Misfortune and Fame

A lively and satire-laced exposé of the rich, famous, and totally miserable that lays bare the dysfunctional cycles of celebrity and wasteful excesses of consumer culture.

There is little argument that having enough money to meet your needs is important. But beyond that, what makes us happy? Is a lot of money the answer? Is a glamorous life actually glamorous? Must we have thousands of followers on social media, only to have the internet rabble criticize us at every turn? Amid all the fun and frivolity, there is inevitable misery and madness. A double-edged sword. A poisoned chalice. That’s what this book is about: In ten punchy chapters full of anecdotes about the miseries and misfortunes of the affluent, Paul Berton (Shopomania) offers readers ten reasons NOT to wish for fame or fortune.

"In his witty and knowing exploration of the most human of foibles, Paul Berton takes a wrecking-ball to the celebrity-industrial complex, laying bare the delusions of wealth and acclaim that tempt us all." —Landon Y. Jones, former People editor and author of Celebrity Nation: How America Evolved into a Culture of Fans and Followers