What do you think?
Rate this book
Pranksters: Making Mischief in the Modern World
From BenjaminFranklin's newspaper hoax that faked the death of his rival to Abbie Hoffman’sattempt to levitate the Pentagon, pranksters, hoaxers, and con artists have causedconfusion, disorder, and laughter in Western society for centuries. Profilingthe most notorious mischief makers from the 1600s to the present day, Prankstersexplores how “pranks” are part of a long tradition of speaking truth to powerand social critique.Invoking such historical and contemporary figures as P.T. Barnum,Jonathan Swift, WITCH, The Yes Men, and Stephen Colbert, Kembrew McLeod showshow staged spectacles that balance the serious and humorous can spark importantpublic conversations. In some instances, tricksters have incited social change(and unfortunate prank blowback) by manipulating various forms of media, fromnewspapers to YouTube. For example, in the 1960s, self-proclaimed “professionalhoaxer” Alan Abel lampooned America’s hypocritical sexual mores by usingconservative rhetoric to fool the news media into covering a satirical organizationthat advocated clothing naked animals. In the 1990s, Sub Pop Recordsthen-receptionist Megan Jasper satirized the commodification of alternativemusic culture by pranking the New YorkTimes into reporting on her fake lexicon of “grunge speak.” Throughout thisbook, McLeod shows how pranks interrupt the daily flow of approved informationand news, using humor to underscore larger, pointed truths.Written in an accessible, story-driven style, Prankstersreveals how mischief makers have left their shocking, entertaining, andeducational mark on modern political and social life.
366 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2014
8 people are currently reading
310 people want to read
About the author
Kembrew McLeod
14 books42 followersKembrew McLeod is Associate Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Iowa. He is the author of Freedom of Expression: Resistance and Repression in the Age of Intellectual Property and Owning Culture: Authorship, Ownership, and Intellectual Property Law, and co-creator of the documentary film Copyright Criminals.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 1, 2014
http://bookreviewsbyme2.wordpress.com...
I am finding it really difficult to decide how I felt about this book; there were parts that I enjoyed and parts that I didn't.
This book is a comprehensive look at all manner of "pranks" through history. This text mentions everything from Ben Franklin as a prankster to "confidence games". While I was expecting something a little different, maybe more about what we consider as pranks today, I thought that the look into pranks of history (or I guess it would be more misinformation than pranks?) was a compelling new angle into the world of pranks. This book focuses a lot on written pranks; writing things as true that are untrue or skewed. I didn't really realize how many things have been written that were satires but taken as true; it just goes to show you can't believe everything you read.
I didn't think this book was written very well. Normally I can easily read and follow along with everything from a basic novel to a scientific text; but this book was written in such a manner that I truly struggled to follow. The authors sentence format was awkward and difficult to follow, making this book a challenge to read.
Along with the sentences not flowing, the chapters didn't flow well together either. I found that each chapter flowed into the next in an awkward manner as their wasn't much within the chapters to tie each together. The chapter transitions seemed choppy and amateurish.
While I did enjoy some of the content in this book, my overall impression was one of dislike. It's an interesting topic for a book but the writing wasn't very well done, leaving me with the taste of disappointment when I was finished reading.
I received this book for review purposes via NetGalley.
I am finding it really difficult to decide how I felt about this book; there were parts that I enjoyed and parts that I didn't.
This book is a comprehensive look at all manner of "pranks" through history. This text mentions everything from Ben Franklin as a prankster to "confidence games". While I was expecting something a little different, maybe more about what we consider as pranks today, I thought that the look into pranks of history (or I guess it would be more misinformation than pranks?) was a compelling new angle into the world of pranks. This book focuses a lot on written pranks; writing things as true that are untrue or skewed. I didn't really realize how many things have been written that were satires but taken as true; it just goes to show you can't believe everything you read.
I didn't think this book was written very well. Normally I can easily read and follow along with everything from a basic novel to a scientific text; but this book was written in such a manner that I truly struggled to follow. The authors sentence format was awkward and difficult to follow, making this book a challenge to read.
Along with the sentences not flowing, the chapters didn't flow well together either. I found that each chapter flowed into the next in an awkward manner as their wasn't much within the chapters to tie each together. The chapter transitions seemed choppy and amateurish.
While I did enjoy some of the content in this book, my overall impression was one of dislike. It's an interesting topic for a book but the writing wasn't very well done, leaving me with the taste of disappointment when I was finished reading.
I received this book for review purposes via NetGalley.
April 1, 2014
I love reading History books, I always do, up until this one. First of all, when I hear pranks I clearly think of one thing and the author thinks of something totally different, the pranks aren't as we would think of them today, it was more misinformation to be perfectly honest. There's a lot of sections about written pranks, with lots of skewed information and as I said, misinformation.
I was intrigued by the book, and some of it interested me. However. The dreaded however. I took one look at the first page and the layout of it with pages of writing barely broken up and I immediately wanted to put the book down and walk away.
Add to that, the fact that the book was very poorly written. You're faced with pages of packed text (or at least it was on Kindle), that is very hard to follow, worded awkwardly, and very difficult to read. I read History books of many descriptions, I read History textbooks, I read books from all genres, and never before have I struggled to read a book like I have with this one. I skimmed whatever was difficult to read, or I couldn't follow.
The pace was clunky, the flow regarding everything was sloppy and very disconnected/disjointed. There was no linking of the chapters, it's like the author just chucked everything in with no thought about it, and it's very amateur hourish.
By the halfway mark, I had well and truly given up trying to follow this book and read it properly, I abandoned it in favour of simply looking up the information myself, and reading it from somewhere that writes it concisely, and in an easy to understand manner.
I was intrigued by the book, and some of it interested me. However. The dreaded however. I took one look at the first page and the layout of it with pages of writing barely broken up and I immediately wanted to put the book down and walk away.
Add to that, the fact that the book was very poorly written. You're faced with pages of packed text (or at least it was on Kindle), that is very hard to follow, worded awkwardly, and very difficult to read. I read History books of many descriptions, I read History textbooks, I read books from all genres, and never before have I struggled to read a book like I have with this one. I skimmed whatever was difficult to read, or I couldn't follow.
The pace was clunky, the flow regarding everything was sloppy and very disconnected/disjointed. There was no linking of the chapters, it's like the author just chucked everything in with no thought about it, and it's very amateur hourish.
By the halfway mark, I had well and truly given up trying to follow this book and read it properly, I abandoned it in favour of simply looking up the information myself, and reading it from somewhere that writes it concisely, and in an easy to understand manner.
November 28, 2014
A really difficult book to describe. Probably best to say I don't regret reading it, but I could have used the time to read something else.
Firstly, the title. Mr Mcleod redefines the word 'prank" to mean something that has a political or social activism subtext, so once you've done that, you are talking about a subset of all the stunts people have pulled.
He places a massive emphasis on a few 'pranks', like the guys who invented Rosacrucianism.
The way that a stunt in one century can produce material that is then quoted as factual a few hundred years later is quite startling.
Some of the historical stuff is really interesting: Ben Franklin liked a good stunt.
The author also mentions some of his own pranking work, which is not as exciting as I'd hoped.
I get his point, I get his theory, and a lot of this is really interesting, but at the end of the day, four or five essays jam-packed with great stuff would have been a better way of getting the info than this whole book. If Reader's Digest ever do a condensed version it will be gold.
Firstly, the title. Mr Mcleod redefines the word 'prank" to mean something that has a political or social activism subtext, so once you've done that, you are talking about a subset of all the stunts people have pulled.
He places a massive emphasis on a few 'pranks', like the guys who invented Rosacrucianism.
The way that a stunt in one century can produce material that is then quoted as factual a few hundred years later is quite startling.
Some of the historical stuff is really interesting: Ben Franklin liked a good stunt.
The author also mentions some of his own pranking work, which is not as exciting as I'd hoped.
I get his point, I get his theory, and a lot of this is really interesting, but at the end of the day, four or five essays jam-packed with great stuff would have been a better way of getting the info than this whole book. If Reader's Digest ever do a condensed version it will be gold.
August 4, 2016
The author has a very odd and inconsistent definition of 'prank'; sometimes he's talking about pranks, sometimes tricks, often hoaxes, and sometimes just marketing/public relations.
The book is difficult to follow. A lot of information is introduced at once and it's very disjointed -- often a particular person or prank would be referred to many pages later, and I couldn't remember who or what it was because so much other information had been fleetingly mentioned in between.
There were some very interesting stories and I learnt a lot. I'm glad I read it, but it just dragged at times. Keeping to a tighter definition of 'prank' would have made it easier to read as a lot of the extra material could have been cut (perhaps kept for a second book, e.g. about hoaxes).
The book is difficult to follow. A lot of information is introduced at once and it's very disjointed -- often a particular person or prank would be referred to many pages later, and I couldn't remember who or what it was because so much other information had been fleetingly mentioned in between.
There were some very interesting stories and I learnt a lot. I'm glad I read it, but it just dragged at times. Keeping to a tighter definition of 'prank' would have made it easier to read as a lot of the extra material could have been cut (perhaps kept for a second book, e.g. about hoaxes).
February 7, 2014
Although the title says “Pranks” McLeod focuses on all manner of trickery. From Ben Franklin’s Poor Richards Almanack to legendary showman P.T. Barnum, to modern tricksters like the Yes Men. It is nice that McLeod lets the reader determine whether or not the pranks were effective.
Free review copy.
Free review copy.
December 3, 2014
Somewhat misleading judging by its title alone. This book is a relatively thorough look at pranks, cons and hoaxes throughout American history. Some parts were good, but the overall it was rather dull for me.
January 31, 2019
I liked the chapters where the author shared his own experiences with pranking and hoaxing more than the rest of the book, but it does give a solid overview of how a few famous subjects of conspiracy theories inspired rumours and whispers about the organizations named.
January 23, 2019
Weird mischief is a fundamental building block of my DNA.
August 8, 2016
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 2.5 of 5
Pranks? What is a 'prank' as performed by a 'prankster'? Pulling 'one' over on someone? Author Kembrew McLeod seems to look on it as a practical joke that has political and/or social change connotations.
'Pranking' is popular today as we have television shows all about pranks and tv talk show hosts 'prank' one another all in good fun. So it was with certain expectations that I started this book - with a title that doesn't let on too much as to what it might be about. But this seemed to be a little more skewed toward hoaxes and trickery and flim-flam.
There is actually some really interesting history told here in the book and I found much of it quite fascinating, even though it's not what I was expecting. But even some of this interesting history went on much too long. The chapter on the Illuminati, for instance, just dragged on and on.
That Benjamin Franklin pulled a few pranks is no surprise. To read about some of them was fun. And if the rest of the book were a little more like this, it would have been a delightful read. But sadly it was not.
There are so many little delightful nuggets of information here, but they are surrounded by some dull, and convoluted writing. It's hard to believe that a book about pranks would be some very dry reading, but it is. If you are a knowledge junkie - someone who just likes to know lots of little bits of information - then this is probably a good book to wade through.
If you want a book of history from a different perspective, this is on the right track, but gets bogged down in needless details.
If you want to know about 'making mischief in the modern world' ... this book is a mistake.
Looking for a good book? It's hard to believe that a book about pranks would be dull, but Pranksters, by Kembrew McLeod gets too caught up in the details, and surrounds those details with dry writing, resulting in a difficult read.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Pranks? What is a 'prank' as performed by a 'prankster'? Pulling 'one' over on someone? Author Kembrew McLeod seems to look on it as a practical joke that has political and/or social change connotations.
'Pranking' is popular today as we have television shows all about pranks and tv talk show hosts 'prank' one another all in good fun. So it was with certain expectations that I started this book - with a title that doesn't let on too much as to what it might be about. But this seemed to be a little more skewed toward hoaxes and trickery and flim-flam.
There is actually some really interesting history told here in the book and I found much of it quite fascinating, even though it's not what I was expecting. But even some of this interesting history went on much too long. The chapter on the Illuminati, for instance, just dragged on and on.
That Benjamin Franklin pulled a few pranks is no surprise. To read about some of them was fun. And if the rest of the book were a little more like this, it would have been a delightful read. But sadly it was not.
There are so many little delightful nuggets of information here, but they are surrounded by some dull, and convoluted writing. It's hard to believe that a book about pranks would be some very dry reading, but it is. If you are a knowledge junkie - someone who just likes to know lots of little bits of information - then this is probably a good book to wade through.
If you want a book of history from a different perspective, this is on the right track, but gets bogged down in needless details.
If you want to know about 'making mischief in the modern world' ... this book is a mistake.
Looking for a good book? It's hard to believe that a book about pranks would be dull, but Pranksters, by Kembrew McLeod gets too caught up in the details, and surrounds those details with dry writing, resulting in a difficult read.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
February 25, 2014
Disclaimer: I received this book from netgalley - thank you!
Pranksters is a comprehensive look at all manner of tricks, pranks, hoaxes and cons. McKleod provides a clever exploration of the differences between these terms, and many others, to explain how they impact society. For example, a prank makes a statement and is designed to spark debate, whereas a hoax is more about duping people and capturing attention.
The author peppers his writing liberally with examples. I particularly enjoyed reading about the exploits of Benjamin Franklin: I wasn't aware he was such a mischievous soul! I look forward to reading more by McKleod in the future!
Pranksters is a comprehensive look at all manner of tricks, pranks, hoaxes and cons. McKleod provides a clever exploration of the differences between these terms, and many others, to explain how they impact society. For example, a prank makes a statement and is designed to spark debate, whereas a hoax is more about duping people and capturing attention.
The author peppers his writing liberally with examples. I particularly enjoyed reading about the exploits of Benjamin Franklin: I wasn't aware he was such a mischievous soul! I look forward to reading more by McKleod in the future!
August 3, 2014
(I received a free copy from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)
What a fascinating book. Although it is titled "Pranksters" there are all kinds of trickery, hoaxes and confidence games. I don't know exactly what I was expecting but I definitely got much more.
Taking a walk through the history of "pranking" (and its many forms), we learn about so many differing people, attitudes and reactions throughout the years. Many examples are given: from Benjamin Franklin, to P.T. Barnum and a receptionist from Sup-pop Records.
A well-written and researched book. Recommended.
Paul
ARH
What a fascinating book. Although it is titled "Pranksters" there are all kinds of trickery, hoaxes and confidence games. I don't know exactly what I was expecting but I definitely got much more.
Taking a walk through the history of "pranking" (and its many forms), we learn about so many differing people, attitudes and reactions throughout the years. Many examples are given: from Benjamin Franklin, to P.T. Barnum and a receptionist from Sup-pop Records.
A well-written and researched book. Recommended.
Paul
ARH
July 18, 2014
An interesting read, with lots of fun historical incidents. Less academic than I expected, but also not a light-hearted romp through pranks and satire.
It is important to point out that the pranks here are not tricking people into embarrassing themselves, but social and political commentary that mocks and brings attention to issues in life. And that they often backfire.
Still, I enjoy The Onion and satire, as well as slapstick, so pranksters are right up my alley.
And as the author points out, "A prank a day keeps The Man away."
It is important to point out that the pranks here are not tricking people into embarrassing themselves, but social and political commentary that mocks and brings attention to issues in life. And that they often backfire.
Still, I enjoy The Onion and satire, as well as slapstick, so pranksters are right up my alley.
And as the author points out, "A prank a day keeps The Man away."
February 1, 2015
Loved it, definitely up my alley. Learned a lot of odd little histories, and also got me thinking in new ways about stuff -- how some of the contemporary right-wing reactionaries are connected to long-standing conspiracy theories and hoaxes (ideas travel!), and about the destabilizing forces of new technologies, etc. Helpful, in fact.
June 29, 2015
What a fun book. This was a wonderful review of political dissidents, spies, ultra conservative bodies, secret organizations, and journalists using hoaxes to spread misinformation for political or financial gain, or just to mess with people.
My favorite tale is of Ben Franklin publishing fake obituaries of his business rivals to corner the market.
My favorite tale is of Ben Franklin publishing fake obituaries of his business rivals to corner the market.
October 11, 2014
An amusing look at pranks, hoaxes & cons through the ages. Pretty amusing.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews