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Somebody Told Me: One Man’s Unexpected Journey Down the Rabbit Hole of Lies, Trolls and Conspiracies
Have you been keeping your eye on your grandma lately? Have you been calling her enough? You sure she’s not spending too much time on YouTube? Is she talking fondly of dictators? Has she suddenly started quietly muttering in the Aldi queue about the “Jewish Space Lasers” she’s heard are setting wildfires around the world to make sure everyone believes in climate change? When was the moment the world began to believe anything?
Danny Wallace, million-copy bestselling author of Yes Man and Join Me, has fallen down the modern rabbit hole of lies, conspiracies and disinformation. Along the way, he encounters families torn apart by accusations and fake news, journalists putting themselves on the frontline of the disinformation war, reformed conspiracy theorists, influencers who see profit in stoking paranoia, and the shadowy nameless, faceless trolls on the other side of our screens. He discovers how disinformation and well-told lies can ruin a year or a whole life, how they can affect our family, our street, our community. How they can spread across a country, a continent, even the world. How they take hold of our imaginations and make us feel both helpless and powerful.
And Danny, can you do anything to stop it – even with the truth on your side?
Danny Wallace, million-copy bestselling author of Yes Man and Join Me, has fallen down the modern rabbit hole of lies, conspiracies and disinformation. Along the way, he encounters families torn apart by accusations and fake news, journalists putting themselves on the frontline of the disinformation war, reformed conspiracy theorists, influencers who see profit in stoking paranoia, and the shadowy nameless, faceless trolls on the other side of our screens. He discovers how disinformation and well-told lies can ruin a year or a whole life, how they can affect our family, our street, our community. How they can spread across a country, a continent, even the world. How they take hold of our imaginations and make us feel both helpless and powerful.
And Danny, can you do anything to stop it – even with the truth on your side?
338 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2024
53 people are currently reading
624 people want to read
About the author
Danny Wallace
59 books639 followersDaniel Frederick Wallace is a British filmmaker, comedian, writer, actor, and presenter of radio and television. His notable works include the books Join Me, Yes Man, and the TV series How to Start Your Own Country. As an author, Wallace's bestselling books have been translated into more than a dozen languages.
He began writing reviews for video game magazines at the age of 13 for school work experience: a reviewer had become ill and so Wallace was given the opportunity to review a game. At 18 he started writing comedy, mainly through the magazine Comedy Review. He specialised in radio production at the University of Westminster.
At 22, he became a BBC producer. He was part of the production team behind British Comedy Award-winning Dead Ringers, the original producer of the critically acclaimed cult hit The Mighty Boosh, and the creator and producer of Ross Noble Goes Global. As a journalist, Wallace has worked for The Scotsman, The Guardian, The Independent, Elle, Cosmo, The Times and other publications.
In 1999, Wallace challenged comedian Dave Gorman, who at the time was his flatmate, to find 54 other people called Dave Gorman ("one for every card in the deck, including the Jokers"). Wallace accompanied Gorman on his quest and the men created Are You Dave Gorman?, an award-winning comedy stage show about what happened during their journey. A BBC series, also co-written and co-produced by Wallace, followed, as did a book, written by both men.
In 2003, Wallace's book Join Me was published. The book explains how he "accidentally started a 'cult'" called Join Me. The movement would go global, with each member committing to undertaking one random act of kindness for a stranger every Friday ("Good Fridays"). Tens of thousands joined. Join Me celebrates "Karmageddon 10" in December 2011. Traditionally, hundreds of members travel to London for the meet-up and undertake good deeds for strangers, with Wallace present. The movement is now generally referred to as the "Karma Army", although members are still typically "Joinees". He became a minor celebrity in Belgium whilst on his quest for Joinees. While on a book tour through America, Wallace was dubbed a "Generation X legend" by the Wisconsin State Journal.
Wallace next wrote a short book called Random Acts of Kindness: 365 Ways To Make the World A Better Place, with the help of submissions from Joinees. It includes many humorous Random Acts of Kindness (RAoK) ideas, such as "Contradict Demeaning Graffiti", and "Make An Old Man Very Happy."
Wallace's second solo book, Yes Man was published in July 2005. In it, he describes how he spent six months "saying Yes where once I would have said No", to make his life more interesting and positive. In this book he shows the tribulations and mischief that he got up to while he said yes to any question or proposal. The book was described as "one of those rare books that actually has the potential to change your life" by the San Francisco Bay Guardian and as "a fascinating book and a fascinating experiment" by David Letterman. A film adaptation of Yes Man was developed with Warner Bros. and stars Jim Carrey and Zooey Deschanel. It was released in 2008 in the US and the UK. Wallace appeared on screen in a cameo in a bar scene in the last ten minutes of the film, holding a British pint glass.
Danny Wallace and the Centre of the Universe was published in 2006. It is linked with World Book Day which in 2006 was on Thursday 2 March. It tells the story of Wallace's trip to Idaho, to visit a manhole cover in a small town, whose residents have proclaimed it the centre of the universe. The cover identifies it as a "Quick Read"; the price and length of the book have been curbed in order to encourage people who may not often read books to purchase it.
Wallace's book, Friends Like These, was released on the 3 July 2008, and tells the story of how he spent a summer trying to track down his old school friends from his days in Dundee,
He began writing reviews for video game magazines at the age of 13 for school work experience: a reviewer had become ill and so Wallace was given the opportunity to review a game. At 18 he started writing comedy, mainly through the magazine Comedy Review. He specialised in radio production at the University of Westminster.
At 22, he became a BBC producer. He was part of the production team behind British Comedy Award-winning Dead Ringers, the original producer of the critically acclaimed cult hit The Mighty Boosh, and the creator and producer of Ross Noble Goes Global. As a journalist, Wallace has worked for The Scotsman, The Guardian, The Independent, Elle, Cosmo, The Times and other publications.
In 1999, Wallace challenged comedian Dave Gorman, who at the time was his flatmate, to find 54 other people called Dave Gorman ("one for every card in the deck, including the Jokers"). Wallace accompanied Gorman on his quest and the men created Are You Dave Gorman?, an award-winning comedy stage show about what happened during their journey. A BBC series, also co-written and co-produced by Wallace, followed, as did a book, written by both men.
In 2003, Wallace's book Join Me was published. The book explains how he "accidentally started a 'cult'" called Join Me. The movement would go global, with each member committing to undertaking one random act of kindness for a stranger every Friday ("Good Fridays"). Tens of thousands joined. Join Me celebrates "Karmageddon 10" in December 2011. Traditionally, hundreds of members travel to London for the meet-up and undertake good deeds for strangers, with Wallace present. The movement is now generally referred to as the "Karma Army", although members are still typically "Joinees". He became a minor celebrity in Belgium whilst on his quest for Joinees. While on a book tour through America, Wallace was dubbed a "Generation X legend" by the Wisconsin State Journal.
Wallace next wrote a short book called Random Acts of Kindness: 365 Ways To Make the World A Better Place, with the help of submissions from Joinees. It includes many humorous Random Acts of Kindness (RAoK) ideas, such as "Contradict Demeaning Graffiti", and "Make An Old Man Very Happy."
Wallace's second solo book, Yes Man was published in July 2005. In it, he describes how he spent six months "saying Yes where once I would have said No", to make his life more interesting and positive. In this book he shows the tribulations and mischief that he got up to while he said yes to any question or proposal. The book was described as "one of those rare books that actually has the potential to change your life" by the San Francisco Bay Guardian and as "a fascinating book and a fascinating experiment" by David Letterman. A film adaptation of Yes Man was developed with Warner Bros. and stars Jim Carrey and Zooey Deschanel. It was released in 2008 in the US and the UK. Wallace appeared on screen in a cameo in a bar scene in the last ten minutes of the film, holding a British pint glass.
Danny Wallace and the Centre of the Universe was published in 2006. It is linked with World Book Day which in 2006 was on Thursday 2 March. It tells the story of Wallace's trip to Idaho, to visit a manhole cover in a small town, whose residents have proclaimed it the centre of the universe. The cover identifies it as a "Quick Read"; the price and length of the book have been curbed in order to encourage people who may not often read books to purchase it.
Wallace's book, Friends Like These, was released on the 3 July 2008, and tells the story of how he spent a summer trying to track down his old school friends from his days in Dundee,
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
May 23, 2024
firstly, each chapter/section of this book could be a whole book that i would happily read. the only reason somebody told me loses a star is because i, personally, would've enjoyed more depth in some of the subjects
this is a fascinating and enthralling dive into the world of modern lies and conspiracy through digital forms, tied neatly back to older methods of espionage. danny's writing voice is very conversational, funny and charming, even as he writes of some of the darker fragments of his research and discussions
i can already think of several people who would benefit massively from reading this book, if only to encourage them to engage their critical thinking skills and learn about media literacy before believing everything they see online
this is a fascinating and enthralling dive into the world of modern lies and conspiracy through digital forms, tied neatly back to older methods of espionage. danny's writing voice is very conversational, funny and charming, even as he writes of some of the darker fragments of his research and discussions
i can already think of several people who would benefit massively from reading this book, if only to encourage them to engage their critical thinking skills and learn about media literacy before believing everything they see online
March 9, 2025
Just as amusing and engrossing as his other books although lacking a proper narrative.
May 27, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!
This book deals with a fascinating subject, and I think one that’s been on the minds of most people for a while now. We are living in the information age, to the point that we are oversaturated by it. There’s such a sense of overwhelm in every thing that is done online. I think this book goes to the heart of why and how, particularly with a conspiracy theory lens.
The author has a wonderful narrative voice for this book, with jokes interspersed through what is a very serious topic. He doesn’t shy away from a bit of black humour, and is very honest with his readers, which I appreciated. He’s also clearly put in the yards to research this well, and I enjoyed how it was all put together.
There are aspects of this book that scared me. The concept of AI chatbots who don’t really like it when you ‘mention the war’ (so to speak) making men fall in love with them is jarring. The fact that troll farms are a state-sanctioned propaganda machine is terrifying. The way that all of this insidious misinformation and disinformation infiltrates our lives is alarming. There’s a lot in this book to be learnt, and a lot to be concerned about.
My one improvement that I could have suggested for this book is that I wanted more. There could have been a bit more love given to some of the sections, and there was so much more to explore. That said, it is an interesting introduction to the topic of disinformation and the world of conspiracy, and well worth the read.
This book deals with a fascinating subject, and I think one that’s been on the minds of most people for a while now. We are living in the information age, to the point that we are oversaturated by it. There’s such a sense of overwhelm in every thing that is done online. I think this book goes to the heart of why and how, particularly with a conspiracy theory lens.
The author has a wonderful narrative voice for this book, with jokes interspersed through what is a very serious topic. He doesn’t shy away from a bit of black humour, and is very honest with his readers, which I appreciated. He’s also clearly put in the yards to research this well, and I enjoyed how it was all put together.
There are aspects of this book that scared me. The concept of AI chatbots who don’t really like it when you ‘mention the war’ (so to speak) making men fall in love with them is jarring. The fact that troll farms are a state-sanctioned propaganda machine is terrifying. The way that all of this insidious misinformation and disinformation infiltrates our lives is alarming. There’s a lot in this book to be learnt, and a lot to be concerned about.
My one improvement that I could have suggested for this book is that I wanted more. There could have been a bit more love given to some of the sections, and there was so much more to explore. That said, it is an interesting introduction to the topic of disinformation and the world of conspiracy, and well worth the read.
September 26, 2024
I can’t decide if reading this was good or bad for me. On one hand, Wallace gave me some hope that there are people out there fighting against misinformation and/or struggle with relationships due to misinformation (iykyk). On the other hand, I am maybe more afraid of the internet than I was before reading.
Bright side- Wallace has a very friendly (and incredibly British) way of writing that I thoroughly enjoyed. If you’re interested in conspiracy and/ or the state of the current internet world, I recommend. It’s also a beautiful love letter to his dad.
Bright side- Wallace has a very friendly (and incredibly British) way of writing that I thoroughly enjoyed. If you’re interested in conspiracy and/ or the state of the current internet world, I recommend. It’s also a beautiful love letter to his dad.
August 25, 2025
Often funny, and largely anecdotal, this up to date look at conspiracy theories is neatly paralleled with the author's personal 'man in China' story. The narrative is quite meandering, though he does always seem to pull the various threads together. The humour takes a little of the negativity out of what otherwise is a relatively depressing subject, and it was interesting to see what the UK approach has been to all the disinformation, as I can now see that approach in action when I look at the BBC (for example).
July 11, 2025
This was fun. I struggled a bit because I wanted a bit more of the academia side of it all, but that wasn't the point of this book. The author begins his exploration into conspiracy theories by talking about how he (unwittingly) fully believed his own conspiracy about the Chinese spying on his dad. When I think about conspiracies and my own beliefs, I often begin to mentally breakdown and start questioning how I can trust ANYthing, and honestly this book only added to my fear about the world falling into an AI Slop rabbithole. Other than the anxiety it produced, it was well done!
Thank you to Prometheus Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Thank you to Prometheus Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
February 24, 2025
Danny if you ever read this, this was your best book and I loved every second of it
May 28, 2024
If you know Danny's writing from his "jokey" books(#JoinMe etc),or his stories for children,be prepared for new side to him.This is a very interesting dive into fake news,lies and misinformation.Who can you trust??
June 3, 2025
A good and quite jokey introduction to conspiracy theories but also quite depressing too.
It’d be a four star book if you haven’t already read anything on the subject. I just felt it didn’t cover much new ground for md. Good introduction to the subject, though.
It’d be a four star book if you haven’t already read anything on the subject. I just felt it didn’t cover much new ground for md. Good introduction to the subject, though.
August 15, 2025
I really enjoyed this audiobook written and read by Danny Wallace. A fascinating look into the world of conspiracy theories, and how easy it is to get pulled into them.
I loved a previous book by the author F**k You Very Much, which was all about the rise of rudeness in everyday life, so when I spotted this in the library I thought both me and my husband would enjoy it.
I listened to the audiobook via Spotify and Danny Wallace’s narration was perfect. He took me on a wild journey into how easy it is to get sucked into conspiracy theories, starting with his own experience, with an old man in China, who used to email his late father.
He then took me on a trip around the UK, and further afield, talking to people who’ve gone down rabbit holes, some who’ve come out the other side, and others who have family members still affected by it all. It really was fascinating, but also a bit scary and worrying about the future, especially with AI involved now, on top of all the troll farms and bots.
I hope I haven’t made it sound too serious as there was a lot of humour in it too, which definitely help to lighten the heaviness and paranoia!
Highly recommended if you’re interested in the whole world of conspiracy theories, and everything that comes with them.
Book 18 of 20 Books of Summer 2025
I loved a previous book by the author F**k You Very Much, which was all about the rise of rudeness in everyday life, so when I spotted this in the library I thought both me and my husband would enjoy it.
I listened to the audiobook via Spotify and Danny Wallace’s narration was perfect. He took me on a wild journey into how easy it is to get sucked into conspiracy theories, starting with his own experience, with an old man in China, who used to email his late father.
He then took me on a trip around the UK, and further afield, talking to people who’ve gone down rabbit holes, some who’ve come out the other side, and others who have family members still affected by it all. It really was fascinating, but also a bit scary and worrying about the future, especially with AI involved now, on top of all the troll farms and bots.
I hope I haven’t made it sound too serious as there was a lot of humour in it too, which definitely help to lighten the heaviness and paranoia!
Highly recommended if you’re interested in the whole world of conspiracy theories, and everything that comes with them.
Book 18 of 20 Books of Summer 2025
June 12, 2024
A funny, insightful and deeply personal look at the world of conspiracy theories, how we fall for them, and how it benefits those who would do us harm.
I loved how each chapter linked, and how the whole book came full circle to a very personal point for Danny. At no point did I feel like he was mocking anyone, everything was touched upon from a place of genuine curiosity, as he worked to understand, and solve his own mystery.
Highly recommended.
I loved how each chapter linked, and how the whole book came full circle to a very personal point for Danny. At no point did I feel like he was mocking anyone, everything was touched upon from a place of genuine curiosity, as he worked to understand, and solve his own mystery.
Highly recommended.
December 30, 2024
This book does not begin with "THIS IS A REAL BOOK NOT PROPAGANDA" so I'm confused.
Interesting and funny, I enjoyed Wallace's delivery of his journey into conspiracies, Russian trolls, and the awful goings-on in Ipswich.
Interesting and funny, I enjoyed Wallace's delivery of his journey into conspiracies, Russian trolls, and the awful goings-on in Ipswich.
June 6, 2024
I think this is an essential book. Terrifying in parts but funny and hopeful at the same time.
June 21, 2025
"We can just be actively aware that disinformation, propaganda and conspiracy are constantly at our windows, throwing pebbles for attention. [Or… w]e can tell the truth." Thus states this fascinating yet flawed look into fake news. We start with the author's father passing, and some weird emails that arrived in his inbox after an allegedly chance encounter in China. Is this a spy ring trying to sustain a contact over the years, or is that just a conspiracy? And how can you possibly consider anything other than a conspiracy when you've just lived through coronasniffles, the alleged coronavaccine, the fake news Russia fed Russians about the Ukraine invasion, the rise of flat-earthers (apparently spreading their news "around the globe") and the impenetrable success of Ed Sheeran?
Alright, the latter doesn't feature here, for some reason.
There's a line on goodreads regarding this (well, probably the UK edition – I had the American, which adds a few extra pages to begin with, of "trust me, this matters" kind of stuff) from a better reviewer than me, stating something about how each part of this could have been expanded to a full book. That is both blessing and curse – it demands more of our time, being so enjoyable to read, but demands more of our time, being so serious a topic and done relatively shallowly. You can tell Wallace has spent too long presenting on commercial radio – each chapter, on multiple occasions, builds and builds, to a kind of mini-cliffhanger, only for there to be a pause "but first, the adverts"-style, after which things resume a tone down again, only to rise further, and so on and so on.
But we do want to read on, for this is readable, and highly important stuff. All flippancy aside, the rise of fake news, and allegedly politically-programmable virtual sex bots, is not just some tabloid kind of thing. OK, these pages do seem to intimate it's a Bristol kind of thing, but it does cover wider areas than that.
The author is a good guide to all this, in what is potentially his most serious – yet quickly-outdated – read. He is highly flawed however – there is a great insinuation he sees no flipside to, when he states that anyone who jumps on the Gammon Bait News bandwagon is doing it for the readies, and not for some Damascene conversion. Yes, Russell Brand deserves every turd thrown his way, but it's not the only place Wallace's left-wing tropes are glaring.
On the whole, however, this is the book I wanted. It has levity and seriousness, bad news with a good sense of humour. To me, "journalese" can be a good thing or bad, and this has both in spades, for the author covers the ground well and yet comes out of it all a touch too flippantly. Probably this is the book where I've seen the most room for improvement yet still felt the need to award it four stars. Oh, and since it asked about Britain's largest hailstones, that landed in 1958 within about four miles of where I write? The interweb is out on how big they were – further proof of this damnable fake news and this world of erroneous data. Grr.
Alright, the latter doesn't feature here, for some reason.
There's a line on goodreads regarding this (well, probably the UK edition – I had the American, which adds a few extra pages to begin with, of "trust me, this matters" kind of stuff) from a better reviewer than me, stating something about how each part of this could have been expanded to a full book. That is both blessing and curse – it demands more of our time, being so enjoyable to read, but demands more of our time, being so serious a topic and done relatively shallowly. You can tell Wallace has spent too long presenting on commercial radio – each chapter, on multiple occasions, builds and builds, to a kind of mini-cliffhanger, only for there to be a pause "but first, the adverts"-style, after which things resume a tone down again, only to rise further, and so on and so on.
But we do want to read on, for this is readable, and highly important stuff. All flippancy aside, the rise of fake news, and allegedly politically-programmable virtual sex bots, is not just some tabloid kind of thing. OK, these pages do seem to intimate it's a Bristol kind of thing, but it does cover wider areas than that.
The author is a good guide to all this, in what is potentially his most serious – yet quickly-outdated – read. He is highly flawed however – there is a great insinuation he sees no flipside to, when he states that anyone who jumps on the Gammon Bait News bandwagon is doing it for the readies, and not for some Damascene conversion. Yes, Russell Brand deserves every turd thrown his way, but it's not the only place Wallace's left-wing tropes are glaring.
On the whole, however, this is the book I wanted. It has levity and seriousness, bad news with a good sense of humour. To me, "journalese" can be a good thing or bad, and this has both in spades, for the author covers the ground well and yet comes out of it all a touch too flippantly. Probably this is the book where I've seen the most room for improvement yet still felt the need to award it four stars. Oh, and since it asked about Britain's largest hailstones, that landed in 1958 within about four miles of where I write? The interweb is out on how big they were – further proof of this damnable fake news and this world of erroneous data. Grr.
September 15, 2025
Danny Wallace has taken an interesting challenge. Following the death of his father, a respected scholar of East German society and government, Wallace is contacted by a man in China who Wallace comes to believe may be a troll.
Wallace begins to look into disinformation, deep fakes, artificial intelligence which he discusses with noted scholars, government officials, and people who admit they fell hard for disinformation, some who are questioning their beliefs and some who are convinced of what they believe.
It is written with Wallace's typical wit and style, which at times diminishes the narrative. While most of the book is interesting and insightful, he does fall into that easy standby of, at times, calling ideas with which he disagrees disinformation.
Wallace's bugaboos are the usual suspects (and most of this discussion is limited to Section III of the book): Fox News, Donald Trump, David Ickes, Alex Jones and Russell Brand.
Wallace notes several times that Fox News ran stories about the 2020 election being stolen from Donald Trump but does not mention the daily feature on the Steele Dossier, which ran for at least two years on MSNBC.
Wallace also states William Fox who founded Fox Film Corporation in 1914 and died in 1952 would not approve of the association of the network bearing his name but how can Wallace possibly know this?
Wallace states Trump has never been inside a library, which is a cute thrown away line, unless you are writing a book about disinformation, which should be enough for you to make factual statements only.
Wallace weaves 15-Minute Cities in and out of the narrative. He is adamant in his support of the idea. An idea which is not economically feasible. All of our needs cannot be realistically met by businesses within a 15-minute walk of or homes. There is no need for that many hospitals or electronic stores or furniture stores or movie theatres or even bookstores, of which Wallace is a fan.
Wallace states there are no downsides to 15-minute cities, but look at the plan for Oxford, England (which Wallace does not). The city would be divided into six zones. Each time you crossed one zone to another in a car you would pay a £35 fee (which doubles to £70 if unpaid for 21 days). Say your break an arm. You live in Zone 1 and the hospital is in Zone 6. You would cross five zones and pay £175 to reach the hospital and another £175 to get home. Not only do you have a broken arm, but you are also out £350.
Wallace would have been well served to leave the 60 or so pages of Section III on his editor's desk.
Join Me and Yes Man were both highly entertaining books. Wallace's writing style worked well in those books as they were about factual things that happened to him.
He has taken on a weightier subject with Somebody told Me and needed to change his narrative style as he is dealing with facts. His opinions are fine for what they are but people with opinions that differ from his are not necessarily spreading disinformation, they just have different opinions.
Wallace begins to look into disinformation, deep fakes, artificial intelligence which he discusses with noted scholars, government officials, and people who admit they fell hard for disinformation, some who are questioning their beliefs and some who are convinced of what they believe.
It is written with Wallace's typical wit and style, which at times diminishes the narrative. While most of the book is interesting and insightful, he does fall into that easy standby of, at times, calling ideas with which he disagrees disinformation.
Wallace's bugaboos are the usual suspects (and most of this discussion is limited to Section III of the book): Fox News, Donald Trump, David Ickes, Alex Jones and Russell Brand.
Wallace notes several times that Fox News ran stories about the 2020 election being stolen from Donald Trump but does not mention the daily feature on the Steele Dossier, which ran for at least two years on MSNBC.
Wallace also states William Fox who founded Fox Film Corporation in 1914 and died in 1952 would not approve of the association of the network bearing his name but how can Wallace possibly know this?
Wallace states Trump has never been inside a library, which is a cute thrown away line, unless you are writing a book about disinformation, which should be enough for you to make factual statements only.
Wallace weaves 15-Minute Cities in and out of the narrative. He is adamant in his support of the idea. An idea which is not economically feasible. All of our needs cannot be realistically met by businesses within a 15-minute walk of or homes. There is no need for that many hospitals or electronic stores or furniture stores or movie theatres or even bookstores, of which Wallace is a fan.
Wallace states there are no downsides to 15-minute cities, but look at the plan for Oxford, England (which Wallace does not). The city would be divided into six zones. Each time you crossed one zone to another in a car you would pay a £35 fee (which doubles to £70 if unpaid for 21 days). Say your break an arm. You live in Zone 1 and the hospital is in Zone 6. You would cross five zones and pay £175 to reach the hospital and another £175 to get home. Not only do you have a broken arm, but you are also out £350.
Wallace would have been well served to leave the 60 or so pages of Section III on his editor's desk.
Join Me and Yes Man were both highly entertaining books. Wallace's writing style worked well in those books as they were about factual things that happened to him.
He has taken on a weightier subject with Somebody told Me and needed to change his narrative style as he is dealing with facts. His opinions are fine for what they are but people with opinions that differ from his are not necessarily spreading disinformation, they just have different opinions.
January 5, 2025
This was readable and amusing but given the contacts Wallace had spoken too this felt less than the sum of its parts. It had some useful insights but too many of the topics were skated over, and I'd have preferred more depth.
Compared to the subtitle I didn't feel this was much of a journey either - past books of Wallace on quirky adventures have had a sense of a single narrative thread to them, whereas this felt like a compilation of smaller features compiled into one book. There were a lot of interviews but each one was brief by the time it was edited into the book, whether that was on spy recruitment strategies, 15 minute cities conspiracies or the dangers of AI. The interview with a Finnish journalist seemed quite light, and given the severity of the action she had to take (moving countries after being doxxed and threatened) it didn't seem to go into much detail of what she uncovered or examples of how the troll farms worked.
Instead each topic was covered in quite general terms, albeit with some amusing writing to make it a Wallace book, and leaving me with the feeling that the more factual (rather than personal) content was very casual. I never got the sense of how people got sucked into global conspiracy theories, just that they did, and how they spoke about them. There were suggestions of loneliness and lack of material comfort, but there are high-profile cases of successful people like Kanye West going down conspiracy rabbit holes. The implication was that we could all get sucked in, but only if we suffer unfortunate life events.
That may be the case but it seemed to be missing the argument for it. There was little analysis of the statistical make-up of those who believe in conspiracy theories (beyond US voting intention) or who actually benefits from them, beyond the state of Russia. Disingenuous actors are unlikely to agree to be interviewed I suppose, but even so I would have preferred more depth. It was at least a quick read, but it felt more like a colour piece in a newspaper supplement in style, and far short of the master of the genre, Jon Ronson.
Compared to the subtitle I didn't feel this was much of a journey either - past books of Wallace on quirky adventures have had a sense of a single narrative thread to them, whereas this felt like a compilation of smaller features compiled into one book. There were a lot of interviews but each one was brief by the time it was edited into the book, whether that was on spy recruitment strategies, 15 minute cities conspiracies or the dangers of AI. The interview with a Finnish journalist seemed quite light, and given the severity of the action she had to take (moving countries after being doxxed and threatened) it didn't seem to go into much detail of what she uncovered or examples of how the troll farms worked.
Instead each topic was covered in quite general terms, albeit with some amusing writing to make it a Wallace book, and leaving me with the feeling that the more factual (rather than personal) content was very casual. I never got the sense of how people got sucked into global conspiracy theories, just that they did, and how they spoke about them. There were suggestions of loneliness and lack of material comfort, but there are high-profile cases of successful people like Kanye West going down conspiracy rabbit holes. The implication was that we could all get sucked in, but only if we suffer unfortunate life events.
That may be the case but it seemed to be missing the argument for it. There was little analysis of the statistical make-up of those who believe in conspiracy theories (beyond US voting intention) or who actually benefits from them, beyond the state of Russia. Disingenuous actors are unlikely to agree to be interviewed I suppose, but even so I would have preferred more depth. It was at least a quick read, but it felt more like a colour piece in a newspaper supplement in style, and far short of the master of the genre, Jon Ronson.
June 1, 2025
The amazing thing is that there is nary a Killers or a Smash Mouth reference.
The book is the author's dive into What's Wrong With This World, specifically through the lens of conspiracy theory and other bad ideas. It has the vibe of a standup routine. The book mixes interview with anecdote, occasionally joined up as one, as the author talks to various people in the disinformation space: creators, opponents, researchers, and victims. It has something of a frame narrative relating to communications between the author's late father and a purported chance encounter in China that sends the author into his own pitfall of conspiratorial thinking.
There is great material here, but the juice is not worth the squeeze. I almost bailed on the book after one too many cold takes and comments that reflected a surface level understanding of a situation. But there are great turns here. In particular, the author investigates the grifter economy of the rightward shift of various personalities, and does provide some novelty on the loneliness problem, its causes and effects. There are also a few great interviews, often anonymous, that are impressive gets and contain neat perspectives. And the framing device closes out. Maybe not well, but it does close out.
The writing is fine. The comedy is welcome, but feels nominal at points. I think it could have done better with a narrower range of topics, but the neat bits there are neat.
My thanks to the author, Danny Wallace, for writing the book, and to the publisher, Globe Pequot, for making the ARC available to me.
The book is the author's dive into What's Wrong With This World, specifically through the lens of conspiracy theory and other bad ideas. It has the vibe of a standup routine. The book mixes interview with anecdote, occasionally joined up as one, as the author talks to various people in the disinformation space: creators, opponents, researchers, and victims. It has something of a frame narrative relating to communications between the author's late father and a purported chance encounter in China that sends the author into his own pitfall of conspiratorial thinking.
There is great material here, but the juice is not worth the squeeze. I almost bailed on the book after one too many cold takes and comments that reflected a surface level understanding of a situation. But there are great turns here. In particular, the author investigates the grifter economy of the rightward shift of various personalities, and does provide some novelty on the loneliness problem, its causes and effects. There are also a few great interviews, often anonymous, that are impressive gets and contain neat perspectives. And the framing device closes out. Maybe not well, but it does close out.
The writing is fine. The comedy is welcome, but feels nominal at points. I think it could have done better with a narrower range of topics, but the neat bits there are neat.
My thanks to the author, Danny Wallace, for writing the book, and to the publisher, Globe Pequot, for making the ARC available to me.
October 21, 2025
The narrative flowed well & he made sure to tie things together. This is a very accessible, readable book. Wallace writes conversationally, jumps about a bit where he gets excited about some info & foreshadows (which is not entirely un-useful given the numerous people he interviews, so that one starts forgetting earlier characters if one picks up the book a few weeks later to continue), but mostly tries to keep to some structure.
For a topic of such gravity I have personal preference for greater meatiness, academic exactness, & greater narrative flow. For the material Wallace had gathered, there is a fairly good narrative flow. I don't think he's the type of writer to make it into an academic tome & when I picked it up in bookstore the book did not sell itself as such, so my preference here does not count. I wanted to have a quick, light foray into this topic of great interest whilst working on my thesis on another topic, so it served very well. As someone who has been hobby-interested in this for a while, there wasn't anything in it from a research perspective - but almost all the stories were new to me.
I think the overarching story is a bit confusing because the topic itself is so messy. & the emotional turmoil in there is also quite real - if one were treating the topic emotionally I suppose Wallace does a fairly good job at keeping it lighter than it could have been. At this point there is no clear solution, though there is some non-specific advice. Or, Wallace is not trusted enough by the govt people he interviews to be privy to the solutions they are contemplating/implementing. Who knows? The only litmus at this point for whether what I said is true is our own good sense.
There are some glimmers of good points I enjoyed from people he interviewed. I think it can be more succinct. I appreciate how Wallace makes clear when he is forming his own conjectures. There is no bibliography. An important topic. Do not let my review dissuade you from reading this book. He writes it engagingly.
I suppose it's said before by other reviewers but in case it is not - I was a bit put off at start as "May you live in interesting times." is not a real Chinese saying. The rest of the narrative was plausible but that one threw a kink in my confidence in the book, I had to ignore it to plow on. It makes for a great philosophical point though. Book credibility be improved if saying is noted as urban legend.
For a topic of such gravity I have personal preference for greater meatiness, academic exactness, & greater narrative flow. For the material Wallace had gathered, there is a fairly good narrative flow. I don't think he's the type of writer to make it into an academic tome & when I picked it up in bookstore the book did not sell itself as such, so my preference here does not count. I wanted to have a quick, light foray into this topic of great interest whilst working on my thesis on another topic, so it served very well. As someone who has been hobby-interested in this for a while, there wasn't anything in it from a research perspective - but almost all the stories were new to me.
I think the overarching story is a bit confusing because the topic itself is so messy. & the emotional turmoil in there is also quite real - if one were treating the topic emotionally I suppose Wallace does a fairly good job at keeping it lighter than it could have been. At this point there is no clear solution, though there is some non-specific advice. Or, Wallace is not trusted enough by the govt people he interviews to be privy to the solutions they are contemplating/implementing. Who knows? The only litmus at this point for whether what I said is true is our own good sense.
There are some glimmers of good points I enjoyed from people he interviewed. I think it can be more succinct. I appreciate how Wallace makes clear when he is forming his own conjectures. There is no bibliography. An important topic. Do not let my review dissuade you from reading this book. He writes it engagingly.
I suppose it's said before by other reviewers but in case it is not - I was a bit put off at start as "May you live in interesting times." is not a real Chinese saying. The rest of the narrative was plausible but that one threw a kink in my confidence in the book, I had to ignore it to plow on. It makes for a great philosophical point though. Book credibility be improved if saying is noted as urban legend.
April 2, 2025
That you to Net Galley and Prometheus for an advanced copy of Somebody Told Me.. in exchange for a review.
4.5 stars rounded up.
I’ve been a fan of Danny Wallace’s books for about 20 years, since reading Are You Dave Gorman? And then the wonderful Yes Man, which are two of my favourite books of all time. I was thrilled to get stuck into his new book.
Now this book is already available in the UK, but I believe this is the US release and there is a short extra intro, some unnecessary changes of -ise to -ize and mum to mom, but otherwise I’m assuming all is the same!
This was a bit different to Danny’s comedy books in that it was equal parts alarming, scary, and amusing. Danny’s trademark humour is definitely in there, but it’s more focused on interviews, research and discussion about the fascinating world of disinformation. From conspiracy theories to QAnon, Truthers, AI and Crisis Actors, it was so fascinating and terrifying that I now just don’t know what to believe and fear that we are all doomed!
There’s some great interviews in here from academics, BBC fact checkers, scientists – as well as some truthers themselves and people who have suffered as a result of disinformation. The writing is great – it was nice to have bits of Danny’s wit woven in there to lighten some of the heavy topics; and he does a great job of explaining some complex subjects and concepts.
I really think this is essential reading as there was so much I had no idea about!
4.5 stars rounded up.
I’ve been a fan of Danny Wallace’s books for about 20 years, since reading Are You Dave Gorman? And then the wonderful Yes Man, which are two of my favourite books of all time. I was thrilled to get stuck into his new book.
Now this book is already available in the UK, but I believe this is the US release and there is a short extra intro, some unnecessary changes of -ise to -ize and mum to mom, but otherwise I’m assuming all is the same!
This was a bit different to Danny’s comedy books in that it was equal parts alarming, scary, and amusing. Danny’s trademark humour is definitely in there, but it’s more focused on interviews, research and discussion about the fascinating world of disinformation. From conspiracy theories to QAnon, Truthers, AI and Crisis Actors, it was so fascinating and terrifying that I now just don’t know what to believe and fear that we are all doomed!
There’s some great interviews in here from academics, BBC fact checkers, scientists – as well as some truthers themselves and people who have suffered as a result of disinformation. The writing is great – it was nice to have bits of Danny’s wit woven in there to lighten some of the heavy topics; and he does a great job of explaining some complex subjects and concepts.
I really think this is essential reading as there was so much I had no idea about!
April 25, 2025
This was a fascinating read - beginning and ending with the mystery of an elderly Chinese man who may or may not be a spy.
Following the death of his father, an academic specialising in the former East German , Danny Wallace stumbles on his innocent- sounding correspondence with said elderly Chinese man, and promptly falls down a rabbit hole of conspiracy theories, internet trolls and AI bots.
It's an alarming journey through the world of Q-Anon, Covid conspiracies, Russian troll farms and more as Danny talks to people on all sides. Much is clearly absurd (the man from Thetford who believes he's going to be banned from ever venturing out of Thetford - why?!) but the book explores how people get drawn into and then entrenched in certain unlikely beliefs, convinced they're the few who are clear sighted enough to see "the truth", unlike the rest of us poor sheep. Sometimes harmless and sometimes incredibly damaging, like claiming that disasters didn't happen and that the grieving and traumatised are actors. Or that Covid never existed and vaccines are a dangerous conspiracy.
It's also terrifying to consider the degree to which we can be influenced en masse by shadowy figures with ill intent, entering a world where facts are subjective and you can't necessarily believe anything you see, hear or read. The rapid expansion of AI has its positives but also brings dangers which are very hard for national governments to keep up with or legislate for.
Following the death of his father, an academic specialising in the former East German , Danny Wallace stumbles on his innocent- sounding correspondence with said elderly Chinese man, and promptly falls down a rabbit hole of conspiracy theories, internet trolls and AI bots.
It's an alarming journey through the world of Q-Anon, Covid conspiracies, Russian troll farms and more as Danny talks to people on all sides. Much is clearly absurd (the man from Thetford who believes he's going to be banned from ever venturing out of Thetford - why?!) but the book explores how people get drawn into and then entrenched in certain unlikely beliefs, convinced they're the few who are clear sighted enough to see "the truth", unlike the rest of us poor sheep. Sometimes harmless and sometimes incredibly damaging, like claiming that disasters didn't happen and that the grieving and traumatised are actors. Or that Covid never existed and vaccines are a dangerous conspiracy.
It's also terrifying to consider the degree to which we can be influenced en masse by shadowy figures with ill intent, entering a world where facts are subjective and you can't necessarily believe anything you see, hear or read. The rapid expansion of AI has its positives but also brings dangers which are very hard for national governments to keep up with or legislate for.
May 21, 2025
★★★½ out of 5 stars
Danny Wallace’s Somebody Told Me is packed with his usual blend of curiosity and humor, and there’s plenty here to spark your imagination. I was especially intrigued by his “Love Bots” section—the idea that we might one day turn to AI companions for emotional support feels both unsettling and oddly compelling. Equally thought-provoking was his examination of loneliness and conspiracy theories: Wallace argues that the more isolated we feel, the more susceptible we become to elaborate false narratives. That connection really stayed with me.
Unfortunately, the book does suffer from some pacing issues. Certain anecdotes and insights get repeated several times—Wallace circles back to the same points so often that the momentum stalls. If you’re looking for a lean, tightly edited read, you might find yourself eager to speed ahead past familiar territory.
Still, when Wallace is on form—sharing personal stories peppered with sharp social commentary—his voice is impossible to resist. Somebody Told Me is definitely worth picking up if you’re fascinated by how technology and psychology intersect with our need for connection. Just brace yourself for a few detours down redundant rabbit holes before reaching the final chapter.
Danny Wallace’s Somebody Told Me is packed with his usual blend of curiosity and humor, and there’s plenty here to spark your imagination. I was especially intrigued by his “Love Bots” section—the idea that we might one day turn to AI companions for emotional support feels both unsettling and oddly compelling. Equally thought-provoking was his examination of loneliness and conspiracy theories: Wallace argues that the more isolated we feel, the more susceptible we become to elaborate false narratives. That connection really stayed with me.
Unfortunately, the book does suffer from some pacing issues. Certain anecdotes and insights get repeated several times—Wallace circles back to the same points so often that the momentum stalls. If you’re looking for a lean, tightly edited read, you might find yourself eager to speed ahead past familiar territory.
Still, when Wallace is on form—sharing personal stories peppered with sharp social commentary—his voice is impossible to resist. Somebody Told Me is definitely worth picking up if you’re fascinated by how technology and psychology intersect with our need for connection. Just brace yourself for a few detours down redundant rabbit holes before reaching the final chapter.
June 3, 2025
This book is a must for anyone who has lost hours of their lives when they just popped onto google to just look up one tiny thing and, several hours later, emerge after experiencing a wealth of secrets, lies, disinformation, and shocking repercussions of all of the above... And started to believe them...
It's like chinese whispers (although having thought about it, maybe I shouldn't be using this description anymore in this over-sensitive world we now occupy) on steroids. And with very harmful outcomes on occasion...
If you want a current example for instance, go check out the Bunny sanctuary place on twitter...
But, that said, herein you will find a plethora of similar examples of "internet gone bad" of bandwagon jumping, of hive mind, of feeding the beast.
It's terrifying.
It's also, as you would expect from the author, also very funny...
If I have one wee wish, it'd be that he went into depth a bit more on occasion, however I also get that doing so might have made it all a bit serious and it's not that book...
Anyway... I'm off to sanitise my twitter timeline... see you on the other side... send help (and cake) if I'm not back in half an hour...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
It's like chinese whispers (although having thought about it, maybe I shouldn't be using this description anymore in this over-sensitive world we now occupy) on steroids. And with very harmful outcomes on occasion...
If you want a current example for instance, go check out the Bunny sanctuary place on twitter...
But, that said, herein you will find a plethora of similar examples of "internet gone bad" of bandwagon jumping, of hive mind, of feeding the beast.
It's terrifying.
It's also, as you would expect from the author, also very funny...
If I have one wee wish, it'd be that he went into depth a bit more on occasion, however I also get that doing so might have made it all a bit serious and it's not that book...
Anyway... I'm off to sanitise my twitter timeline... see you on the other side... send help (and cake) if I'm not back in half an hour...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
July 29, 2025
This is a great light hearted look at how our world is changing and how lies and misinformation are being spread at alarming rates. I appreciate how it is always anchored back to the authors own experiences as it pushes the correct idea that anyone can become a victim of it
That being said the book also adopts a very serious tone, the wide ranging interviews with various different academics and they are all repeating similar lines about what a genuine threat this is and how malicious actors and even entire states have the power to change the foundations of democracy. There is also a focus on victim stories as well to get a better idea of how generally well meaning people can fall into the traps. The book also looks at “smaller” conspirators, grifters who make a living on spreading misinformation not for the benefit of a government but just their own bank account.
It was successful in the way it got me thinking and did make me more aware of the genuine scale of the problem and I did consider scenarios in my own life where I could have ended up in a similar way. I did feel it got slightly preachy in places and maybe swung too far against any sort of challenge of the status quo writing it off as conspiracy but this was only in places
Rating - 9/10
That being said the book also adopts a very serious tone, the wide ranging interviews with various different academics and they are all repeating similar lines about what a genuine threat this is and how malicious actors and even entire states have the power to change the foundations of democracy. There is also a focus on victim stories as well to get a better idea of how generally well meaning people can fall into the traps. The book also looks at “smaller” conspirators, grifters who make a living on spreading misinformation not for the benefit of a government but just their own bank account.
It was successful in the way it got me thinking and did make me more aware of the genuine scale of the problem and I did consider scenarios in my own life where I could have ended up in a similar way. I did feel it got slightly preachy in places and maybe swung too far against any sort of challenge of the status quo writing it off as conspiracy but this was only in places
Rating - 9/10
June 8, 2025
I’m a critical thinker, so this book was right up my alley.
The author illustrates how people, especially women, are most likely to get involved in such theories.
Science says there’s a intrinsic need to solve mysteries, and share stories. We tend to don’t believe what we see, we question it and search for truths.
Yet we encounter many lies, conspiracy theories, and feel powerless.
These are sophisticated lies which affect our lives on many levels. The question the author asks if we can handle this.
People seem to be more susceptible now because we feel lost, scared, powerless and meaningless.
These feelings have become more present during the Covid pandemic, finding fertile ground for these lies in many homes.
I enjoyed the author’s narrative style, I’m a nonfiction writer and I recognized the same storytelling as if you were talking to a friend.
It makes you feel part of the story, captures your attention and curiosity.
The author illustrates how people, especially women, are most likely to get involved in such theories.
Science says there’s a intrinsic need to solve mysteries, and share stories. We tend to don’t believe what we see, we question it and search for truths.
Yet we encounter many lies, conspiracy theories, and feel powerless.
These are sophisticated lies which affect our lives on many levels. The question the author asks if we can handle this.
People seem to be more susceptible now because we feel lost, scared, powerless and meaningless.
These feelings have become more present during the Covid pandemic, finding fertile ground for these lies in many homes.
I enjoyed the author’s narrative style, I’m a nonfiction writer and I recognized the same storytelling as if you were talking to a friend.
It makes you feel part of the story, captures your attention and curiosity.
August 24, 2025
I’m so sad.
This book is really good, but…
Only a couple of his books for adults have made it to the US, and the oddities of audiobook rights mean that I can’t just go to Amazon.uk and purchase a download.
So I was thrilled to see that after a year of waiting, this title was being made available as an audio here.
Fantastic, I thought. I could really use a lighthearted book right now.
While the author still injects some humor, the topic is as funny as a crutch.
The book made me realize the global extent of disinformation campaigns and conspiracy theorists. It was easy for me to assume that this was mostly a US issue, because lets face it, what country has more wingnuts and opportunists per square mile than us?
I did appreciate the author’s inclusion of some autobiographical info. The part about his father’s long email correspondence with a man who was possibly spying for the Chinese government was fascinating.
June 27, 2024
I first discovered Danny Wallace's work in my hapless late teens. "Yes Man" changed my way of thinking and "Friends like these" got me thinking back on my younger years.
Somebody Told Me is not your typical Danny Wallace book. However, it is a tremendous step into new and, at times, scary places. Less about world travel and more about world issues. Less about pub bets and more about the necessity for pub talks.
It does however carry the same warm and heartfelt backbone, that I feel encompasses every Wallace piece of work.
I used to tell everyone I knew that they should read "Yes Man" as everyone could learn something from it. I still tell people that. But I think I'll be adding "and also 'Somebody told me' as well" when telling people.
A deeply important book from my favourite author.
Somebody Told Me is not your typical Danny Wallace book. However, it is a tremendous step into new and, at times, scary places. Less about world travel and more about world issues. Less about pub bets and more about the necessity for pub talks.
It does however carry the same warm and heartfelt backbone, that I feel encompasses every Wallace piece of work.
I used to tell everyone I knew that they should read "Yes Man" as everyone could learn something from it. I still tell people that. But I think I'll be adding "and also 'Somebody told me' as well" when telling people.
A deeply important book from my favourite author.
May 27, 2025
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.
I have always enjoyed Danny Wallace's work and this is no exception but it didn't flow as well for me as past books. Each section was very distinct and almost felt like a collection of thoughts and relevant examples. It didn't feel as cohesive as it could have been. However it does have it's funny moments and definitely stopped me in it's tracks with the viewpoints of some of those discussed. Particularly in how these conspiracy theorists get to such outlandish ideas. From the outside it can be jarring when a person goes from what is deemed as normal behaviour and thinking to odd conspiracies a few weeks or months later. Seeing some accounts of this type of change was fascinating. Definitely food for thought.
I have always enjoyed Danny Wallace's work and this is no exception but it didn't flow as well for me as past books. Each section was very distinct and almost felt like a collection of thoughts and relevant examples. It didn't feel as cohesive as it could have been. However it does have it's funny moments and definitely stopped me in it's tracks with the viewpoints of some of those discussed. Particularly in how these conspiracy theorists get to such outlandish ideas. From the outside it can be jarring when a person goes from what is deemed as normal behaviour and thinking to odd conspiracies a few weeks or months later. Seeing some accounts of this type of change was fascinating. Definitely food for thought.
March 30, 2025
***advance review copy received from NetGalley in return for an honest review***
Danny Wallace never fails to both delight and interest. In this latest book he delves into conspiracy theories - who believes them, why they believe them, who’s benefiting from people believing them and where this all might take us in the future. Along the way he explains his personal family history with the topic, and meets several people on both sides of the conspiracy fence.
If you’ve recently watched and enjoyed - or been horrified by - Netflix’s Adolescence, you could do worse than to dovetail that with this book. You’d be surprised what you find on the internet.
Danny Wallace never fails to both delight and interest. In this latest book he delves into conspiracy theories - who believes them, why they believe them, who’s benefiting from people believing them and where this all might take us in the future. Along the way he explains his personal family history with the topic, and meets several people on both sides of the conspiracy fence.
If you’ve recently watched and enjoyed - or been horrified by - Netflix’s Adolescence, you could do worse than to dovetail that with this book. You’d be surprised what you find on the internet.
December 29, 2024
I read quite a few of Danny Wallace's comedy books when I was a teenager, and I've read and watched things about this topic, so I thought I'd give it a go. It's a decent introduction for people who aren't really aware about the extent of misinformation and conspiracies on the internet, but is quite basic if you do know more already. I think it either needed more of Wallace's voice/quirky framing, or more in-depth detail/exploration. I also think there were some topics that needed more than a throwaway line as they seemed glib rather than actually taken seriously.
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