There Is No Ethan

How Three Women Caught America's Biggest Catfish

By: Anna Akbari

Narrated by: Anna Akbari, Justin Price

Part memoir, part explosive window into the mind of a catfisher, a thrilling personal account of three women coming face-to-face with an internet predator and teaming up to expose them.

In 2011, three successful and highly educated women fell head over heels for the brilliant and charming Ethan Schuman. Unbeknownst to the others, each exchanged countless messages with Ethan, staying up late into the evenings to deepen 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.

I would have been happier and more interested if I had googled this and read the online articles.

Annoyed by the voices of the narrators, and the dialogue was painful to listen to. I kept turning it off in frustration and then forcing myself to listen. Ultimately, I would have enjoyed this as a podcast or article. I was waiting to be more interested when it finally came to the discovery and confrontation. The only interest was the response of the perpetrator. I was expecting more depth but it was more an accounting of what happened with no real story or depth or descriptors of experience. I regret using my credit on this and wish I had just googled the story instead.

How Can Someone Be So Dumb

Very good book if you like to listen to true crime, psycological type books. It's amazing that so many women can be taken in by a scam artist and even more amazing that the catfisher can be so brilliant but horrible at the same time.

Very good book. Worth the credit or dollars.

wow. smart review that makes me think

if this could happen to these smart women, it could happen to anyone. that this woman is our there and a doctor is disturbing.

OMG!!!! Must Read!!!

OMG!!!!!!
Wow, fast paced captivating book! I couldn't put this down and read it in one sitting! It is appalling that "Ethan" is still out there and there were no repercussions for their actions. And worse yet, the power that this person has, I'm sure they are still doing this.

Loved the writing voice and she kept me on the edge of my seat!
This is a MUST READ!!!

An interesting look into cyber criminals.

I’m intrigued by the story but felt it was really really long, since there were so many reoccurring themes among victims. I googled an article midway thru the book and wished I would’ve left it there. However, the author does a great job writing it.

Fascinated

This is a fascinated psychological page turner. You can just feel the characters and look a them as a spectator but also be there. Master story telling. Shows how in the world , very complicated, very intelligent and educated women may fall for the snake.

Interesting

The story itself was interesting. Although many of us say that will never happen to me, it did happen to educated, sensible women who probably thought the same thing. I listened on audio and the narration was good. However, the story felt repetitive in parts and the intro that consisted of printed emails didn’t work in audio format; luckily, that part was brief.

Not much of a story.

This would have been an interesting article but not enough for a book. I found it repetitive and a little boring.

WAY TOO LONG

Would be much more compelling at half the length. By the end I felt like the author was really whiny.

Compelling Story

Well told and wishing the victims the best as they recover. Interesting experiencing these cons with such a level of detail and honesty.