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Puff Piece
Wild, hilarious and thought-provoking, Puff Piece is a probing look into Big Tobacco and the vaping industry, and how words can be literally a matter of life and death.
The folks that bring you Marlboro--Philip Morris--are wheezing, slowly dying. Cigarettes are out of favour with everyone, from world governments and investors to, increasingly, smokers. So, what’s their plan? Prepare to be dazzled--or, at the very least, befuddled.
Philip Morris has announced they will shut down as a cigarette company, and relaunch as a health enterprise, dedicated to convincing the one billion smokers of the world to quit. The ever-curious John Safran leaves his apartment to find out what on God’s green earth is going on. As he starts digging away, he discovers a company up to brand-new shenanigans, wangling their way into unexpected places, desperately trying to keep their tobacco business alive by brandishing a mysterious new doohickey called an IQOS.
And not only that, they’re upending language itself, changing the meaning of words. Will they slip past bans by convincing governments they don’t sell ‘cigarettes’ but rather ‘HeatSticks’, and that these don’t emit ‘smoke’ but ‘aerosol’? Can Safran get the real story out of them without his life catching fire?
The folks that bring you Marlboro--Philip Morris--are wheezing, slowly dying. Cigarettes are out of favour with everyone, from world governments and investors to, increasingly, smokers. So, what’s their plan? Prepare to be dazzled--or, at the very least, befuddled.
Philip Morris has announced they will shut down as a cigarette company, and relaunch as a health enterprise, dedicated to convincing the one billion smokers of the world to quit. The ever-curious John Safran leaves his apartment to find out what on God’s green earth is going on. As he starts digging away, he discovers a company up to brand-new shenanigans, wangling their way into unexpected places, desperately trying to keep their tobacco business alive by brandishing a mysterious new doohickey called an IQOS.
And not only that, they’re upending language itself, changing the meaning of words. Will they slip past bans by convincing governments they don’t sell ‘cigarettes’ but rather ‘HeatSticks’, and that these don’t emit ‘smoke’ but ‘aerosol’? Can Safran get the real story out of them without his life catching fire?
384 pages, Paperback
Published August 31, 2021
62 people are currently reading
617 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews
September 28, 2021
Safran is at his chaotic best here. I listened to this on audio on walks and read the printed book at home. Safran narrates the audio brilliantly. I clearly had not spent enough time thinking about Philip Morris and vaping until now. Safran is self-deprecating, funny and truly knows no fear (I hope he infiltrates the right wing anti-vax movement trying to undermine unions or the wellness industry next). I loved many things about this book but what I loved most is its portrait of the writer obsessed about something that nobody else seems obsessed with. We all know that feeling and Safran captures it beautifully. Philip Morris is a slippery corporation and its antics and use of language to suit its ends are clever, cynical and deeply troubling. This is one of those books where you might come for the laughs but you will leave knowing a lot more about something messed up happening right under your nose.
September 6, 2021
His best work since he did that nudie run in Jerusalem.
November 7, 2021
Safran tackles the ethical ramifications, big and small, of multinational companies manipulating language to shimmy through legislative loopholes. It’s funny, insightful, informative, ingenious – everything we’ve come to expect from Safran. I thoroughly enjoyed this fascinating lifting-of-the-veil, and my crush on Safran is as strong as ever.
My full review of Puff Piece is up now on Keeping Up With The Penguins.
My full review of Puff Piece is up now on Keeping Up With The Penguins.
September 3, 2021
Safran lampoons again, and I love it. Fuck Philip Morris. Fuck Cancer.
September 29, 2021
I started raving to people about this book when I was about 20 pages in. It is engaging, funny, impeccably researched and somewhat of an investigative masterpiece. Buy the paper copy to lend to people, and listen to it on Audible for that extra Safran magic. One of my favourite reads this year. 5/5 smoke puffs.
October 2, 2021
This was a fabulous read. I have been looking forward to this for months and am so glad I got my grubby hands on it. I am disappointed COVID hit and John wasn't able to go on a junket to Marlboro HQ. Am I giving this book 5 stars in the hope John features me on his Instagram feed, or is it actually worth the excellent review? You'll never know!
January 17, 2023
Damn John Safran is funny! This is both a really enthralling - and hilarious - investigation into the murky dealings of a cigarette company. Safran is great at keeping the reader abreast of his every thought & moment of confusion throughout. He is vulnerable in his missteps and vanity which make you laugh out loud! I couldn’t think of a better book to cover a topic I was so interested in finding out more about - what is vaping and how much “better” is it than smoking?
December 20, 2021
When I started reading this I was pretty hard on John's writing style - I wanted something more succinct, perfect, factual.
However, his writing really grew on me. It felt like I was part of his journey in seeking out the 'truth' - the sifting through the smoke and mirrors, asking opinions of religious figures in his life, breaking down the language and being inside the world of tobacco & vaping.
A great book, a thought provoking read that is lighthearted but also very scary. Phillip Morris never loses
However, his writing really grew on me. It felt like I was part of his journey in seeking out the 'truth' - the sifting through the smoke and mirrors, asking opinions of religious figures in his life, breaking down the language and being inside the world of tobacco & vaping.
A great book, a thought provoking read that is lighthearted but also very scary. Phillip Morris never loses
March 14, 2022
DECEPTION, MANIPULATION & MISDIRECTION
If you nailed a shot every time a reference to Judaism was mentioned in here, you would be hammered within the first few chapters. And yet this is not (intentionally) a book about the Jewish faith and yet it struggles to get away from it. Safran poses some highly compelling questions in this darkly irreverent book, not least, when is a cigarette not a cigarette, when is smoke not smoke and of course when is tar not tar?...
There is much to be learned within these pages, for example did you know that the most trafficked drug within the Australian prison system is tobacco and apparently one pouch can sell for up to $1300 inside prison?...IQOS contains tobacco a vape does not. And what about some of the hilarious names/euphemisms and lies some overpriced goons have dreamt up?...Like NFDPM (Nicotine Free Dry Particulate Matter). Honestly what sort of wankers come up with the BS?...It’s what many non-liars would refer to as tar.
The primary focus of the book is IQOS (I Quit Ordinary Smoking). Having never heard of this clunky mess before I had to consult the internet, and of course it’s the sort of BS rhetoric and spin in which politicians and corporations specialise in. It is phenomenal to see the level of time, money and effort constantly being put into disguising what these dangerous products really are. The painstaking levels of semantic gymnastics, media manipulation and corporate avarice is as depressing as it is inventive.
“There are more than 58 harmful and potentially harmful constituents found in cigarette smoke and HeatStick aerosol. The FDA lists dozens more. Philip Morris cherry picked the ones that showed up lower in the HeatStick and ignored the ones that showed up higher.”
Some at the US FDA picked up on this chicanery and so went onto examine 57 other ingredients, digging into Philip Morris’s own data and in all cases these harmful and potentially harmful constituents showed up as a higher rate in their HeatStick. One of these, Phenylacetaldehyde, considered a hazardous substance by the US Dept of Labour Occupational Safety and Health Administration. This shows up in their HeatStick at a rate 167% higher than in a cigarette.
The lengths that Philip Morris have gone to rebrand not only their image, but manipulate the English language is quite incredible, and they have bought, tamed and captured many people and entities along the way too, as well as countless awful politicians and lobbyists they duped the likes of the NHS, Vice and various anti-smoking movements around the globe.
Safran shows some of the lengths and of course financial incentives they have to provide for middle men, agents, lobbyists and other morally dubious people to manipulate, deceive and gain influence in as many areas as possible. Thriving on ambiguity and feasting in the shadows.
Some of the best parts of this come about with the random tangents he goes off on, like the one where he ends up on the subject of his Jewish grandfather being given a possible life saving operation by the Nazis in the 1930s and then he ended up dying of emphysema, which leads him to conclude, “Saved by the Nazis, killed by Philip Morris.”
So overall this is a delightfully scathing insight, and probably his best book yet. Safran rambles, often to the point of being outright shambolic and yet this remains eloquent, entertaining and engaging throughout, as he challenges the ludicrous, scheming and darkly manipulative entity that is Big Tobacco.
If you nailed a shot every time a reference to Judaism was mentioned in here, you would be hammered within the first few chapters. And yet this is not (intentionally) a book about the Jewish faith and yet it struggles to get away from it. Safran poses some highly compelling questions in this darkly irreverent book, not least, when is a cigarette not a cigarette, when is smoke not smoke and of course when is tar not tar?...
There is much to be learned within these pages, for example did you know that the most trafficked drug within the Australian prison system is tobacco and apparently one pouch can sell for up to $1300 inside prison?...IQOS contains tobacco a vape does not. And what about some of the hilarious names/euphemisms and lies some overpriced goons have dreamt up?...Like NFDPM (Nicotine Free Dry Particulate Matter). Honestly what sort of wankers come up with the BS?...It’s what many non-liars would refer to as tar.
The primary focus of the book is IQOS (I Quit Ordinary Smoking). Having never heard of this clunky mess before I had to consult the internet, and of course it’s the sort of BS rhetoric and spin in which politicians and corporations specialise in. It is phenomenal to see the level of time, money and effort constantly being put into disguising what these dangerous products really are. The painstaking levels of semantic gymnastics, media manipulation and corporate avarice is as depressing as it is inventive.
“There are more than 58 harmful and potentially harmful constituents found in cigarette smoke and HeatStick aerosol. The FDA lists dozens more. Philip Morris cherry picked the ones that showed up lower in the HeatStick and ignored the ones that showed up higher.”
Some at the US FDA picked up on this chicanery and so went onto examine 57 other ingredients, digging into Philip Morris’s own data and in all cases these harmful and potentially harmful constituents showed up as a higher rate in their HeatStick. One of these, Phenylacetaldehyde, considered a hazardous substance by the US Dept of Labour Occupational Safety and Health Administration. This shows up in their HeatStick at a rate 167% higher than in a cigarette.
The lengths that Philip Morris have gone to rebrand not only their image, but manipulate the English language is quite incredible, and they have bought, tamed and captured many people and entities along the way too, as well as countless awful politicians and lobbyists they duped the likes of the NHS, Vice and various anti-smoking movements around the globe.
Safran shows some of the lengths and of course financial incentives they have to provide for middle men, agents, lobbyists and other morally dubious people to manipulate, deceive and gain influence in as many areas as possible. Thriving on ambiguity and feasting in the shadows.
Some of the best parts of this come about with the random tangents he goes off on, like the one where he ends up on the subject of his Jewish grandfather being given a possible life saving operation by the Nazis in the 1930s and then he ended up dying of emphysema, which leads him to conclude, “Saved by the Nazis, killed by Philip Morris.”
So overall this is a delightfully scathing insight, and probably his best book yet. Safran rambles, often to the point of being outright shambolic and yet this remains eloquent, entertaining and engaging throughout, as he challenges the ludicrous, scheming and darkly manipulative entity that is Big Tobacco.
October 23, 2021
If you have followed John from his Music Jamboree days until now, you will probably already have this in your to-be -read pile. As a non smoker myself I thought I wouldn't be very intrigued by this new crusade to take down big tobacco. But somehow John's rather feeble and petty arguments in the face of this stupidly rich and powerful company had such a David and Goliath quality to it that I couldn't help myself cheering for the lisping under dog as he searches scrabble dictionaries for definitions of smoke, travels to NZ on a Vape junket and gets dictated to by an ageing father Bob.
John's efforts are often side lined by COVID restrictions in Melbourne VIC and reading this in late 2021, it's a bit of a chronicle of life under lockdown. I felt particularly invested having been through the same frustrations and challenges that being under mandatory house arrest for 200 days can cause . When he reaches for the gin, I felt myself do the same. Some might find this too soon to read, others might be curious of what I can only assume will be the first of a generation of Covid written stories.
One downside to this book is that John is at his best when he's going full gonzo - when he's eating with neo Nazis or buying Amazon gift cards for death row inmates in Mississippi. And lockdown has him on a leash. John does a lot of navel gazing in this book and there are some irreverent but also intimate moments where he reflects on his past adventures and the friends and foes he's made along the way - in particular the bedside chats with Father Bob and his never ending Scrabble war with Jeremy Weinstein.
As for the revelations that a book like this reveals...I don't think you're going to be blown away by John's discoveries or have your opinion of Phillip Morris changed by the end, but if you want some facts to chat about on your smoke break or your friends smoke break this might be the book for you.
I must mention that while I have the print copy, I actually listened to this through Borrow Box as an audio book. And John reads it! So if you've been yearning for another season of John's radio or TV show then this is Essential listening.
John's efforts are often side lined by COVID restrictions in Melbourne VIC and reading this in late 2021, it's a bit of a chronicle of life under lockdown. I felt particularly invested having been through the same frustrations and challenges that being under mandatory house arrest for 200 days can cause . When he reaches for the gin, I felt myself do the same. Some might find this too soon to read, others might be curious of what I can only assume will be the first of a generation of Covid written stories.
One downside to this book is that John is at his best when he's going full gonzo - when he's eating with neo Nazis or buying Amazon gift cards for death row inmates in Mississippi. And lockdown has him on a leash. John does a lot of navel gazing in this book and there are some irreverent but also intimate moments where he reflects on his past adventures and the friends and foes he's made along the way - in particular the bedside chats with Father Bob and his never ending Scrabble war with Jeremy Weinstein.
As for the revelations that a book like this reveals...I don't think you're going to be blown away by John's discoveries or have your opinion of Phillip Morris changed by the end, but if you want some facts to chat about on your smoke break or your friends smoke break this might be the book for you.
I must mention that while I have the print copy, I actually listened to this through Borrow Box as an audio book. And John reads it! So if you've been yearning for another season of John's radio or TV show then this is Essential listening.
October 13, 2021
Interesting back story of the corporate underbelly of the vaping craze. Full disclosure tho, I could listen to John Safran’s mundane ramblings forever. The book is equal parts about him and his methods of investigation as it is about Philip Morris. I got more out of the journey than I did the destination. Surely we’re all aware that Big Tobacco are jerks, just maybe not all the details why.
October 28, 2021
I bloody love this book.
It's my fave read of 2021 and I'm saying that and it's nearly November.
It is going to be the book I gift and the book I recommend people read.
I bought a paperback version but then, being the John Safran fan girl that I am, bought the Audible version too.
The Audible version is HIGHLY recommended for the full John Safran experience.
It's my fave read of 2021 and I'm saying that and it's nearly November.
It is going to be the book I gift and the book I recommend people read.
I bought a paperback version but then, being the John Safran fan girl that I am, bought the Audible version too.
The Audible version is HIGHLY recommended for the full John Safran experience.
September 10, 2022
Never has your enjoyment of a book depended more on whether you liked the author or not. I'll confess to getting my Johnny Safran's mixed up a little bit. I thought this was by Johnathan Safran Foer and it's quite the crime that I've lived in Australia for well over a decade and I didn't know this Aussie John Safran.
Puff Piece is an apt name for this book, It's light and whimsical despite its deadly serious topic (excuse the pun). The fact is, as Safran consistently reminds us, Philip Morris kills around 8 million people a year through smoking. They also make billions of dollars of profit every quarter. They are true merchants of death. So when Phillip Morris announces that they're no longer a tobacco company but a tech start-up building a smoke free future John Safran had to know how the hell they're getting away with it. Cue comedic journey of discovery into just how slippery and skilled Philip Morris is at managing governments and world health organisations to keep their millions of addicted customers "smoking" the good stuff.
Phillip Morris has invented (cue the tech start-up claims) a device called an IQOS. What this does is heat a HeatStick TM to just below the point of combustion and then distributes the resulting vapour to your respiratory tract. Sound a little bit like smoking to you? Ah well it's not because the cigarette, sorry I mean HeatStick TM, never combusts so there's no smoke and Phillip Morris are leading us to a bold new Smoke Free Future!
Safran understandably tears them to shreds. In the process he also muses on the morality of working for Philip Morris, the morality of taking any free trips or dinners from them during his investigation, and the morality of his friendship with the vaping community who are at odds with Philip Morris, even though Philip Morris has their greedy tentacles in quite a few vaping businesses. In fact when Safran starts digging, Philip Morris have their greedy little fingers in nearly every single pie. Which won't surprise you in the least. Fans of Safran will be pleased to see his regular companion Father Bob making several appearances for spiritual guidance and general banter. Safran's Jewish heritage and humour are also in full affect. I suspect there will be some who find the constant Semitic dialogue distracting or tiresome but it's Safran's shtick and it grew on me throughout.
I believe the audiobook is read by Safran and I'm sure that he'd do a great job of that. This is such an easy read and despite its topic material its a lot of fun.
Puff Piece is an apt name for this book, It's light and whimsical despite its deadly serious topic (excuse the pun). The fact is, as Safran consistently reminds us, Philip Morris kills around 8 million people a year through smoking. They also make billions of dollars of profit every quarter. They are true merchants of death. So when Phillip Morris announces that they're no longer a tobacco company but a tech start-up building a smoke free future John Safran had to know how the hell they're getting away with it. Cue comedic journey of discovery into just how slippery and skilled Philip Morris is at managing governments and world health organisations to keep their millions of addicted customers "smoking" the good stuff.
Phillip Morris has invented (cue the tech start-up claims) a device called an IQOS. What this does is heat a HeatStick TM to just below the point of combustion and then distributes the resulting vapour to your respiratory tract. Sound a little bit like smoking to you? Ah well it's not because the cigarette, sorry I mean HeatStick TM, never combusts so there's no smoke and Phillip Morris are leading us to a bold new Smoke Free Future!
Safran understandably tears them to shreds. In the process he also muses on the morality of working for Philip Morris, the morality of taking any free trips or dinners from them during his investigation, and the morality of his friendship with the vaping community who are at odds with Philip Morris, even though Philip Morris has their greedy tentacles in quite a few vaping businesses. In fact when Safran starts digging, Philip Morris have their greedy little fingers in nearly every single pie. Which won't surprise you in the least. Fans of Safran will be pleased to see his regular companion Father Bob making several appearances for spiritual guidance and general banter. Safran's Jewish heritage and humour are also in full affect. I suspect there will be some who find the constant Semitic dialogue distracting or tiresome but it's Safran's shtick and it grew on me throughout.
I believe the audiobook is read by Safran and I'm sure that he'd do a great job of that. This is such an easy read and despite its topic material its a lot of fun.
Read
November 3, 2021Depressing, but also very funny.
A perfect book to listen to in my opinion. The stories are really short and varied, so you can listen to small sections without getting lost.
I've gotta check out more of Safran's stuff.
A perfect book to listen to in my opinion. The stories are really short and varied, so you can listen to small sections without getting lost.
I've gotta check out more of Safran's stuff.
September 30, 2021
John Safran can do no wrong. Hilarious and impeccably researched, Puff Piece poses an insightful critique not only of Philip Morris and the tobacco industry, but also the ways in which so much of our worlds hinge on language usage - and the ways in which manipulation of those words and beliefs vary wildly between generations and cultures. Safran's characteristic sarcastic bemusement is on full display, and the familiarity is comforting. I'd absolutely hit up his Pufferware Party.
October 17, 2021
Full disclosure - I've listened to John for literally hundreds of hours of podcasts back in the day. And I've loved his previous books, seen him live at the Hobart Spiegeltent and just dig his groove. I like how this book (which is a great piece of investigative journalism in its own right) is like hanging out with John over the course of two years and following his progress - just like so many of his friends seem to do in the book. If I had the chance, I'd be John's friend. I'd even play scrabble with him a few times until I got sick of losing. Great book if you like John Saffran, or hate Phillip Morris. Highly recommend it as an audiobook as well because it's read by John so it's like a bonus.
September 10, 2021
If you go into this book just looking for straight facts about the tobacco and vaping industries, you will be disappointed. Like all Safran's projects, you join him on the hunt for information. It's about getting to know the weird characters he meets and the crazy things they say. It plays out similarly to Louis Theroux's Scientology movie. The humour is sometimes sarcastic, sometimes biting, and often silly. For the most part I found the book funny and entertaining and a nice, easy read. Hopefully it can also bring greater attention to the unrelenting deviousness and manipulation of the snakes in the tobacco industry.
Read
September 12, 2022A bit of Sunday Night Saffran never goes astray. Always enjoy reading about the activities of the comrade Father Bob and what's going on in the warehouse (never knew he lived there).
Thought the book was ironically titled as the writing felt superfluous, as much as I enjoyed may of the anecdotes I felt I wanted a harder hitting book. I enjoyed Saffran's self-awareness when noting the audience really wants him to shit on liberals.
Felt this style ultimately worked as he detailed the cloud world of cigarette PR and a multinationals tricks to keep selling their product, in addition to the complexities and socioeconomic implications of anti-smoking and tobacco policy.
Thought the book was ironically titled as the writing felt superfluous, as much as I enjoyed may of the anecdotes I felt I wanted a harder hitting book. I enjoyed Saffran's self-awareness when noting the audience really wants him to shit on liberals.
Felt this style ultimately worked as he detailed the cloud world of cigarette PR and a multinationals tricks to keep selling their product, in addition to the complexities and socioeconomic implications of anti-smoking and tobacco policy.
September 16, 2021
While primarily focussed on Philip Morris, the content expands into so many compelling areas; such as language, lobbying, law, semantics, corporations, generational concerns, apathy and moral culpability. However, if you want straight facts about these issues, go elsewhere. This is more about the journey than the destination.
And the journey is fun! The whole time the book is hilarious - John Safran is interested in the inconsistencies and complicated aspects to any issue, but also always finds a way to make it funny! Self-deprecation mixed with political wit.
And the journey is fun! The whole time the book is hilarious - John Safran is interested in the inconsistencies and complicated aspects to any issue, but also always finds a way to make it funny! Self-deprecation mixed with political wit.
October 7, 2021
John continues to absolutely knock it out of the park, in only the way that he can. Not only posing questions about Big Tobacco and linguistic trickery, but about the nature of privilege and race when it comes to funding and support. I'm glad that Father Bob had more than his fair share of representation here, I cannot believe we used to be so lucky to have a weekly podcast of these two unique voices. More more more.
ETA: John Safran shared this review on his Instagram, so let this be a lesson to me to never spend longer than 30 seconds writing a review again.
ETA: John Safran shared this review on his Instagram, so let this be a lesson to me to never spend longer than 30 seconds writing a review again.
September 14, 2021
Despite the fact that I don’t smoke and hardly know anyone that does, I found John Safran’s adventure into the cloudy world of big tobacco fascinating. In addition to the quite real and scary manipulation by big tobacco the book touches on complacency and the power we give to enormous corporations. The missing star is because I kept hoping for more facts and data (I do understand that wasn’t the point, but I would have liked it anyway). First book in ages I’ve been totally absorbed in.
September 19, 2021
I really enjoyed this book and finished it in one day. It was the perfect mix of informative and humorous. I was laughing out loud at so many parts, and really loved the local references. Overall it was a real eye opener. I am interested to follow up to see what’s next for the whole vaping/tobacco industries.
September 29, 2021
John Safran makes me laugh at things I feel guilty for laughing about. I love him for that.
December 8, 2021
Tobacco is evil, vapes aren't much better.
September 19, 2025
Thank you, John Safran - my favourite gonzo journalist, asking the questions I’d never get to.
Turns out that euphemisms really can change arguments, reasoning and undermine logic.
As an adult paying superannuation to AWARE Super, I’ve come to realise Phillip Morris has insidiously been profiting from my own wages…
Part rhetoric, part narrative, but all entertaining and on the path to enlightenment.
The mud on that rental car, in Jerusalem is just as necessary in the story arc as the experts, statistics and mead in Hobbitsville as the ethical questions of steak lunches and expenses, in coming to understand this murky subject and individual’s actions.
I’m off now to find my unread copy of ‘No logo’ by Naomi Klein.
Turns out that euphemisms really can change arguments, reasoning and undermine logic.
As an adult paying superannuation to AWARE Super, I’ve come to realise Phillip Morris has insidiously been profiting from my own wages…
Part rhetoric, part narrative, but all entertaining and on the path to enlightenment.
The mud on that rental car, in Jerusalem is just as necessary in the story arc as the experts, statistics and mead in Hobbitsville as the ethical questions of steak lunches and expenses, in coming to understand this murky subject and individual’s actions.
I’m off now to find my unread copy of ‘No logo’ by Naomi Klein.
September 7, 2021
Good book, interesting topic, great cause.
Read this if you're trying to justify/escape a nicotine habit or you just have heaps of time to relax into a Safran ramble.
I feel like this could have been a 20 minute podcast, and yet it's a 10 hour audiobook. Almost every chapter begins with long, drawn out meandering down random tangents.
At first it feels quaint and some of them are funny, but it quickly becomes annoying.
Safran is a little far up his own ass here and needs to waffle 90% less.
If the point of the book is just to cultivate the Safran cult of people who hang on his every word, then maybe he's nailed it.
Read this if you're trying to justify/escape a nicotine habit or you just have heaps of time to relax into a Safran ramble.
I feel like this could have been a 20 minute podcast, and yet it's a 10 hour audiobook. Almost every chapter begins with long, drawn out meandering down random tangents.
At first it feels quaint and some of them are funny, but it quickly becomes annoying.
Safran is a little far up his own ass here and needs to waffle 90% less.
If the point of the book is just to cultivate the Safran cult of people who hang on his every word, then maybe he's nailed it.
March 9, 2022
Superb book! I couldn’t put it down and, as a member of Gen Y, I’d highly recommend the book to gen X’ers (you’ll see what I mean)! Enjoyed the investigation into what those WEASELS (Phillip Morris et al) are up to these days in getting and keeping smokers hooked.
It was great reading from the beginning, especially how the investigation started and Safran’s ‘integration’ at the Reason party vaping forum. I also loved seeing classic Melbourne scenes on the page — particularly Doncaster Park and Ride
It was great reading from the beginning, especially how the investigation started and Safran’s ‘integration’ at the Reason party vaping forum. I also loved seeing classic Melbourne scenes on the page — particularly Doncaster Park and Ride
July 6, 2022
A deeply engaging and entertaining adventure down the rabbit hole of language, Big Tobacco, and John Safran’s own crazy thoughts.
A wild ride, but an unfortunate and abrupt ending left it unsatisfying.
A wild ride, but an unfortunate and abrupt ending left it unsatisfying.
December 26, 2021
Just as much an exploration into the journey of investigative journalism as it is a discussion of the terrifying control of major corporations in our capitalist society. It took me a while to get into the groove, but Safran really ties together the threads in the last quarter of the book. At a bare minimum, I'd strongly recommend reading the chapter Kill Bill and the final summary.
February 8, 2022
Filled with Safran’s classic witticisms, puff piece is an insightful look into the rebranding & reinvention of big tobacco in an anti smoking world.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 118 reviews