Tiger King: The Official Tell-All Memoir

by Joe Exotic

Joe Exotic, star of the Netflix original documentary that “consumed the pop-cultural imagination” (The Atlantic) and united a nation in the midst of a global crisis, opens up about his outlandish journey from Midwestern farmer to infamous Tiger King, and finally, to federal inmate.

Seemingly overnight, the 2020 global pandemic forever changed the world as we knew it and forced millions to adjust to a new normal of isolation and working from home. But one thing—one man—managed to unite us all: Joe Exotic, the Tiger King.

More than just a true crime documentary, Netflix’s Tiger King provided an exclusive glimpse into the bizarre, cult-like world of big cat enthusiasts. By focusing on Joseph Maldonado-Passage, a proud polygamist and self-proclaimed “gun-toting, gay redneck with a mullet,” it gave us an unexpected anti-hero whose insatiable appetite for fame and his paranoid obsession with rival Carole Baskin ultimately led to his shocking downfall.

Now, in this no-holds-barred memoir, Joe pulls back the curtain on the man behind the headlines. From a tragic childhood riddled with abuse to his dangerous feuds with big cat rivals and beyond, nothing is off the table. This is the exclusive and definitive read for anyone who binged the “riveting” (Vanity Fair) documentary and finished it hungry for more. A memoir unlike any other, it proves that they can cage the Tiger King, but they can’t silence his roar.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, Animals, Audiobook, True Crime, Autobiography

272 pages, Hardcover

Published November 23, 2021

Reviews

[Gerhard · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are ways to write a batshit crazy bio. 'Spare' by Prince Harry was too calculated and not unhinged enough. Joe Exotic's unmediated personality turns this sorry excuse of a mea culpa into something even more compellingly lurid, ugly, and tragic than the Netflix docu series. Joe's mind and world are not pleasant places to spend time in, especially the cohort of nefarious weirdos surrounding him. But this is surprisingly readable and insightful, though there are glaring plot holes and enough weirdness to make even Carl Hiaasen blush.

'You know, looking back, I have lived the life of four or five people. Hell, I got to grow up in the mountains, work in a nursing home at fifteen years old, become an EMT at seventeen years old, a police chief at nineteen, own a pet store, manage a gay nightclub, build a zoo, be married to Brian for sixteen years, travel the United States doing magic, fall in love and marry Travis, make it through both of them passing away, meet and marry Dillon, walk among up to twenty tigers at a time, become best friends with a chimpanzee, run for president, run for Oklahoma governor, grant wishes for all kinds of terminally ill people of all ages, and all the small stuff in between. All of that so I could say I’ve done enough.'

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a memoir that is as OTT as Joe himself is. I don't think that it's necessarily an accurate representation of his life, but I'd almost be disappointed if it was - the Tiger King is about entertainment, first and foremost.

Some wonderful humour and turns of phrase abound:

“You are a disgrace to the Schriebvogel name”

"I had a strong belief that I could get a tiger and a lion to mate successfully. Many people had tried to breed them but it never worked, because they killed each other."

"(Carole) must drink bong water for breakfast and probably made beef jerky out of Don Lewis for lunch."

And while this should be read for entertainment, I still found some gaps in both seasons of the show filled and - deep down - a poignancy that added a tiny feeling of the man beyond the tv series.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOL - had too.... sitting on the Sizzlers shelf at my Library.

[Auntie Raye-Raye · Rating 3 out of 5]

I took everything Joe Exotic wrote about with a grain of salt.

He takes no responsibility for anything. It's not his fault... It's Jeff Lowe's, Carole Baskin's, James Garretson's or just some conspiracy plot against him.

He comes off as a hateful bitter man. I think he only had nice words for John Reinke. He pretty much hated all his workers, family members, and most of his exes.

He's full of misogyny, fatphobia, and slut shaming.

A lot of info learned from the Netflix show is left out AND he both claims to have seen it and not seen it.

Since I listened to the audiobook, I feel they should of gotten a man with a Southern accent to narrarate.

I'm glad my online library had this. I would've been mad if I had bought instead of borrowed.

[SueCanaan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love documentaries. Like many of us in lockdown, I devoured the Tiger King doc and all the additional spin-off docs and the Joe and Carol movie. I cannot recommend this book.

Joe pens a “memoir” where everyone but him is responsible, guilty, evil, fat, a slut, ugly…..you get the point. 6 hours of this audiobook and my head hurt. Joe, according to Joe, is but a victim and all of this was the government and enemies setting him up. So glad it was a Libby listen and no money was wasted.

Oh and the narrator was a poor choice. Good narrator, but all of us know what Joe sounds like and a southern reader was needed.

[Rachel West · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is quite possibly the worst book I have ever read.

I have no doubt Joe Exotic wrote this book himself. While he paints himself as a tragic victim (and yes, some of his life has been truly sad) the amount of name calling and misogyny in this book is unreal. I have no doubt he likes animals, but there seems to be little acceptance of responsibility for his actions that have gotten him to this place. There are many details that have been excluded in Joe’s narrative.

This book is written in the style of your rambling old uncle at the dinner table who can’t tell that everyone wants him to stop talking.

[Marah · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have watched tiger king; it is written exactly like Joe talks, interesting tho sad. He lived a sad, but perhaps rewarding (due to the animals) life for much of his life.
I do not believe he should be in prison while the others are walking free

Forever team Joe Exotic.

[SA Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly the most entertaining book I've ever read! I took everything with a grain of salt, we all know how much he embellishes. There are so many ridiculous one-liners and ridiculous comments.

I highly recommend this book just for the entertainment value.

[Madeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love his story, whether it’s on Netflix or in a book. I am Mesmerized.

[Philip Rudy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book goes hard right off the bat, is hilarious at times, is quite heartbreaking at times, and ultimately is a page turner that is hard to put down. It's also extremely well written, even when the conversational tone is present.

[Mallory (onmalsshelf) Bartel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don’t know why I thought this would be good. He’s crazy.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book apparently WAS written by Joe Exotic himself, first by hand and later by”one email at a time” from prison. Oh my. I don’t even know where to start. The first half was great. It details his beginnings and how the zoo came to be, as well as his complicated relationship between animal protection and exploitation. The second half was riddled with conspiracy theories which—who knows?!—could actually be true. It is liberally sprinkled with delightful observations, salacious descriptions of the rowdy characters Joe surrounded himself with and felt victimized by, and descriptions of his foes (and some of his friends) that are ROTF-level funny. I almost feel like being made fun of by him is a badge of honor. You can’t even be mad after being described as a washcloth that someone used for a month or so and left out to mold.

The difficulty in believing Joe’s account is that there are many times where his version of the truth is exceedingly complicated and self-serving. On the other side, he highlights MANY things that he admits to that paint him in a very unflattering light. I was sad about what happened to his parents and the animals he took in. I don’t think he (and definitely don’t think Carole Baskin) should be running zoos or sanctuaries, but I’m also not convinced that he deserved all the charges he was ultimately found guilty of.

This book was a quick read, and entertaining as hell. A nice companion piece to see who Joe was before he became the Tiger King.

[WGRLS · Rating 3 out of 5]

Staff Review:
For any fans of the documentary Tiger King, this offers an interesting insight into how Joe views himself and his situation. The book recounts various points in Joe's life and some commentary about what happened to him during and after the documentary. Joe is an unreliable narrator on multiple accounts based on what viewers experience of him in the two seasons of Tiger King. Overall, this book is worth the read if you are invested in the craziness of Joe Exotic.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rate this with four stars cause Joe had me laughing through out the book. I’m not sure how much is true but this is his side of the story. Let him tell it. I have to give him the benefit of the doubt. There are two sides to every story and this is him tell his. Let him.
Jeff has his side. Alan has his side. Carol has hers. Let them tell their own stories.
I enjoyed the book. It was entertaining, truth or not. Enjoy it if you read it, don’t enjoy it. Whatever. Give it five stars, give it one star. I gave it four cause it was a fun read. Thanks, Joe!

Also. Some of the one liners this guy has had me dog-earring the pages of the book. LOL. He’s got a way with words.

[Maddie Constein · Rating 4 out of 5]

By god, what a thrilling read. Chef's kiss, this deserves to be the next wonder of the world.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Netflix documentary had me in a chokehold during quarantine. Like every meme, every article, every bit of alleged evidence that Carole fed her husband to the tigers, I was all over it. And when they dropped "season 2" as a follow-up, I ate that shit up too. And was appalled there was no actual updates in the case after everyone admitted to lying and conspiring to set Joe up...

Make no mistake, I'm not Team #FreeJoeExotic by any means, I think he was guilty of *some* of the charges put against him while others were definitely bogus and as season 2 exposed, set up to make him look bad/worse. So given that, I had to hear Joe's side of the story. This memoir was penned via email from prison and he'd started writing it prior to the release of the Netflix show...and then finished it afterward when everything changed.

I don't think Joe is a bad guy, I think he's just been dealt a lot of heavy hands and had no one there to get him the mental help he needed, he was a dog with no leash and I think some of his harmless rants were exploded into an out of control spiral with manipulative people who were smarter and had the money and means to exploit him. So while I don't think Joe is perfect or 100% innocent it was interesting to hear his perspective of it all. He does claim to not have seen the show but does reference the pieces he was there to film and be part of and the parts people have written in on. There were some surprises like his anti-drug stance despite surrounding himself with drug addicts and alcoholics, and that he was running a bar/restaurant after he sold his zoo, and how he was helping raise his "niece". Fascinating.

So this was what you'd expect in the end. It wasn't long and a fairly easy read through that did make me intrigued and considering rewatching the documentary.

[Reneta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit it…I was one of he millions who watched Netflix’s Tiger King. I also admit it was a different view that what he and the GW Sanctuary had for those of us who live in counties in close proximity of the place. He was known by many in the area as a goofy, extroverted, and theatrical guy who loved animals, who was friendly, and who let you pet baby tigers. The Netflix film showed a lot that was hard to ignore and had some credibility. But there is usually more than one way to tell a story. I think, after reading the man’s tell-all memoir, that there actually may be 3 sides to this story…at least in my mind.
The sides being: (1) an interesting place to see beautiful and loved tigers and cubs as well as meet the super-quirky mullet guy we know as Joe Exotic…and maybe get a picture with him and/or a tiger cub; (2) a half-ass managed zoo with homeless folks who delighted in eating expired meat from Walmart, who were out to scam people out of money, and who deliberately took steps in a murder for hire scheme; and now, from this book (3) a quite narcissistic individual who, though he had a sad childhood, a rough adolescence and a warped sense of love - he rescued animals, built several businesses, and was a good entertainer. Unfortunately, he was also a terrible money manager, very gullible, and possesses a true hatred for some people. It is difficult to combine the “naive nature” Joe has with people and yet also has such hatred in his heart that clouds his judgment. So many people took advantage of Joe, yet his narcissism was overwhelming in this memoir.
This book is worth a read, even if it is to just see how Joe, the Tiger King… how he thinks. Surprisingly (maybe not because he is in prison) he has not seen the film about him. And surprisingly, he wrote this memoir in 30 minute increments (prison allowance) - a daunting task. And it’s surprising that he states it was others who gave him the titles he is known by - and are in the title of this memoir.
I won this in a Goodreads giveaway…I was intrigued, and am still intrigued.

[Court · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll be completely honest here and begin with acknowledging that I was completely OBSESSED with Tiger King when it premiered on Netflix. I was deep in the throws of agoraphobia at the beginning of the pandemic and this show was exactly what I needed at the time. So of course I HAD to read Joe Exotic's memoir when it was released!

Obviously we need to take this entire book with a grain of salt, however, it was an interesting juxtaposition to how Exotic was portrayed in the show. I think the saddest part was the realization of how completely broken this man is, and how he tried to fix himself by being the "saviour" for other equally troubled humans and animals.

In the end I am still left with more question than answers.

Do you think he's guilty?

[Cynthia Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmmm. so Joe Exotic is clearly not a rational person, but a few of the points he makes during his book rant make a little bit of sense, just a little. Overall this was a fun read with Joe saying he's never even gotten a speeding ticket, so why would he commit a crime, just a few pages after saying he would get a hotel room and use meth every now and then. I need to rewatch Tiger King.

[Emily Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Way less dramatic than the show. Hope there's another book soon.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really good!

[Shaylen · Rating 3 out of 5]

You already know I ate this up.
All I’m going to say is that the conditions leading to Joe’s arrest ARE a little fishy. And yes, Carole Baskin killed her husband, wacked him. This was so entertaining *chefs kiss*.

"(Carole) must drink bong water for breakfast and probably made beef jerky out of Don Lewis for lunch."

[Kristen Loftin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an insane and entertaining ride. While I don’t believe everything Joe says is an accurate depiction of what happened, there’s some tidbits of truth in there. A worthwhile read for those invested in the craziness that is Tiger King.

[Chloe Reads Books]

I'm not going to rate this, but I will say it brightened my day, and I kind of want to re-watch Tiger King now!

[Kelsey Howes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh my word this was actually painful to read. 🤣
I did read it entirely in his voice though, which is why I was able to give it 2 stars. It was funny, but honestly just too much.

[Abby Moyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only read if you really enjoyed the Tiger King tv show- it’s basically an in depth recap of the show (why joe is innocent, what really happened versus what the camera showed, his marriages/divorces, etc.) 75% of the book I found entertaining/interesting, the other 25% was meh.

[Joshua Welch · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s been awhile since I watched Tiger King. Reading the book in Joes own words was…almost as much of an adventure. But you know what, he does a great job telling the story and really does make you wonder if he was set up and if so…why?

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was BONKERS.

It was also hysterical and stupid.

Do I believe every word of it? Of course not. Am I glad I read it, if only for the laughs? Yup.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was a TRIP lmao

[Tori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it.