The Woman Who Fooled the World by Beau Donnelly and Nick Toscano
Those who have seen the hit Australian Netflix show based in Melbourne, Apple Cider Vinegar, this year will be very familiar with the notorious cancer con artist Belle Gibson.
Over a decade ago, Belle Gibson launched a best-selling wellness cookbook called The Whole Pantry, which also had a companion app available on the Apple Watch.
Belle Gibson claimed that she had Stage four brain cancer but had ‘self-cured’ by changing to a completely healthy, vegetarian diet and undergoing pseudo-science therapy. She promised thousands of dollars to charities and families affected by cancer and had a massive social media following.
Investigative journalists from The Age newspaper, Beau Donnelly and Nick Toscano, were tipped off by associates of Belle Gibson. Combined with other media companies and her publisher at the time, Belle Gibson’s cancer fraud was unveiled.
The book is fascinating and fast-paced, which is accurate considering how quickly her fraud was exposed. Donnelly and Toscano handle the sensitive issue of Gibson’s obviously fragile mental health very well and make no secret of some of the ethical and moral challenges with exposing the fraud.
This book is outstanding and well-researched.
Find The Woman Who Fooled the World by Beau Donnelly and Nick Toscano
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