The Truth About Lies

The Illusion of Honesty and the Evolution of Deceit

By: Aja Raden

Narrated by: Aja Raden

Length: 9 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

2022 Audie Award Finalist for Best Narration by the Author(s)

Why do you believe what you believe?

You’ve been lied to. Probably a lot. We’re always stunned when we realize we’ve been deceived. We can’t believe we were fooled: What was I thinking? How could I have believed that?

We always wonder why we believed the lie. But have you ever wondered why you believe the truth? People tell you the truth all the time, and you believe them; and if, at some later point, you’re confronted with evidence that the story you believed was indeed true, you never wonder why you believed it in the first place. In this incisive and insightful taxonomy of lies and liars, New York Times bestselling author Aja Raden makes the surprising claim that maybe you should.

Buttressed by history, psychology, and science, The Truth About Lies is both an eye-opening primer on con-artistry - from pyramid schemes to shell games, forgery to hoaxes - and also a telescopic view of society through the mechanics of belief: why we lie, why we believe, and how, if at all, the acts differ. Through wild tales of cons and marks, Raden examines not only how lies actually work, but also why they work, from the evolutionary function of deception to what it reveals about our own.

In her previous book, Stoned, Raden asked, “What makes a thing valuable?” In The Truth About Lies, she asks “What makes a thing real?” With cutting wit and a deft touch, Raden untangles the relationship of truth to lie, belief to faith, and deception to propaganda.

The Truth About Lies will change everything you thought you knew about what you know, and whether you ever really know it.

©2021 by Aja Raden. (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Both disgusting and comforting

Good history and data on how we social primates are generally full of sh*t and never know what we're talking about.

how much do you remember?

After reading this maybe you will finally admit it's almost nothing. I was feeling left out since my siblings remembered much more than I did. Now I'm pretty sure they are just better storytellers. that's fine by me. I love hearing them.

Engaging Albeit Rattling!

What a overview of all that is or isn’t about truism. I couldn’t stop listening.

The truth is out there

Mind boggling. This material should be taught, in age appropriate form, from elementary school thru post graduate studies.

Best book of 2021 for me!

This book sparked great conversations. A must-read for everyone! I listened to it twice. I was excellent.

Great book on truth and lies

This was such a great book, and I’m so glad I came across Aja Raden’s work. First off, she’s an incredible writer, and I’m surprised I’m just now learning about her books. I picked up a copy of this book because I’ve been diving deep into books on the psychology of why and how we trust. I’m usually a fan of books that are more science-based and not so much stories, but when I find a great writer, it keeps me engaged, and that’s what Aja did. In the first part of the book, she breaks down some of the famous cons and lies like the “big lie”, the shell game, and the bait and switch. In these chapters, she not only breaks down some of the psychology but uses stories as an example. Then, she writes about ways we deceive ourselves and the psychology of the placebo effect, but I also really enjoyed the third part of the book where it gets a bit philosophical with the lies we agree to believe.

This was a very well-rounded book that educates while also entertains with stories of famous cons. I highly recommend you check this book out, and now I’m going to go buy her other book Stoned because it seems really interesting as well.

Need To Know

very informal book that the world needs to know about so that we can be educated on the things in life

Incredible, interesting book

Aja never fails to deliver a wealth of information presented in the most interesting way that both captivates the imagination of the events in which they took place, and shah‘s light on some incredible truth. This book is one of my absolute favorites!!

Very Boring. Don't waste your money.

This book has a very amateur tone. It is full of swearing and bias. Don't waste your money.

Full of anecdotes, but no solid theories.

I was expecting to get an understanding of theory based on science--or at least an overarching hypothesis. This didn't have that. It had a lot of anecdotes and stories that it doesn't ty back to anything. Not worth the listen.