Guilty Admissions, Nicole LaPorte
Guilty Admissions, Nicole LaPorte
2 Rating(s)
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Guilty Admissions
The Bribes, Favors, and Phonies behind the College Cheating Scandal

Author: Nicole LaPorte

Narrator: Betsy Foldes Meiman

Unabridged: 10 hr 52 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Twelve

Published: 02/23/2021


Synopsis

This entertaining exposé on how the other half gets in tells the shockingly true story of the Varsity Blues scandal, and all of the crazy parents, privilege, and con men involved.

Guilty Admissions weaves together the story of an unscrupulous college counselor named Rick Singer, and how he preyed on the desperation of some of the country's wealthiest families living in a world defined by fierce competition, who function under constant pressure to get into the "right" schools, starting with pre-school; non-stop fundraising and donation demands in the form of multi-million-dollar galas and private parties; and a community of deeply insecure parents who will do anything to get their kids into name-brand colleges in order to maintain their own A-list status.

Investigative reporter Nicole LaPorte lays bare the source of this insecurity—that in 2019, no special "hook" in the form of legacy status, athletic talent, or financial giving can guarantee a child's entrance into an elite school. The result is paranoia, deception, and true crimes at the peak of the American social pyramid.

With a glittering cast of Hollywood actors—including Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin—hedge fund CEOs, sales executives, and media titans, Guilty Admissions is a soap-opera-slash-sneak-peek-behind-the-curtains at America's richest social circles; an examination of the cutthroat world of college admissions; and a parable of American society in 2019, when the country is run by a crass tycoon and all totems of status and achievement have become transactional and removed from traditions of ethical restraint.

A world where the rich get whatever they want, however they want it.

About Nicole LaPorte

Nicole LaPorte is a former film reporter for Variety, where she covered the Hollywood movie industry for several years. She also wrote the "Rules of Hollywood" column for the Los Angeles Times Magazine and has also written for the New Yorker, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Observer, the Sunday Telegraph Magazine, and W magazine. For The Men Who Would Be King, she did more than two hundred interviews with subjects at every level of the entertainment business.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Susie on January 14, 2021

I followed this story in the news and through it truly wondered how Full House mom Lori Loughlin felt she was innocent. One chapter in and I did somewhat of a flip or at least understood the rabbit hole these parents fell into and the culture which feeds it beginning with the birth of their children......more

Goodreads review by Susan on March 22, 2021

this is pretty closely aligned to the documentary that just landed on Netflix. Incredible, I mean who even knew there was such a thing as a $350 an hour "coach" to help prepare your toddler to ace their kindergarten admission interview? Who knew there was such a thing as a kindergarten admission int......more

Goodreads review by Beejoli on March 20, 2021

Well this book was just fantastic. I picked it up as a fan of investigative journalism, as well as a product of an LA magnet school and my own round of (legal!) independent college counseling as a high school student. First of all, this book is so damn readable. I tore through it in a day, because N......more

Goodreads review by Kate on June 14, 2021

I think the premise and early chapters are incredibly strong, showing how the societal pressures and entitlement of the wealth manifests at an early age. As the story went on I found some of the content very dry and difficult to follow, with the final chapter not providing quite the closure I wanted......more

Goodreads review by Natasha on November 22, 2023

Wellll... this was super thorough and informative. The downside... this was SUPER THOROUGH and information - to the point of nausea. It wasn't until the last 10% of the book that you got into the actual prosecution of those involved. And honestly, that felt a lot to be desired. My suggestion - the d......more


Quotes

"[A] riveting rundown of Operation Varsity Blues...Readers will be captivated by this entertaining look behind the headlines."—Publishers Weekly