Violet, the 'super' girl in The Incredibles." (First of all, Sales, Violet was super, and there's no need to qualify it with quotation marks. Second, what the hell? You could have just said that the fame bubble was like an invisible forcefield and we would have known what you meant.) And, although Sales managed to score interviews with almost all the alleged perpetrators, the one person who is conspicuously absent from the book is Rachel Lee, the alleged ringleader of the group, who ignored all of Sales's attempts to contact her. I don't think it's any coincidence that the one person who isn't interviewed by the book's author is the one cast as the villain and the mastermind - if, say, Nick Prugo had been the one who refused to talk to Sales, I'm sure he would have been described as the mastermind behind the robberies.
Still, the fact remains that I read this book in a day and a half, and do not regret a minute. As beach season approaches, this seems like the perfect eponymous "beach read" (who the fuck goes to a beach to read, by the way?) The point is: if you, like me, delight in trashy stories of the rich and vapid behaving badly, The Bling Ring will be your shit. Otherwise, run far away, for that way madness lies.
July 21, 2013
A more appropriate title for this book might be: "How the author tried to make a buck by reporting some crimes by juvenile delinquents who were trying to make a buck by stealing from a bunch of 'famous' people who were trying to make a buck by being famous."
The book (and movie, I am told) reports on the home burglaries which took place primarily in the Valley a few years back. A few stumblebum teens decided to rob Paris Hilton's home. Discovering that the doors were either unlocked or the key was under the mat, and the alarms were not set, they casually wandered around selecting clothes, shoes, purses, jewelry, cash, and took what they wanted. At first they were discrete and poor Paris didn't even notice anything missing. But they returned to her home and to many other homes, (Lindsey Lohan, etc.) carting out suitcases full of things, leaving muddy footprints, and wearing the clothes to hip clubs, until finally they were caught.
The author, in an attempt to create a more important story, wonders why our current youth culture is so caught up in the worship of the rich and famous. The author has a valid question but it seems to me that the book and the movie based on their illegal doings will satisfy these kids' original desire to be famous (if not rich) and that irritated me. . . .for about five minutes. I will forget them entirely once I finish this review.
The book (and movie, I am told) reports on the home burglaries which took place primarily in the Valley a few years back. A few stumblebum teens decided to rob Paris Hilton's home. Discovering that the doors were either unlocked or the key was under the mat, and the alarms were not set, they casually wandered around selecting clothes, shoes, purses, jewelry, cash, and took what they wanted. At first they were discrete and poor Paris didn't even notice anything missing. But they returned to her home and to many other homes, (Lindsey Lohan, etc.) carting out suitcases full of things, leaving muddy footprints, and wearing the clothes to hip clubs, until finally they were caught.
The author, in an attempt to create a more important story, wonders why our current youth culture is so caught up in the worship of the rich and famous. The author has a valid question but it seems to me that the book and the movie based on their illegal doings will satisfy these kids' original desire to be famous (if not rich) and that irritated me. . . .for about five minutes. I will forget them entirely once I finish this review.
March 12, 2022
Dreadfully slow. Due to the case and what happened, I assumed this would be a much more exciting read. However, it was not.
November 3, 2014
While I thoroughly enjoyed every second of this book. I think that it mostly had to do with me being obsessed with this story. The one thing that bugged me was that I felt she gave too much detail on things that didn't really matter. I do understand that she was trying to get us into the minds of these teenagers and to help the reader fully understand why they did what they did. It just seemed a bit much. I did really enjoy this book though. If you're interested in The Bling Ring story and want to know everything that happens before you see the film, read this book. I've watched the trailer to the film a ridiculous amount of times and you can tell by watching the trailer how much real dialogue was used from the interviews.
December 26, 2015
An aptly named (fame-obsessed), documentary book written solely for entertainment purposes. But was it entertaining enough? I was curious -a lot- to read the book and watch the movie and both of them fell short on their own way.
The real story is well known to many people, in 2008 a bunch of privileged teens with narcissistic tendencies, on the verge of adulthood, filled with mindlessness and starstruck, decided to burglarize repeatedly, houses that belonged to famous people.
Now as a stroryline, it sounds very catchy, compelling, trashy in an exhilarating way and maybe you can take it a tad farther and say culturally challenging. Until 2009 when they were finally caught, the Bling Ring had managed to gather a loot valued over 3 million dollars in cash, jewelry, clothing, art and various accessories.
As impressive as all that sounds -casually walking into a celebrity's house and steal anything that shines- the group has nothing else to offer. Their personalities are too dull for their own good, their delusions of grandeur are too annoying to stomach and the more you try to polish them the worse it gets. Maybe the only one who had something to bring into this mess, is the "mastermind" of it all, Rachel Lee, but she decided -wisely, i might add- to not yield to any of Nancy Jo Sales's requests for an interview.
The writing is also stale and repetitive, moronic and chaotic. Nancy Jo Sales, wistfully hopes for her book to be considered as serious and maybe as a contemporary sociological manual. She probably wants to uncover -while using anecdotes, disjointed data and her own miss-matched ideas as a pop culture profiler- the reason why teens are superficial and tie this up to the story, while writing awful generalizations in a pitiful attempt to gain credit and fame. Ironic isn't it?
The real story is well known to many people, in 2008 a bunch of privileged teens with narcissistic tendencies, on the verge of adulthood, filled with mindlessness and starstruck, decided to burglarize repeatedly, houses that belonged to famous people.
Now as a stroryline, it sounds very catchy, compelling, trashy in an exhilarating way and maybe you can take it a tad farther and say culturally challenging. Until 2009 when they were finally caught, the Bling Ring had managed to gather a loot valued over 3 million dollars in cash, jewelry, clothing, art and various accessories.
As impressive as all that sounds -casually walking into a celebrity's house and steal anything that shines- the group has nothing else to offer. Their personalities are too dull for their own good, their delusions of grandeur are too annoying to stomach and the more you try to polish them the worse it gets. Maybe the only one who had something to bring into this mess, is the "mastermind" of it all, Rachel Lee, but she decided -wisely, i might add- to not yield to any of Nancy Jo Sales's requests for an interview.
The writing is also stale and repetitive, moronic and chaotic. Nancy Jo Sales, wistfully hopes for her book to be considered as serious and maybe as a contemporary sociological manual. She probably wants to uncover -while using anecdotes, disjointed data and her own miss-matched ideas as a pop culture profiler- the reason why teens are superficial and tie this up to the story, while writing awful generalizations in a pitiful attempt to gain credit and fame. Ironic isn't it?
August 8, 2024
Dear Nancy Jo, if nothing else, I thank you for this gem of a contribution to the pop culture archives.
The addition of audiobooks to my reading repertoire has made my backlog of reviews even more embarrassing than it usually is *yikes emoji* The Bling Ring was actually a paperback I picked up an eternity ago during a “fill a paper bag for nearly nothing” sort of library sale . . . and has sat on the nonfiction shelf in my reading room ignored ever since. But then I started walking and memoirs/true crime became my go-to audiobooks of choice so I downloaded this from the library.
Unfortunately for the book, I am also addicted to all things that fall into the trashy documentary genre on Netflix, Hulu, Prime, Max, you name it so I had watched “Ringleader” and “The Real Bling Ring” immediately prior to listening to this one. Obviously the tale is more titillating coming straight from the horses’ mouths, but whether it was this original piece by Nancy Jo or those two recent film versions – the story of these literal children being able to so effortlessly rob Hollywood A-Listers (REPEATEDLY!!!) without getting caught for so long is still a crazily addictive one to binge.
May 29, 2013
I wish I could rate it higher, because it was a very enjoyable, well-researched read (you really can tell that Sales is a Vanity Fair writer) and it was the perfect thing to read on a plane, but it became too much of a zero-sum game on the value of 21st century pop culture. Once an author gets into the "In the 60s, Aretha Franklin sung about respect, and now Katy Perry's singing about getting drunk" territory, they lose a significant amount of my respect. There were some dumb songs in the 60s too, and some brilliant, inspiring ones today. It's such a simplification that it makes you wonder where else the author is cutting logical corners.
Sales also gets into all these digressions about the Problems With Young Women Today and the Destructive Influences Of Porn and Why Materialism Is Bad. I know that she had to expand this into a book, but it takes an incredibly judgmental tone and I hated that it was 9 paragraphs of "Teenagers are HORRIBLE" and 1 paragraph of "Although maybe those parents who totally abdicated their responsibilities might have something to do with it?" It came off as very amateurish philosphizing on the Youth of Today.
By far the best parts of the book were the ones about the robberies themselves. It was very suspenseful and well-explained. It's a cliche, but I really did feel like I was there while it happened. If the book had been just that (and all the crazy gossip (hello, filming of Pretty Wild!)), it would have been shorter but much, much more enjoyable.
Sales also gets into all these digressions about the Problems With Young Women Today and the Destructive Influences Of Porn and Why Materialism Is Bad. I know that she had to expand this into a book, but it takes an incredibly judgmental tone and I hated that it was 9 paragraphs of "Teenagers are HORRIBLE" and 1 paragraph of "Although maybe those parents who totally abdicated their responsibilities might have something to do with it?" It came off as very amateurish philosphizing on the Youth of Today.
By far the best parts of the book were the ones about the robberies themselves. It was very suspenseful and well-explained. It's a cliche, but I really did feel like I was there while it happened. If the book had been just that (and all the crazy gossip (hello, filming of Pretty Wild!)), it would have been shorter but much, much more enjoyable.
January 22, 2023
True Crime about a bunch of young idiots who stole stuff from celebrities.
I was put off by the involvement of Sofia Coppola, who makes movies about the emptiness of fame, yet still went into the movie business.
I was put off by the involvement of Sofia Coppola, who makes movies about the emptiness of fame, yet still went into the movie business.
February 15, 2025
I remember seeing ads for the film this book is based on because it had Taisa Farmiga and Emma Watson acting in it. I didn't see the film but I now wish I had. I decided to pick up the book because I didn't have anything else to read at the time that I was interested in.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
The release of this book coincides with the release of the 2013 film by Sophia Coppola named "The Bling Ring" and details the exploits of a group of teenagers who break into the homes of celebrities and steals several million dollars' worth of valuables and sentimental items from said celebrities.
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I thought this book was interesting but there was so much filler. I thought half the book could have been scrapped but that's just me. I was hoping for more information about the crimes themselves and what was going on in the teenagers' minds at the time.
I know Nancy Jo wasn't able to interview Rachel for the article or the book, which was a damned shame, because that's what I wanted to hear about, really. I wanted to hear her side of the whole thing or even just a statement from her or her attorney. Oh well. Such is life, I guess.
I still want to know why Nick ratted out the other co-conspirators in the burglaries, though. I still want to know why he snitched on them. I know most folks in my generation (I'm the same age as the Bling Ring) have the mindset of "snitches get stitches" nine times out of ten.
It makes me wonder what Nick thought he was going to get out of it. I know his former attorney, who I laughed at ultimately when he was disbarred for life for a separate incident, told him to confess to it all but still. I was hoping for more of an explanation on why he ultimately confessed.
I don't know if I'm asking for too much in that area or not. Who actually knows what went on in Nick's head or the minds of the other young people involved. The wildest thing for me, I think, is that these kids are my age!
I wasn't expecting to hear that when I was listening to the audiobook while on the road. I heard when they graduated high school and I was floored because I graduated right around that same time across the country.
I don't remember following the court case after the Bling Ring was caught or anything but I do remember hearing snippets about the burglaries. I don't remember expressing any interest in following along with what was going on with it at the time. I was too focused on my mental health.
I would definitely recommend this book if you're interested in true crime or are interested in hearing about crimes against celebrities. I think that's what interested me most about this book: it's the fact that these kids went after celebrities in particular. It makes for an interesting story for sure.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
The release of this book coincides with the release of the 2013 film by Sophia Coppola named "The Bling Ring" and details the exploits of a group of teenagers who break into the homes of celebrities and steals several million dollars' worth of valuables and sentimental items from said celebrities.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
I thought this book was interesting but there was so much filler. I thought half the book could have been scrapped but that's just me. I was hoping for more information about the crimes themselves and what was going on in the teenagers' minds at the time.
I know Nancy Jo wasn't able to interview Rachel for the article or the book, which was a damned shame, because that's what I wanted to hear about, really. I wanted to hear her side of the whole thing or even just a statement from her or her attorney. Oh well. Such is life, I guess.
I still want to know why Nick ratted out the other co-conspirators in the burglaries, though. I still want to know why he snitched on them. I know most folks in my generation (I'm the same age as the Bling Ring) have the mindset of "snitches get stitches" nine times out of ten.
It makes me wonder what Nick thought he was going to get out of it. I know his former attorney, who I laughed at ultimately when he was disbarred for life for a separate incident, told him to confess to it all but still. I was hoping for more of an explanation on why he ultimately confessed.
I don't know if I'm asking for too much in that area or not. Who actually knows what went on in Nick's head or the minds of the other young people involved. The wildest thing for me, I think, is that these kids are my age!
I wasn't expecting to hear that when I was listening to the audiobook while on the road. I heard when they graduated high school and I was floored because I graduated right around that same time across the country.
I don't remember following the court case after the Bling Ring was caught or anything but I do remember hearing snippets about the burglaries. I don't remember expressing any interest in following along with what was going on with it at the time. I was too focused on my mental health.
I would definitely recommend this book if you're interested in true crime or are interested in hearing about crimes against celebrities. I think that's what interested me most about this book: it's the fact that these kids went after celebrities in particular. It makes for an interesting story for sure.
May 8, 2014
Okay so I didn't really finish this.I kind of skimmed the last little bit.
I find the story of "The Bling Ring" really interesting but there were some serious problems with this book.
1. Every so often the author would make a comment that was really
judgemental. For example there is a photo of Tess Taylor with Drake Bell
and for LA I thought she was pretty covered up. Jeans and a baggy,
slouchy tshirt. However, Sales made a point to comment that she was
barely dressed and this kept happening.
2. Sales also made a point to make everything and member of the Bling
Ring did seem completely planned for fame and fortune. Every. Single.
Thing. It started to sound like she was less interested in what they
actually did and more interested in making them seem like the worst
people to walk the planet. Which I can assure you it far from the
case. Not that I am defending any of their actions.
3. This book seemed completely pointless. I found out very little that
I couldn't find elsewhere. Most in her own article. This seems like a
desperate grab at reminding the public that she was involved. She
manages to make comments about others that seemed interested in the
case for the fame it could bring them but it seems like she is going
the same.
I can't wait for the film but I won't be viewing it as a factual movie, more a loose adaptation. Emma Watson is sure to astound though.
I find the story of "The Bling Ring" really interesting but there were some serious problems with this book.
1. Every so often the author would make a comment that was really
judgemental. For example there is a photo of Tess Taylor with Drake Bell
and for LA I thought she was pretty covered up. Jeans and a baggy,
slouchy tshirt. However, Sales made a point to comment that she was
barely dressed and this kept happening.
2. Sales also made a point to make everything and member of the Bling
Ring did seem completely planned for fame and fortune. Every. Single.
Thing. It started to sound like she was less interested in what they
actually did and more interested in making them seem like the worst
people to walk the planet. Which I can assure you it far from the
case. Not that I am defending any of their actions.
3. This book seemed completely pointless. I found out very little that
I couldn't find elsewhere. Most in her own article. This seems like a
desperate grab at reminding the public that she was involved. She
manages to make comments about others that seemed interested in the
case for the fame it could bring them but it seems like she is going
the same.
I can't wait for the film but I won't be viewing it as a factual movie, more a loose adaptation. Emma Watson is sure to astound though.
August 3, 2022
3.5⭐️
This was a very in depth look at group of teens who robbed everyone from Paris Hilton to Orlando Bloom to Lindsey Lohan simply by walking into their unlocked houses when they were out of town.
I found this so fascinating back in 2008/2009 and this book gave such a deep look into the fascination with celebrity and celebrity culture. If you saw the movie just know this book is so much more interesting and mind-blowing that this even happened. Some good juicy inside-Hollywood with a reality that doesn't seem real. I'm still not sure how this even happened...
This was a very in depth look at group of teens who robbed everyone from Paris Hilton to Orlando Bloom to Lindsey Lohan simply by walking into their unlocked houses when they were out of town.
I found this so fascinating back in 2008/2009 and this book gave such a deep look into the fascination with celebrity and celebrity culture. If you saw the movie just know this book is so much more interesting and mind-blowing that this even happened. Some good juicy inside-Hollywood with a reality that doesn't seem real. I'm still not sure how this even happened...
June 8, 2013
An extended version of the Vanity Fair article, "The Bling Ring" is a nice bookend to the Sofia Coppola film. I saw the film and then bought the book and while the two were clearly made separately, I actually gained even more respect for the film because of its attention to detail and its quotes from the real suspects.
My only real issue with the book - aside from the fact that it means that Alexis Neiers and her fame whore mother are back in the spotlight - is that it is over reliant on the most vocal and media hungry convicts, Neiers and Prugo. I get that that's part of the problem with working on a deadline, but it leaves the reader with less than a full understanding of who all these kids are and their backgrounds.
The book and the film never really address the issue of"why" -- aside from the obligatory psych 101 diagnoses of narcissism, greed and entitlement, and in truth, that may be all the motive and rationale needed.
Still, the story of a bunch of suburban poseurs robbing celebrities is a fascinating one. This is a quick read, great for a plane, the beach or late night reading.
My only real issue with the book - aside from the fact that it means that Alexis Neiers and her fame whore mother are back in the spotlight - is that it is over reliant on the most vocal and media hungry convicts, Neiers and Prugo. I get that that's part of the problem with working on a deadline, but it leaves the reader with less than a full understanding of who all these kids are and their backgrounds.
The book and the film never really address the issue of"why" -- aside from the obligatory psych 101 diagnoses of narcissism, greed and entitlement, and in truth, that may be all the motive and rationale needed.
Still, the story of a bunch of suburban poseurs robbing celebrities is a fascinating one. This is a quick read, great for a plane, the beach or late night reading.
December 6, 2016
A read that is definitely out of my comfort zone! The bling ring was an expected yet good read. The book was formatted as an article which was very different and unique to other books out there. Sale's use of colloquial language filled the book with realism and breathed life to the narration of the burglars. The first half of the book hooked me, I'm not gonna lie. However my major problem was that the book was way over repetitive. In addition, I felt that Sales ran out of sentences and just decided to use synonyms. This is further emphasized by the fact that it didn't need to have to be a dragging article. Other then that, the bling ring was again, something very out of my comfort zone and was an enjoyable read.
June 9, 2013
An unnecessary expansion of the original Vanity Fair article
June 2, 2013
Among the most delicious of deliciously awful TV to ever emit organized pixels in my direction was a little-known E! reality show “Pretty Wild.” The original premise was based on a former Playboy model raising three rock ‘n’ roll sexy teenaged girls in a Kardashian-caliber Los Angeles suburb. The older girls, Tess and Alexis, are always strategically almost naked, all tattoos and hair. Gabby, meanwhile, is a 15-year-old parental figure. The mom, Andrea, homeschools the teens using a curriculum based on “The Secret” -- the movie based on the book, not the book.
Episode One has a twist that deviates from what was likely the original plan for the show. After a wicked curfew breach, the family is shaken awake by the LAPD which arrests Alexis, brings Tess in for questioning and searches the house for upscale clothes and accessories stolen from 20 something celebs like Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Orlando Bloom, Megan Fox, etc. These crimes are believed to be the work of The Bling Ring, as the teenaged crime posse was dubbed, or the less clever name The Burglar Bunch.
At this point, the episodes become a mix of Alexis’s legal battles, huge wet-eyed, shrieking freak outs, maintaining a socialite rep and the girls going on weird fake-dates with men who don’t seem to understand that they are on a date.
I Tivo’ed the shit out of this when it aired.
Then I promptly forgot about Alexis Neier and her no-good friends until I saw Nancy Jo Sales’ book The Bling Ring on display in a bookstore and realized that Sofia Coppola -- who I love for real reasons, rather than for grippingly grotesque ones -- had made a movie about the just post-pubescent perps.
Long story short: I’ve spent the past 24 hours obsessed with The Bling Ring. I’ve Googled the heck out of the principals, I’ve tried to figure out how I can watch the Lifetime Original Movie based on the story. Friends, I re-watched almost an entire season of “Pretty Wild” -- now streaming on Netflix -- with fresh eyes and a deeper knowledge of what was at stake.
Sales, who seems to have the Vanity Fair celebrity beat, wrote about the players involved in these burglaries for the magazine. Coppola read that story on a flight and contacted her about how she was going to turn it into a movie. Sales, in turn, expanded on her original article to make a gooey piece of true crime.
Sales has two primary sources for the story: Nick Prugo, who nonsensically confessed to the crimes and dragged a carload of friends into the mess, and Alexis, who has an epic meltdown on “Pretty Wild” when her brain catches up with reality and she notices that the Vanity Fair story isn’t a puff piece about a young Buddhist club kid who was accidentally fell in with the wrong crowd. There are some anonymous teenaged sources who shed light on the characters' characters and a unnamed cop who cops to some behind-the-scenes deets.
The gist: Nick and his bestie Rachel Lee are celeb-obsessed kids who drool over red carpets and award programs. They figure out where the celebrities live and follow Twitter and celeb rags to determine when the rich and famous will be away from home for extended periods. They start with Paris Hilton, approaching her home in a gated community by climbing a huge hill behind the house. Then they walk up to the front door like two normal, albeit confused kids. They ring the doorbell about six times and try the door. When it’s locked, they check under the doormat and find a key. Then they walk into the house, fondle the goods and ransack the closets. They take a little, return later and take more. Return again and take more. Lather, rinse and repeat, adding a mix of friends and hitting a half-dozen famous folks -- some who don’t even realize they’ve been hit. Some of the stuff they keep. Cops find a purse belonging to Rachel Bilson at Alexis's house. Some of it they give to a guy who knows other guys.
In the midst of all of this, Sales presents thoughts on obsession with celebrity culture and the way girls-these-days dress and other pop culture discourses that seem hastily added to give the book heft. Also, it could use a more thorough edit.
“The Bling Ring” won’t win a Pulitzer and will sooner than later end up so discounted you won’t be able to afford to not buy it. But it sure is a fun thing to spend a lazy rainy day getting bonkers about.
(I’m assuming I’ll be back to normal by tomorrow and that I’ll have a minor flare up when I go see Coppola’s movie, but then I’ll barely remember I went through this phase until I double back through old reviews).
Episode One has a twist that deviates from what was likely the original plan for the show. After a wicked curfew breach, the family is shaken awake by the LAPD which arrests Alexis, brings Tess in for questioning and searches the house for upscale clothes and accessories stolen from 20 something celebs like Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Orlando Bloom, Megan Fox, etc. These crimes are believed to be the work of The Bling Ring, as the teenaged crime posse was dubbed, or the less clever name The Burglar Bunch.
At this point, the episodes become a mix of Alexis’s legal battles, huge wet-eyed, shrieking freak outs, maintaining a socialite rep and the girls going on weird fake-dates with men who don’t seem to understand that they are on a date.
I Tivo’ed the shit out of this when it aired.
Then I promptly forgot about Alexis Neier and her no-good friends until I saw Nancy Jo Sales’ book The Bling Ring on display in a bookstore and realized that Sofia Coppola -- who I love for real reasons, rather than for grippingly grotesque ones -- had made a movie about the just post-pubescent perps.
Long story short: I’ve spent the past 24 hours obsessed with The Bling Ring. I’ve Googled the heck out of the principals, I’ve tried to figure out how I can watch the Lifetime Original Movie based on the story. Friends, I re-watched almost an entire season of “Pretty Wild” -- now streaming on Netflix -- with fresh eyes and a deeper knowledge of what was at stake.
Sales, who seems to have the Vanity Fair celebrity beat, wrote about the players involved in these burglaries for the magazine. Coppola read that story on a flight and contacted her about how she was going to turn it into a movie. Sales, in turn, expanded on her original article to make a gooey piece of true crime.
Sales has two primary sources for the story: Nick Prugo, who nonsensically confessed to the crimes and dragged a carload of friends into the mess, and Alexis, who has an epic meltdown on “Pretty Wild” when her brain catches up with reality and she notices that the Vanity Fair story isn’t a puff piece about a young Buddhist club kid who was accidentally fell in with the wrong crowd. There are some anonymous teenaged sources who shed light on the characters' characters and a unnamed cop who cops to some behind-the-scenes deets.
The gist: Nick and his bestie Rachel Lee are celeb-obsessed kids who drool over red carpets and award programs. They figure out where the celebrities live and follow Twitter and celeb rags to determine when the rich and famous will be away from home for extended periods. They start with Paris Hilton, approaching her home in a gated community by climbing a huge hill behind the house. Then they walk up to the front door like two normal, albeit confused kids. They ring the doorbell about six times and try the door. When it’s locked, they check under the doormat and find a key. Then they walk into the house, fondle the goods and ransack the closets. They take a little, return later and take more. Return again and take more. Lather, rinse and repeat, adding a mix of friends and hitting a half-dozen famous folks -- some who don’t even realize they’ve been hit. Some of the stuff they keep. Cops find a purse belonging to Rachel Bilson at Alexis's house. Some of it they give to a guy who knows other guys.
In the midst of all of this, Sales presents thoughts on obsession with celebrity culture and the way girls-these-days dress and other pop culture discourses that seem hastily added to give the book heft. Also, it could use a more thorough edit.
“The Bling Ring” won’t win a Pulitzer and will sooner than later end up so discounted you won’t be able to afford to not buy it. But it sure is a fun thing to spend a lazy rainy day getting bonkers about.
(I’m assuming I’ll be back to normal by tomorrow and that I’ll have a minor flare up when I go see Coppola’s movie, but then I’ll barely remember I went through this phase until I double back through old reviews).
December 1, 2019
The brazenness of these wealthy entitled youngsters is astonishing. There's also a film, pas mal du tout, directed by Sofia Coppola (daughter of Francis).
August 14, 2016
I really enjoyed all the details and the care that the author put into her book. You can really tell how much time she put into her research. I appreciated that she had so many sources sharing their opinions. However, it felt like a bit much at times and sometimes it seemed to go off topic. Overall, it was a fascinating read and I enjoyed it.
August 16, 2014
Nancy Jo Sales wrote the first ever piece on Paris Hilton, for Vanity Fair in 2000, which I happened to read at the time. I remember being fascinated and bemused, but not horrified – the Hiltons weren’t a spectacle yet, they were just wealthy and beautiful. But they moved in an unknown sphere that never crossed ours.
I miss that time. This book totally horrified me. Sales touches on a bit of everything: the way social media and reality tv have changed our relationship to celebrity, the rise in teen spending power in the US over the last century, and the perceived lack of personal repercussions among those responsible for the 2008 financial crisis. It all paints a familiar, scary picture. But it doesn’t really answer the central question of what made these kids go from coveting celebrities’ stuff to stealing it. Sales seems to imply that the Bling Ring could be a product of our skewed celebrity-loving values, but it could just as easily be another symptom.
Still, it’s an engaging, fun read, though not without mixed feelings of complicit voyeurism. And a teeny bit of schadenfreude, e.g. at the observation that the celebrities targeted by the Bling Ring were primarily famous for being famous, whereas no one goes around stealing Sidney Poitier’s cuff links because there’s a barrier of respect there.
But the real satisfaction is knowing that the kids basically get their comeuppance. They are roundly scorned by the celebrities they admire so much and generally come across as pathological, entitled and delusional. On the other hand, the celebrity victims draw sympathy, expressing their fear and sadness at having their nice things and peace of mind stolen from them (they’re just like us! Only with way more Rolexes). Perhaps I didn’t get the right message from the book, but I didn’t really come away thinking that society failed these particular teens, though it may have enabled them.
Also fun: descriptions of the insides of celebrity closets, which made me think of this:
I miss that time. This book totally horrified me. Sales touches on a bit of everything: the way social media and reality tv have changed our relationship to celebrity, the rise in teen spending power in the US over the last century, and the perceived lack of personal repercussions among those responsible for the 2008 financial crisis. It all paints a familiar, scary picture. But it doesn’t really answer the central question of what made these kids go from coveting celebrities’ stuff to stealing it. Sales seems to imply that the Bling Ring could be a product of our skewed celebrity-loving values, but it could just as easily be another symptom.
Still, it’s an engaging, fun read, though not without mixed feelings of complicit voyeurism. And a teeny bit of schadenfreude, e.g. at the observation that the celebrities targeted by the Bling Ring were primarily famous for being famous, whereas no one goes around stealing Sidney Poitier’s cuff links because there’s a barrier of respect there.
But the real satisfaction is knowing that the kids basically get their comeuppance. They are roundly scorned by the celebrities they admire so much and generally come across as pathological, entitled and delusional. On the other hand, the celebrity victims draw sympathy, expressing their fear and sadness at having their nice things and peace of mind stolen from them (they’re just like us! Only with way more Rolexes). Perhaps I didn’t get the right message from the book, but I didn’t really come away thinking that society failed these particular teens, though it may have enabled them.
Also fun: descriptions of the insides of celebrity closets, which made me think of this:
June 4, 2013
The text goes into the brain like a buttermint, but I'm not sure there was a reason to make it book-length. It was obviously rushed to publication - I spotted at least 2 mistakes, an error in the title of the movie Zack and Miri Make a Porno (the book thinks her name is Mimi) and a misspelling of Adderall. Sales likes to keep a descriptive adjective for her subjects and stick with it - poor Nick Prugo whose only defining characteristic is, according to Sales, that his hair is thinning. Alexis Neiers gets a "squeaky" voice (I do love that Sales documented what I hope is every time Alexis yells at her mother for talking.)
But who could fault the publisher or Nancy Jo Sales from capitalizing on this story? It's an enjoyable if depressing look at celebrity-stalking culture, starring teenagers who are unaware that their narcissism is showing. Sales fills out the story with speculation as to why and how this kind of culture grew and affected Valley denizens (and non-Valley denizens), but it's never a mystery how the kids (allegedly?) did it, and it ends up being cringingly sad how they all try to deny it and rat each other out.
In other words, I'd recommend it for a plane ride, or you could read the vanity fair article.
But who could fault the publisher or Nancy Jo Sales from capitalizing on this story? It's an enjoyable if depressing look at celebrity-stalking culture, starring teenagers who are unaware that their narcissism is showing. Sales fills out the story with speculation as to why and how this kind of culture grew and affected Valley denizens (and non-Valley denizens), but it's never a mystery how the kids (allegedly?) did it, and it ends up being cringingly sad how they all try to deny it and rat each other out.
In other words, I'd recommend it for a plane ride, or you could read the vanity fair article.
August 10, 2014
I picked this up because the story sounded fascinating, a group of teens breaking into rich people's houses and stealing their stuff. I thought there would be more to the story than just that, but there isn't. This is a book that didn't need to be written. The author spends a lot of time belittling the teens and trying to make them all look like terrible people. There were many times when the author comments on a teen being "barely clothed" with an accompanying photo where the teen is pretty well clothed. These teens weren't saints, they obviously did bad things, but I doubt they are all completely terrible people. There wasn't a whole lot of information about the actual thefts (from what I read, I did not finish the book as I was bored), just a lot of information about how teens today are terrible people.
April 24, 2013
I read an advance copy of this book and was riveted! Nancy Jo Sales' fascinating study of these twisted teenage burglars raises unsettling questions about the power of social media, the loss of privacy, and the pervasiveness of celebrity. Can't wait to see Sofia Coppola's screen version!
July 26, 2021
Turns out it’s still illegal to rob rich people.
October 30, 2024
finished on da subway
December 6, 2018
Nancy Jo Sales didn't expand her original article into a book. She just padded it with irrelevant pop sociology data about the San Fernando Valley and reality TV. Very little of the extra information is pertinent to the story. I got the impression that Sales was exaggerating the extent to which her subjects represent their generation (the truth is that they represent only themselves). Sales is trying way too hard to turn an unimportant local crime story into a piece on the level of "In Cold Blood" when the stakes are too low and the personalities too vulgar and stupid. I don't fault her because she's got bills to pay like anyone else. I just can't believe that no one along the way stepped in and asked her to quit stretching a bunch of residential break-ins into Watergate.
Her approach in this book is as follows: 1. Report on criminal activity of a Bling Ring member. 2. Describe personal history of said Bling Ring member. 3. Write five pages about dark social trends in America and speculate how the Bling Ring heralds these developments. 4. Contemplate for one page how all of this affects her as a writer and as a mom. In other words, this book is all over the place, and it takes itself way too seriously; nothing about these kids or their pampered "victims" is crucial for you and me to know. Orlando Bloom probably felt violated for an afternoon when he learned that his house was burglarized. The theft of Paris Hilton's handbags doesn't register as a crime deserving of her trademark shrug, let alone prosecution. The Bling Ring should have been slapped with probation and sent home to clean their pools.
The thesis of this book is that the Bling Ring kids wanted so badly to get close to celebrity that they engaged in bizarre and invasive crimes, and that in doing so they reflect our culture's dysfunctional attraction to fame. These crimes reflect nothing of the sort. Most young adults are content with gossiping about celebrities online and are focused on their own lives. The motives of the Bling Ring were projected onto them by writers and prosecutors looking to lend significance to incidents that only drew attention because too many of us give Hollywood power it doesn't deserve (I base that statement on the film industry's inability to make a profit without resorting to dubious tax schemes). That's the trend that Nancy Sales should investigate.
Her approach in this book is as follows: 1. Report on criminal activity of a Bling Ring member. 2. Describe personal history of said Bling Ring member. 3. Write five pages about dark social trends in America and speculate how the Bling Ring heralds these developments. 4. Contemplate for one page how all of this affects her as a writer and as a mom. In other words, this book is all over the place, and it takes itself way too seriously; nothing about these kids or their pampered "victims" is crucial for you and me to know. Orlando Bloom probably felt violated for an afternoon when he learned that his house was burglarized. The theft of Paris Hilton's handbags doesn't register as a crime deserving of her trademark shrug, let alone prosecution. The Bling Ring should have been slapped with probation and sent home to clean their pools.
The thesis of this book is that the Bling Ring kids wanted so badly to get close to celebrity that they engaged in bizarre and invasive crimes, and that in doing so they reflect our culture's dysfunctional attraction to fame. These crimes reflect nothing of the sort. Most young adults are content with gossiping about celebrities online and are focused on their own lives. The motives of the Bling Ring were projected onto them by writers and prosecutors looking to lend significance to incidents that only drew attention because too many of us give Hollywood power it doesn't deserve (I base that statement on the film industry's inability to make a profit without resorting to dubious tax schemes). That's the trend that Nancy Sales should investigate.
September 7, 2013
This book was FANTASTIC. It was so informative about 'the bling ring' and the 'Hollywood hills' burglaries. It was interesting because this book could have been told as a story, but it was told from the reporters point of view and throughout the book it is her point of view on what happened and her interviews with the victims etc.
I liked how this book had many different point of views, because I could easily agree or disagree.
It was a really fun read. I don't mean fun like 'light-hearted' because some heavy things are covered, but it was just fun to read because you were learning new things.
I hope I will remember the things that happened in the book because it is a lot of information to take in but I can definetly see myself coming back to this read in a years (maybe a few months) time.
A definite favourite read of 2013 so far.
I liked how this book had many different point of views, because I could easily agree or disagree.
It was a really fun read. I don't mean fun like 'light-hearted' because some heavy things are covered, but it was just fun to read because you were learning new things.
I hope I will remember the things that happened in the book because it is a lot of information to take in but I can definetly see myself coming back to this read in a years (maybe a few months) time.
A definite favourite read of 2013 so far.
July 10, 2013
Really didn't need to be expanded beyond the Vanity Fair article. Sales just isn't a good enough writer for it, nor does she understand youth culture.
Check out my review on The Book Lantern, which quickly descended into a take-down of Sales and the baby boomer culture that deems our generation to be selfish narcissists based on examples like this.
http://tinyurl.com/pqbqf36
Yes, I get angry.
Check out my review on The Book Lantern, which quickly descended into a take-down of Sales and the baby boomer culture that deems our generation to be selfish narcissists based on examples like this.
http://tinyurl.com/pqbqf36
Yes, I get angry.
July 10, 2013
I saw Sophia Coppola's film The Bling Ring recently and found the story (about a group of teens who robbed the homes of celebrities a few years back) compelling enough that I decided to read the book. The author does give us more background information on the teens and the robberies than the film has time to give, which I liked. However, I personally found the overall story shocking/intriguing because of the unusual nature of the robberies-- the crimes were surprisingly easy to commit; the robbers were not your "typical" thieves, but rather a group of fame-obsessed teens; and most of the teens seemed to have a shocking lack of guilt/remorse about the robberies. I got the feeling while watching the film and even moreso while reading this book, though, that Coppola and Nancy Jo Sales, the book's author, wanted to make some larger statement about the role of celebrity in our culture, and I just feel like this case was too extreme of an example to work for that.
Sales contextualizes discussion of the robbery within a larger discussion of how the role of celebrity has changed due to reality television and social media. Because celebrities often become famous for not really "doing" much these days, and because it is possible to be very informed about their day-to-day lives, Sales seems to argue, they are simultaneously more accessible to and less respected by their fans. That, she thinks, is perhaps why these teens felt comfortable just walking into these celebrities' homes and helping themselves to whatever they wanted. Though it is undoubtedly true that the role of celebrity has changed, however, it is also true that this case is an extreme example; as noted above, the very appeal of this story lies in its shock value.
It also seems, based on the film and even moreso by the details Sales reveals in her book, that these teens were far from upstanding or even typical. Many of them had (previously or at around the same time the crimes were committed) been in other trouble with the law, either for shoplifting or DUIs. Two others-- one who had modeled for the online edition of Playboy and another who worked as a pole dancing instructor-- were in the process of developing a reality series for E!, Pretty Wild, around the time of the robberies. A handful of them entered rehab for drug or alcohol abuse following the fall-out from the robberies (some served a short amount of time in prison; at least one suspect's involvement could never be proven, while another only received probabtion and community service). Many of them had absent, uninvolved, or unreliable parents. In other words, their upbringing and environment likely played much more of a role in their involvement in the crimes than today's celebrity culture did.
Sales also gets some small details about the TV shows that some of the victimized celebrities (such as Audrina Patridge from The Hills and Rachel Bilson from The O.C.) appeared on wrong, or makes rather broad statements about the shows and/or characters. While I will admit that I cared about this more as a fan of some of the shows than anything else, I do think that Sales sometimes has to stretch a bit to make a case about the vapidity of the entertainment teens are consuming today; some of the shows maybe aren't quite as shallow or awful as would be useful for the story she is telling. A stronger argument might be made for the ideal that the relatable characters and compelling storylines on some of these shows plays a role in making a wealthy, glamorous lifestyle seem more attainable.
As a whole, I found the book to be an entertaining and quick read, and that it contained some interesting details that the movie didn't have time/space to include. As with the movie, however, I'm just not buying the case this book is trying to make about celebrity/teen culture today.
Sales contextualizes discussion of the robbery within a larger discussion of how the role of celebrity has changed due to reality television and social media. Because celebrities often become famous for not really "doing" much these days, and because it is possible to be very informed about their day-to-day lives, Sales seems to argue, they are simultaneously more accessible to and less respected by their fans. That, she thinks, is perhaps why these teens felt comfortable just walking into these celebrities' homes and helping themselves to whatever they wanted. Though it is undoubtedly true that the role of celebrity has changed, however, it is also true that this case is an extreme example; as noted above, the very appeal of this story lies in its shock value.
It also seems, based on the film and even moreso by the details Sales reveals in her book, that these teens were far from upstanding or even typical. Many of them had (previously or at around the same time the crimes were committed) been in other trouble with the law, either for shoplifting or DUIs. Two others-- one who had modeled for the online edition of Playboy and another who worked as a pole dancing instructor-- were in the process of developing a reality series for E!, Pretty Wild, around the time of the robberies. A handful of them entered rehab for drug or alcohol abuse following the fall-out from the robberies (some served a short amount of time in prison; at least one suspect's involvement could never be proven, while another only received probabtion and community service). Many of them had absent, uninvolved, or unreliable parents. In other words, their upbringing and environment likely played much more of a role in their involvement in the crimes than today's celebrity culture did.
Sales also gets some small details about the TV shows that some of the victimized celebrities (such as Audrina Patridge from The Hills and Rachel Bilson from The O.C.) appeared on wrong, or makes rather broad statements about the shows and/or characters. While I will admit that I cared about this more as a fan of some of the shows than anything else, I do think that Sales sometimes has to stretch a bit to make a case about the vapidity of the entertainment teens are consuming today; some of the shows maybe aren't quite as shallow or awful as would be useful for the story she is telling. A stronger argument might be made for the ideal that the relatable characters and compelling storylines on some of these shows plays a role in making a wealthy, glamorous lifestyle seem more attainable.
As a whole, I found the book to be an entertaining and quick read, and that it contained some interesting details that the movie didn't have time/space to include. As with the movie, however, I'm just not buying the case this book is trying to make about celebrity/teen culture today.
June 22, 2013
As a piece of writing, the work is fairly compelling--the content alone of the Bling Ring burglaries is quite interesting and involved. However, I don't think the author did as much as she could have with the work.
Firstly, her source-base had such gaping holes that I was surprised publishers even allowed her to put this book together. Probably the most conspicuous is the fact that neither Rachel Lee nor her lawyer are interviewed--everything is based either on assumption or heresay (and we all know how unreliable that can be...). If Lee was in fact the "Mastermind" behind these burglaries, how is it even possible to come out with a good piece of journalism on this if she can't even be contacted. I think that was a big part of the failed aspect of this book. Without all the information (because let's be honest--this book is basically "he-said, she-said" with nothing solidly grounded in fact), Sales must resort to unconnected hunches and random chapters of teenage rebellion throughout history not to mention the so-called "reality" of our time to fill in the gaps behind the motive of those involved. Honestly, I thought her analysis completely trite and uninspired. She spends half the book talking about "the lifestyle" that are being projected onto women through reality TV, and how more than ever teens are obsessed with materialism and narcissism. However, I think that through this analysis, she took the path of least resistance and offered nothing new to the conversation. Moreover, she does most of this right in the beginning with Part I ("The Fame Monster"). By the time the reader gets to Part III ("Almost Famous"), it is one chapter after the next of expository writing on how the case played out, Coppola's film, and a sort of "where-they-are-now" segment. All very factual, nothing of any substance. I could have gotten that last third of her book entirely from gossip sites. However, I think Part III would have been the best place to make a new and compelling argument on motive that would gain a lot of emphasis. I was especially disappointed at how she treated Alexis's multiple voicemails sent to Sales's own cell phone. I thought using The Soup as filler for analysis was a huge and egregious cop-out. She could have done so much with that. Not just in the sense of "real" vs. "reality", but Sales could have also used it as an opportunity to address her own role in creating the media attention surrounding this case.
She honestly seems like such a hypocrite. At one point, she's criticizing society's role in the surge of the "reality celebrity", but at the same time she is profiting from the industry by contributing not only her Vanity Fair article, but this book as well. At times, it seems as if she's almost worse than the people she describes merely for willingly accepting to write about them.
But at the same time, I'm the one who read this book, so what does that say about me?
Firstly, her source-base had such gaping holes that I was surprised publishers even allowed her to put this book together. Probably the most conspicuous is the fact that neither Rachel Lee nor her lawyer are interviewed--everything is based either on assumption or heresay (and we all know how unreliable that can be...). If Lee was in fact the "Mastermind" behind these burglaries, how is it even possible to come out with a good piece of journalism on this if she can't even be contacted. I think that was a big part of the failed aspect of this book. Without all the information (because let's be honest--this book is basically "he-said, she-said" with nothing solidly grounded in fact), Sales must resort to unconnected hunches and random chapters of teenage rebellion throughout history not to mention the so-called "reality" of our time to fill in the gaps behind the motive of those involved. Honestly, I thought her analysis completely trite and uninspired. She spends half the book talking about "the lifestyle" that are being projected onto women through reality TV, and how more than ever teens are obsessed with materialism and narcissism. However, I think that through this analysis, she took the path of least resistance and offered nothing new to the conversation. Moreover, she does most of this right in the beginning with Part I ("The Fame Monster"). By the time the reader gets to Part III ("Almost Famous"), it is one chapter after the next of expository writing on how the case played out, Coppola's film, and a sort of "where-they-are-now" segment. All very factual, nothing of any substance. I could have gotten that last third of her book entirely from gossip sites. However, I think Part III would have been the best place to make a new and compelling argument on motive that would gain a lot of emphasis. I was especially disappointed at how she treated Alexis's multiple voicemails sent to Sales's own cell phone. I thought using The Soup as filler for analysis was a huge and egregious cop-out. She could have done so much with that. Not just in the sense of "real" vs. "reality", but Sales could have also used it as an opportunity to address her own role in creating the media attention surrounding this case.
She honestly seems like such a hypocrite. At one point, she's criticizing society's role in the surge of the "reality celebrity", but at the same time she is profiting from the industry by contributing not only her Vanity Fair article, but this book as well. At times, it seems as if she's almost worse than the people she describes merely for willingly accepting to write about them.
But at the same time, I'm the one who read this book, so what does that say about me?
November 10, 2013
It's a good thing I always finish every book I start or this one would have ended up flown out of my window.
Using an array of dubious unnamed sources and Google, Nancy Jo Sales describes how the "bling ring" (a group of teenagers who burglarized many of the celebrities of the Hollywood Hills area) went on a robbery spree of some of the more well known young actors of Hollywood. An interesting storyline that goes South fast. Real fast.
Just when Sales seems as though she id going to reveal something really interesting or juicy she peters out and quotes a news story from TMZ or some other reputed news source. That is the real sticking point of this book. Anything she tells you you could have found on Wikipedia or Buzzfeed. She also seems to know a lot of fame starved teens who wish to speak to her "off the record."
Then, suddenly, about half way through the book in a bizarre attempt to explain the teens behaviors, she goes on some illogical, irrational, bitter, unrelated bent, she goes on a rant about how our younger generation doesn't respect other people and yearn for the fame of their more popular peers. I half expected her to yell at some kids for cutting through her backyard. It was as though the publisher told her it had to be a certain number of words or pages to be published and she found some flimsy theories to throw at the reader...you know like when you tried to pad a book report in high school (or a book review in goodreads).
While I did find the subject material and the people in the story to be interesting, Sales was able to aptly diminish my interest. Thank fully, it is only about 260 pages. If you choose this one, good luck.
Using an array of dubious unnamed sources and Google, Nancy Jo Sales describes how the "bling ring" (a group of teenagers who burglarized many of the celebrities of the Hollywood Hills area) went on a robbery spree of some of the more well known young actors of Hollywood. An interesting storyline that goes South fast. Real fast.
Just when Sales seems as though she id going to reveal something really interesting or juicy she peters out and quotes a news story from TMZ or some other reputed news source. That is the real sticking point of this book. Anything she tells you you could have found on Wikipedia or Buzzfeed. She also seems to know a lot of fame starved teens who wish to speak to her "off the record."
Then, suddenly, about half way through the book in a bizarre attempt to explain the teens behaviors, she goes on some illogical, irrational, bitter, unrelated bent, she goes on a rant about how our younger generation doesn't respect other people and yearn for the fame of their more popular peers. I half expected her to yell at some kids for cutting through her backyard. It was as though the publisher told her it had to be a certain number of words or pages to be published and she found some flimsy theories to throw at the reader...you know like when you tried to pad a book report in high school (or a book review in goodreads).
While I did find the subject material and the people in the story to be interesting, Sales was able to aptly diminish my interest. Thank fully, it is only about 260 pages. If you choose this one, good luck.
February 2, 2023
The Bling Ring started as a magazine article and it should likely have stayed that way, as Nancy Jo Sales does not have thesis enough to sustain 288 pages. When Sales covers the solid ground of a group of teens who stole a bunch of stuff and the accusations that they lob against each other, she's fine. When she has to theorise why they did it, her grasping is shallow and embarrassing, written almost as if she had left notes for herself and forgotten to expand on them for the finished product.
What is she even going for here? Ultimately the book becomes a laundry list of crimes and floundering for reasons that they were committed, and Sales admits that if one of the ring had not confessed then the police would have had nothing to go on. The case is murky and ultimately not interesting enough to justify this book's length.
As a springboard for the entertaining film that this book takes its title from, The Suspect Wore Louboutins was probably enough. The desire for a fleshed out version is understandable, but perhaps there wasn't enough to flesh out. Certainly nobody asked for this pop psychology.
If she couldn’t be famous . . . did she want to be infamous?
After all, infamy wasn’t what it used to be. Now it was just another kind of fame. There was no shame anymore—people were infamous without shame; they were shame-ous. (Seamus?)
What is she even going for here? Ultimately the book becomes a laundry list of crimes and floundering for reasons that they were committed, and Sales admits that if one of the ring had not confessed then the police would have had nothing to go on. The case is murky and ultimately not interesting enough to justify this book's length.
As a springboard for the entertaining film that this book takes its title from, The Suspect Wore Louboutins was probably enough. The desire for a fleshed out version is understandable, but perhaps there wasn't enough to flesh out. Certainly nobody asked for this pop psychology.
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