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Hybrid: Hour to Kill True Crime Book Discussion

There is No Ethan

Please join us for our true crime book discussion group. This month's title: There is no Ethan: How Three Women Caught America’s Biggest Catfish by Anna Akbari.

In 2011, three successful and highly educated women fell head in love with the brilliant and charming Ethan Schuman. Unbeknownst to the others, each exchanged countless messages with Ethan, deepening their connections with this fascinating man. His detailed excuses about broken webcams and complicated international calling plans seemed believable, as did last minute trip cancellations. After all, why would he lie? Ethan wasn't after money — he never convinced his marks to shell out thousands of dollars for some imagined crisis. Rather, he ensnared these women in a web of intense emotional intimacy. After the trio independently began to question inconsistencies in their new flame's stories, they managed to find one another and uncover a greater deception than they could've ever imagined. As Anna Akbari and the women untangled their catfish’s web, they found other victims and realized that without a proper crime, there was no legal reason for “Ethan” to ever stop. There Is No Ethan catalogues Akbari's experience as both victim and observer. By looking at the bigger picture of where these stories unfold — a world where technology mediates our relationships; where words and images are easily manipulated; and where truth, reality, and identity have become slippery terms — Akbari gives a page-turning and riveting examination of why stories like Ethan's matter for us all.

Reserve a copy of the book while registering (we'll let you know when it's ready to be picked up), or come to the Adult Information Desk.

Questions? Email discussion leader Susan Gibberman.

You can choose to attend this program in-person or participate online on Zoom. Please indicate your preference when registering. After registering, you receive a link to the Zoom webinar at least three hours before the program.

Want to switch your attendance preference from online to in-person (or vice versa)? No problem! Just give us a call at (847) 923-3347 and we'll take care of that for you.

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