When a Fan Hits the Shit: The Rise and Fall of a Phony Charity

I remember reading vague bits of this whole mess years ago, toward the end of its coming-apart. I definitely remember thinking, how could anybody be fooled to such an extent?? In my ignorance I couldn't imagine being so gullible as to accept these clearly outrageous claims and behaviors. And then I became part of an online fan community for a wildly popular TV show, and found myself sucked in to a hoax so elaborate, and so rabidly defended and maintained by its acolytes, that when it finally unraveled I actually wrote to Ms. Renne to apologize for judging her and the others taken in by this scam. I'd like to think that my personal alarm system would have been activated by the money involved (our hoax, similar though it was, didn't result in any financial involvement, thank heaven), but we all certainly accepted some pretty crazy, outrageous stuff. In other words, no matter how incredible it may sound, it's definitely a possibility, and always something to be aware of and on guard for. Stay safe, people.

Although the venue of this true story is "Lord of the Rings" fandom, the book is bootcamp for ALL trusting, good-willed folk--no matter WHAT your passion--in how con-artists beguile. Indeed, it tells exactly how, and how FAR, two con-artists actually went to get what they wanted, everybody else be damned. Fake gender? Fake suicide note? Fake charity? Multiple fake pasts? NO PROBLEM! Let's hope, as I believe, that author Jeanine Renne's first-hand experience will make a fake *future* seriously difficult for two depraved narcissists still on the loose--and oh-so-eager to con YOU! This book is a fascinating read, and a valuable expose. Buy it before YOU get snookered!

I read this book having personally seen the beginnings of what would be become the disaster that followed Bit of Earth's so called attempt at charity. I heard first hand what "Those Two" were planning, and from my vantage point, everything seemed legitimate and honest. I even witnessed a conversation between "Those Two" regarding a phone conversation about the upcoming event they were planning to have with Sean Astin. They even promised me that I could attend the event myself, until "Those Two" came to the conclusion I was unworthy of their "exhalted" company. The description of events as described in this book were, from my memory, accurate and candidly described. There's many lessons to be learned from this book, and the most important lesson is this: It's not about her anymore; it's about the people she wrongfully screwed over. Good things come out of horrible situations --a point Jeanine proves by her investigation into this matter and her honest portrayal of events.

The point of this book is: 1. To air the grievances of all the people who were screwed over in this scandal, 2. To make sure that the two con-artists at the center of this story are incapable of pulling off such a scheme again, and 3. To raise money to pay back all of the people who lost money that they contributed to what they thought was a worthy cause (and the author was only one of them). It is a fundamental failing of human beings to always think to themselves, "If I was in that situation, I would have done better." But the fact is that no one knows how they would react is situations as bizarre as this one; and it's been my personal experience that those who sneer at what they deem are inadequacies in other people's cognitive abilities are usually those that fail utterably when they themselves are in a spot. There's a peculiar ability some people possess, and that's to lie effortlessly and convincingly and get away with it. Tricksters like Amy Player can fool anyone, if they set their minds to it. If you are in their sight, you will be drawn in. That is the moral of this story. On one level, it's about the madness of fandom; on another, it's about the abuse of people's goodwill; but mostly it's about a professional con-artist. And if you can't understand how it was possible to fall for Amy's lies, then you obviously are lucky enough never to have met someone like her.

As a book, it's lively and funny, crammed with the kind of details bring the reader right into the story. It's almost too much information: I could have wished for a scorecard to keep track of the cast of characters, and a linear timeline - the book's chapters jump back and forth chronologically, which is an effective storytelling device but confusing as hell when you've got so many different versions of the same events. At times I thought that the lies should have been printed in red and the truth in blue; it would have made for a very colorful book.