Lumea fraților Tate

by Jamie Tahsin, Matt Shea, Horia Ghibutiu (Translator)

Cel puțin 33 de mașini de lux „declarate”. O Cameră de Război, unde bărbați din întreaga lume plătesc mii de lire pentru a-și testa limitele masculinității într-o cușcă, alături de luptători profesioniști din Rusia și Polonia. Aproape 11 milioane de urmăritori pe Twitter, actualul X. Aproape 110 000 de studenți înscriși cu taxă la Universitatea Hustlers, unde cel mai important curs îi învață cum să convingă o femeie să muncească pentru ei în industria sexului online. Și două dosare penale.

El este Andrew Tate, fost campion la kickboxing, influencerul nr. 1 în lume pe tema masculinității și bărbatul cel mai căutat pe Google în 2022. După o investigație de patru ani, începută în România, jurnaliștii britanici Jamie Tahsin și Matt Shea dezvăluie povestea șocantă a ascensiunii sale în spațiul public și în mințile bărbaților tineri. Documentarul lor a dus la primele acuzații publice împotriva lui Tate pentru violență sexuală și fizică, iar la finalul anului 2024 Andrew Tate se afla deja într-o închisoare din România, confruntându-se cu acuzații grave: trafic de persoane, viol și apartenență la un grup infracțional organizat, printre altele. În sfârșit, vocile victimelor au fost auzite, chiar dacă milioane de susținători ai celor doi au încercat să le acopere.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Audiobook, Crime, Feminism, True Crime, Cults

272 pages, Paperback

Published April 11, 2025

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC for review. To be published September 26, 2024.

Somehow I missed a lot of the press surrounding the absolutely loathsome Andrew Tate…was he big during COVID? I was aware of him, but not too in the know, so I was interested in reading this book by two “Vice” documentarians who took an incredibly deep dive into his mad world. To call Tate a piece of shit is an insult to excrement, but I found the book quite interesting.

If you don’t know Andrew Tate is a noxious failed reality show star turned misogynistic online “lifestyle” icon turned organized crime figure. So you can’t say the boy hasn’t lived a full life, right?

Authors Tansin and Shea really put it on the line, especially Shea, God bless him. They agree to participate in some of Tate’s madness in order to uncover the full story of this monster and brother Tristan, along with their motley crew of male and female accomplices and those misguided souls who thing Tate is the greatest…and one thing you have to give the Tates is that are pretty good at marketing.

The Tate brothers preyed on the insecurity of young males, an insecurity that they likely shared given that their father was one of the only African American chess masters, and also authoritarian and very right wing.

In discussing the influence of the Tates the authors note “a common misconception is the idea the people are crueler on the internet because there is no face to face interaction to dissuade them.” This is known as mismatch theory. However some political scientists have tested this supposition and found no evidence that mismatch theory is true, instead finding “‘political hostility reflects a deliberate strategy among individuals with particular personality traits’ particularly ‘aggressive bullies seeking to gain status.’l

In other depressing news a recent “Financial Times” poll found that Gen Z isn’t necessarily more progressive. Well, the women are, the men are more conservative. This is the attitude that gives rise to incels and MGTOW, as well as providing fertile ground for someone like Andrew Tate to sow young men who want to degrade women.

So there you go. Oh, and as an added bonus, you’ll come away from this hating Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk far more than you already do, especially Carlson, who went to the Tates’ compound for a happy happy interview AFTER THEY HAD ALREADY BEEN INDICTED.

So the subjects are vile, but the book, quite good. Recommended.

[Gemma Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant if disturbing read that gives voice to the Tate’s victims and opens an important discussion on masculinity.

[Zana · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Clown World: Four Years Inside Andrew Tate's Manosphere', by Jamie Tahsin and Matt Shea, is a gripping read.
It went from silly to repulsive real quick.

Andrew Tate needs no introduction.
With the help of social media and algorithms, this controversial figure gained fame and a terrifyingly huge following in a very short amount of time.
Being charged with rape, human trafficking and forming an organised crime group to sexually exploit women didn't hurt his follower count.
In fact, the opposite happened; the day he was charged, hundreds of thousands of users decided to follow Tate.

'Clown World' is a book about Andrew Tate, his entourage, and the brave victims who share their stories.

[Mateusz Płocha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Głęboko niepokojący ale wciągający wgląd za kulisy imperium Andrew Tate’a. Szkoda, że reportaż nie jest dłuższy i nie wszystkie obszary zostały wystarczająco zinfiltrowane. Nie mniej - warto.

[Johanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

An investigative exposé that chronicles the authors’ four-year journey infiltrating Andrew Tate’s inner circle, revealing how a failed reality TV star evolved into a prominent influencer accused of serious crimes. The book delves into the mechanisms behind Tate’s rise, examining the exploitation of social media algorithms, the propagation of misogynistic ideologies, and the impact on a generation of young men. 

This is a powerful, anger-inducing read because it exposes the insidious rise of misogyny and exploitation masked as empowerment in the digital age, showing how easily harmful ideologies can almost become embedded in mainstream culture. I also think it a necessary read as it truly helps understand the real-world consequences of online radicalisation and the urgency of confronting it.

Prepare to be angered though!

[Benjamin Stahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't like this as much as I thought it would. Being a genuine, quasi-undercover investigation into this weird fight-club thing Tate has going on, it felt more poisoned by the very people it was seeking to expose. I much preferred Laura Bates' Men Who Hate Women with its more intellectual if not quite as close and personal tacking of the same subject. Here, having to become immersed in this weird and toxic culture of lost twenty-first-century men, it becomes a little too unpleasant. Of course, this was just the point the writers were trying to achieve. But I don't know, man ... I just found it depressing. It really hit home, both how out of touch I am with the new world and its online TikTok influencer stuff, and also what a fucked up world my own two precious boys will sooner or later be exposed to.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back in 2019 I watched a youtube video in which a youtube personality (whose name I unfortunately cannot remember) went over the online course that was offered by an online pick-up-artist, Andrew Tate. I had never heard this name, but I was sure to never forget it. I remember vividly the shock I felt whilst watching. There, in broad daylight, he was advertising a course from which men could learn how to traffic women! It was so audacious that I felt as though it couldn't be real. Because if it was real, surely he couldn't get away with bragging about committing such a heinous crime. Because if he did get away with it, what would it say about our justice system?

And I watched as for years, he gained fame and a terrifyingly huge following. Even now, a charged man who should be shunned like other prominent large-scale sex offenders have been, is consistently backed up by an army of trolls and followers. If the numbers mentioned in this book are true, one could speak of hundreds, if not thousands of victims of trafficking, committed by Andrew Tate and his "students" (cult members). In what seems to be only a (masterful) first glimpse into a deep and dark web of crime the Tate brothers are involved in, I see hope that one day their victims will receive the justice they so very much deserve.

[Becky Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well researched account of the time the authors, two Vice journalists, entered into Andrew Tate's "manosphere", went through his "test", saw into the "war room" and interviewed Tate himself. They also interviewed some of his rape victims.

What this book ends up being is an utterly readable, interesting, fascinating and ultimately pretty scary account of a cult.

What strikes me most after reading it is, aside from how evil Tate, his brother and many people at the top of the "manosphere" are, the whole thing is incredibly cringe. How have these young men following him not realised what a total loser he is? It's all so embarrassing, but they think he's awesome. I just don't get it. But it makes sense why he gets them young as I can't imagine any self-respecting adults thinking his self-aggrandizing behaviour is cool. Then again, Trump got into power so perhaps that's not the case.

What a fabulous book though, and very important. If you know anyone on the edge of falling into the Tate pit, get them to read this book. If they're already in then it's probably too late.

5 stars.

[Francesca Pashby · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm glad this was written, and it's a MAJOR topic, but just UGH.

Andrew Tate is a (presumably charismatic) ARSE. His followers are saps who believe and fund his pyramid scheme to get "women, money, cars etc". It's a nasty, pathetic world and would be simply embarrassing, if he wasn't apparently a guru to a significant number of teenaged boys and young men, who are so lost they actually think his way is the path to "enlightenment" (aka financial, sexual gain) of some kind.

Equally sad are the young women who fall for his patter (or those of his acolytes) and end up being exploited via Webcam work or on Onlyfans accounts. What kind of world have we created, where these horrible lives are apparently viable options?

[Kim Aitchison · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exploration of ‘Tateism’, the ‘Manosphere’ and the misogyny and violence within it. A lot is covered here, from ideology and cults, the trafficking of women, the far right influence, hustle culture and the dangers of social media. Men’s insecurities are reaching dangerous levels and the divide between men and women only grows, it’s really sad.

Andrew and his brother are the results of narcissistic parentage. A perfect storm.

“Radicalisation of young men doesn’t just happen because they ‘like viewing misogynistic content online’ it happens because algorithms are extremely easily manipulated.”

[Kimberley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Predictably maddening, but a really interesting insight into the Tates and the people around them. The writing is digestible and I was genuinely hooked on reading more about Jamie and Matt's experiences in tracking Tate and exposing the very real crimes he is responsible for.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
Despite the subject matter being of interest to me, I found this book to be very dull.
It also felt very drawn out and not well written.
Also it didn't reveal anything that hadn't already been published elsewhere.

[Tom Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very gripping and goes deep. Worth a read even if you've already seen the documentary

[Jordan Milnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sadly, this is probably essential reading/listening at the moment.

[Liam McMahon · Rating 4 out of 5]

#flopG

[Graham Catt · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enlightening investigation into the repugnant Andrew Tate and his brand of toxic masculinity.

[Sierra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew Andrew Tate was a criminal and a bad person, but wow, it goes a lot deeper than I thought. Once I got a quarter of the way in, I couldn't put it down. This is a really insightful look into a genre of person that's influencing a lot of young people both in the US and around the world, and it's terrifying.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Blanca HM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 7.5/10

[Faye · Rating 2 out of 5]

The subject matter and the authors' investigative journalism deserve five stars but as a woman and the mother of three daughters this book was very depressing and difficult to read.

[Lucy Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely interesting and thoroughly depressing, I was hooked from the start of the presentation of this investigation. A large portion of the book was giving voices to Tate’s victims which was very important.

Tate and his crony’s are so unbelievably cringe and I found myself thinking how could anyone honestly fall for this weird cult, but in light of the rise of violence against women and girls, this should be taken very seriously. Big recommend!

[Sam Ashurst · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fast-paced, gripping, and disturbing examination of Andrew Tate’s swift rise and slow fall reads like a higher-stakes version of Jon Ronson’s psycho subculture gonzo investigations.

Examining Tate’s past and present to explore how cycles of abuse expand and perpetuate, you’ll come away with a deeper knowledge of modern exploitation as sex trafficking goes zero hours, with corporate psychopathy going freelance.

Starting silly, the deeper this book goes, the more repulsive it gets. Be prepared for a lot of misogyny, misanthropy, and descriptions of SA / R which, despite being delivered with journalistic integrity, are extremely tough to read.

Clear-eyed and comprehensive, Clown World is a chilling screenshot of our current culture.

[Inga · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the book and the authors' thorough research and dive into the manosphere. It's is honestly disgusting and terrifying, but also, looking from afar, it also looks ridiculous and stupid, how manosphere is.

[M V]

I would prefer these guys go to prison over Trump.

[Jillwilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think it was Anna Funder who said recently that this is a must-read book – or words to that effect. Two Vice magazine journalists, Jamie Tahnsin and Matt Shea, started to research Andrew Tate in 2019 – a short time before he became more famous for his galvanisation of oppressive attitudes about women and amplification of these messages through his ‘War Room’. This strategy enabled him to make a lot of money as well as to attract a lot of acolytes (Tate’s PhD (Pimpin’ Hoes Degree) program).

This book seems to be well researched. The most interesting element to me was the section which focussed on some of the other men associated with Tate – including "Iggy Semmelweiss". One whistleblower, when asked who was really in charge of the group, the whistleblower said: "Iggy is at the top." Iggy had a good understanding of the working of cults as well as of marketing.
I found it hard to read a whole book that records quite a lot of bad behaviour towards women (as well as the unwillingness of British police to press charges in relation to some of these incidents). This is not the fault of the book – which is often a tense read as the two reporters skate a tenuous relationship with Tate in the interests of getting a story. I think I would have liked a bit more context for the rise in misogyny such as is provided in articles like this one from The Conversation - see the next para.

“Men are rapidly falling behind in education engagement and outcomes. Rates of young male economic inactivity have risen considerably over the past two decades. The intimate relations of young men also appear to be in decline. One report suggests rates of sexual activity have dropped by nearly 10% since 2002. Suicide rates have risen significantly in men in particular over the past decade. We’re also facing a loneliness crisis, which is particularly concentrated in young people and men.
The manosphere appeals to its audience because it speaks to the very real lives of young men under the above factors – romantic rejection, alienation, economic failure, loneliness, and a dim vision of the future.The major problem lies in its diagnosis of the cause of male disenfranchisement, which fixates on the impacts of feminism. Here it contrasts the growing challenges faced by men with the increasing social, economic and political success experienced by women. This zero-sum claim posits that female empowerment must necessarily equate to male disempowerment, and is evidenced through simplified and pseudoscientific theories of biology and socioeconomics.” (https://theconversation.com/the-draw-...)

However, I feel better informed having read this book.

[Liviu Szoke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Din cronica apărută pe Biblioteca lui Liviu:

„A trebuit să vină serialul Adolescence ca să aud și eu cuvântul „monsferă” și să încep să caut mai multe despre acest morbid univers al „bărbaților adevărați”, care-și bat femeile și le supun unor umilințe îngrozitoare pentru a-și dovedi lor înșiși că sunt adevărați bărbați. Subtil sau mai puțin subtil, autorii acestui volum, care pătrunde destul de adânc pentru a face un pic de lumină în tenebrele mâloase ale lumii acestor doi frați oribili ce ar trebui să îngrozească lumea, nu s-o fascineze, sugerează că imensa majoritate a bărbaților care au aderat la lumea aceasta a celor doi frați Tate, Andrew și Tristan, a făcut parte dintr-o sectă. Cu tot tacâmul, adică spălare pe creier, idei tâmpite, cum că bărbații ar fi un soi de ființe superioare, iar femeile, „dragoni”, dușmani mult mai slabi și care cer să fie supuse și folosite spre folosul bărbaților, să fie „puse la treabă”, dar nu toți bărbații, nu, doar cei înzestrați cu anumite calități, fizice și psihice, dar mai cu seamă care să adere la ideile lor, idei lansate de-a lungul istoriei de bărbați de aceeași teapă cu ei, insuficient iubiți când erau mici, respinși și marginalizați, probabil, motiv pentru care, ajunși la maturitate, au sfârșit cu grave lipsuri la mansardă și au început să pună în practică ideile lansate de unii și mai bolnavi ca ei.
.
.
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Călătoria n-a fost deloc ușoară, însă a reușit încă o dată să-mi lase un gust amar din mai multe motive: în primul rând ideile nocive pe care frații le inoculează în minților adolescenților ușor influențabili, când aceștia sunt cei mai vulnerabili și, deci, susceptibili să se lase convinși de tâmpeniile debitate de așa-ziși guru de carton; în al doilea rând, faptul că o grămadă de influenceri conspiraționiști și controversați au îmbrățișat aceste idei și, mai rău, din prostie sau din dorința de-a obține și ei un plus de notorietate, au aderat la ele și le-au promovat mai departe, și, nu în ultimul rând, nonșalanța cu care Andrew Tate afirmă în repetate rânduri că și-a stabilit cartierul general în România pentru ușurința cu care această țară se lasă cumpărată pe bani puțini și că tocmai corupția de aici i-a înlesnit enorm misiunea de guru al perverșilor și traficanților de persoane. Trist, foarte trist!

„- Având în vedere că e condusă de un tip care pretinde că e vrăjitor, a intervenit Matt, și de altul care pretinde că e un personaj din Matrix, ți-ai zis vreodată: „Hmm, toate astea sunt un pic ciudate”?

– Vrei să știi ceva? Când ești înăuntru, nu vezi nebunia, corect? Vezi ciudățenia doar după ce ieși.”

Mai multe: https://t.ly/Y4vAj

[Ioanna Danai · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me sad, but above all furious. Furious about all the shit going in this world.

I knew most of the stuff that was reported in here, like the famous tweet from Greta Thunberg that got Tate finally arrested but there was also this huge rabbit hole that i didn't know because no one talked about it and that was what me scared, sad and furious. Furious at those monsters because that's what they are and the government that let so many people down when it came to justice and this isn't the first time....

A great book honestly! Of course this is just the tip of the iceberg in this whole manospere and there is so so much more and even thinking about why the fuck do they think all this bullshit, this nonsense, it's driving me crazy...

Having also watched the Netflix show "Adolescence" right before I finished this book, it hit even harder knowing even more of all this "inside" information. It showed another reality and the influence of this poison in our generation and it made me cry (seriously watch the show too, it's not for the light heart, very heavy but very good!) And you know what's the saddest thing..? I see this too in my reality, the misogyny, the racism, the hostility against queer people... and it's sad... I'm disappointed...

I'm glad there are people out there fighting against all those things, I too try my best however I can but like the book said, we are going against giants of social media which sometimes is overwhelming... but i do believe we can change that.. it may take a lot of time, a lot of nerves too... but I want to have hope of a better change. Like the book, informing people of the dangers and what's actually going on its what we should do. The power of information is the strongest and we should put it to good use

[Ula Tardigrade · Rating 5 out of 5]

I guess it has been hard to avoid hearing about Andrew Tate in the last few years, even if you - like me - are as far from his target audience as possible. But I didn't know much except for some news about his outrageous statements and the criminal charges he's facing, so a book about him piqued my interest. And it was so worth it!

It is a fine work of investigative journalism, written by a very brave and somewhat reckless pair of reporters. They are excellent storytellers - what begins as a rather amusing trip to Romania, culminating in a cage with an MMA fighter, soon takes a darker turn. The authors follow their story no matter what, and discover that a controversial influencer is a cruel criminal. They resist the temptation to be impressed by him, focusing instead on compassion and empathy for his victims.

And they also expose a larger problem - how it is possible for a person like Tate to gain such influence. The answer points to social media algorithms and the lack of scruples of their creators.

Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys gripping nonfiction.

Thanks to the publisher, Quercus (Hachette Book Group), and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

[Ami · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Tate's message is potent because it taps into the young male appetite for rebellion, conquest, self-improvement and brotherhood which, whether biological or conditioned, seems to exist in spades. Imagine if these concepts could be channelled differently: rebellion that fights against systems of oppression instead of creating them; conquest that adds value to the world; self-improvement that doesn't eschew intellectual pursuits like studying; and a brotherhood that stands up for all people. Maybe then we would have something that looked like positive masculinity.”

A behind-the-curtain look at the world of the notorious Tate brothers — every bit as misogynistic, damaging, dangerous, pathetic, and insecure as you’d imagine (if not more so). The writing, however, was a little slow and unnecessarily rambling, and it would have given a much fuller overview of the Tates if the authors had actually spent some time exploring his background, childhood, younger years etc..

[Simon B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well-researched deep-dive into Andrew Tate's ultraviolent, misogynist cult from two journalists who started investigating his grift before he became so hugely famous. It's equally painful and bewildering to me that such unlikable, shallow & menacing people have proved such powerfully successful manipulators. But Tate's appeal to young men is real and is incredibly worrying. This book explains how Tate rapidly built his noxious online celebrity, made his money from the sexual exploitation of woman and convinced so many men to want to be just like him. Aside from a few journalistic cliches Clown World is a bit light on analysis of the wider social circumstances that is engendering monstrosities like Tate. For that I'd recommend Laura Bates' essential Men Who Hate Women.

[Jeni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clown World was a mix of true crime and sociological study. Tahsin and Shea sign up to do a "training" at Andrew Tate's compound in order to try to understand his popularity/internet fame. While I had some familiarity with Andrew Tate, I only had the vaguest knowledge that he was a bit of a jerk and shock influencer, but didn't have a handle on the entire story behind him. This opened my eyes completely! My understanding of him as a shock influencer was completely off, as his followers take him very seriously and learning more about his crimes made it clear that he was not saying anything to be shocking - he truly believes the things he says. This is a must read for anyone trying to understand toxic masculinity and the radicalization of young men.