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The Woman Who Fooled the World  By  cover art

The Woman Who Fooled the World

By: Beau Donelly, Nick Toscano
Narrated by: James Saunders
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Publisher's summary

Belle Gibson convinced the world she had healed herself from terminal brain cancer with a healthy diet. She built a global business based upon her claims. There was just one problem: she'd never had cancer.

In 2015, journalists uncovered the truth: this hero of the wellness world, with over 200,000 followers, international book deals and a best-selling smartphone app, was a fraud. She had lied about having cancer - to her family and friends, to her business partners and publishers, and to the hundreds of thousands of people, including genuine cancer survivors, who were inspired by her Instagram posts.

Written by the same multiaward-winning journalists who uncovered the details of Gibson's lies, The Woman Who Fooled the World tracks the 23-year-old's rise to fame and fall from grace. Told through interviews with the people who know her best, it unravels the mystery and motivation behind this deception and follows the public reaction to a scandal that made headlines around the world.

The Woman Who Fooled the World explores the lure of alternative cancer treatments, the cottage industry flourishing behind the wellness and 'clean eating' movements and the power of social media. It documents the devastating impact this con had on Gibson's fans and on people suffering from cancer. Ultimately, it answers not just how but why Gibson was able to fool so many.

©2017 Beau Donelly and Nick Toscano (P)2017 Audible, Ltd

What listeners say about The Woman Who Fooled the World

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informative & food for thought

an engaging piece of writing, beautiful descriptions which enables the reader to fully appreciate the gravity of the deception. an important piece of work indeed.

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Not a feel good story, but glad it was brought to

A very well balanced and well written book. they could have made her out to be a supreme villain, but they seem to a balance that with her mental health issues.

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Too long and muddled

Is this a book about cancer, journalism or Belle Gibson? The first half is excellent when covering the Belle Gibson life story but devolves into a ramble in the second half.

A lot of it feels like “filler” and the book could easily have been 4 hours shorter.

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