Bad Blood by John Carryrou – **TOP PICK**

Book Reviews, Non-Fiction 32 Comments

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5-stars

Bad Blood is a startling account of how young Theranos founder, Elizabeth Holmes, used misleading information, persuasive speeches and downright lies to advance her start-up company’s interests by pulling the wool over the proverbial eyes of investors who collectively contributed to the nine hundred million dollars she amassed before finally relenting and succumbing to the accusations of fraud, which eventually caused her net worth to plummet to zero dollars. Elizabeth Holmes maintained that her mini-lab invention would revolutionize healthcare. With her striking blue eyes, unusually deep voice and Steve Jobs-like work attire, Elizabeth’s charismatic charm and convincing sales pitch mesmerized audiences and won her listeners over, time and time again. Her staff was impressive both in size and credentials, although turnover was high. Nevertheless, the money poured in. There was only one problem. Elizabeth’s invention didn’t work.

Before I started listening to this book I wondered how the author would keep me interested in a start-up company’s downfall for a whopping 11 hours, 37 mins.! I underestimated his ability and the intensity of the story. This book blew my mind!! I had so many emotions while listening, but the foremost one was disbelief. I was astounded by how long Elizabeth Holmes was able to fool so many people with what amounted to a product that never advanced from the prototype stage, but that nonetheless made its way into a major drugstore chain.

I want to believe that Elizabeth had good intentions in the beginning, but that perhaps greed slowly began to crowd out her vision, and as a result, somewhere along the line her actions belied the very cause she set out to advance. Maybe she got caught up in the fervor of being the successful female entrepreneur that so many people were rooting for. Perhaps in her quest for fame and fortune she stopped considering the human factor involved and the lives she could harm by pushing her invention when she knew it had failed miserably.

The fake it ‘til you make it tactic worked for an impressive amount of time, but eventually the jig was up, and it was all downhill from there. In the end, Elizabeth had a good idea, but she couldn’t implement it. The question that still lingers within me is did she ever think she really could?

This book was incredibly well written and kept me immersed in the narrative the entire time. Very highly recommended.

32 thoughts on “Bad Blood by John Carryrou – **TOP PICK**”

    • I guarantee this one will infuriate you. I don’t know how some people can live with themselves when they’ve bullied and hurt innocent people. If you look up Elizabeth Holmes you will be intrigued for sure.
      Thanks for stopping by. 😊

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  3. I join the club, I had never heard of Elizabeth Holmes either. I guess when something is too good to be true, it probably is. I will have to check her out to learn more, you have got me quite interested. I am not sure if I will listen to this one or not, but I might see if my library has it. It amazes me how gullible people can be and what a good salesman others are. Wonderful review Laurie.

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  4. I think that at one time we could do that, but not anymore. I have a couple of good friends in the medical field and the things I’ve heard from them, coupled with what I’ve learned from reading this book, makes me concerned about the level of care we receive today. There are those who are still dedicated, ethical professionals who do their very best. But unfortunately some others are arrogant with inflated egos who are driven by greed and have little regard for the welfare of patients. It’s the way of the world today, and very sad.
    I think if you do decide to read Bad Blood it will be time well spent.

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  5. Double WOW! 😳 Until I got to the comments I had no idea this book is nonfiction. Your review is great. Frankly the happenings are so far out there, I have trouble wrapping my head around it. I guess I know, deep down, that some people are really good salespeople, but I just don’t see how they can live with themselves when they pull off a scam, be it large or small, that hurts other people. Thanks for sharing something I guess we should all know about. 😞

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    • Hi, Linda. Yup….this is non-fiction. When I saw the documentary about it several months ago I was gobsmacked! The entire scandal intrigued me and infuriated me at the same time. The intimidation, threats and scare tactics that went on inside the company were a testament to how far the founder was willing to go to keep her failed experiment a secret, and the profound effect it had on those whose consciences troubled them. One person took his life over what was happening to him there. I didn’t even mention all of that in my review.
      This book was very educational on so many levels. Who thinks twice about their lab results? Turns out many people should have when Elizabeth used her faulty equipment to test blood samples. It’s so much to even get into. But I assure you that if you read the book, or listen, it will make you think twice about some things we take for granted as honest and true.
      Thanks for your input, Linda. Always so happy to hear from you. ☺️

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  6. Wow, Laurie, this is unbelievable! I must not pay attention to the news because I had not heard of this before reading your review! How crazy! I’ll have to look into the audiobook. It sounds intriguing…Excellent review. 🙂

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    • Thanks, Stephanie. You and me both. 🤦🏽‍♀️ I’m too busy reading and sewing to pay attention to the news. 😂 But I did hear about Elizabeth Holmes, I believe through my husband. 🤔 The story intrigued me so much I watched the documentary. Then after my good friend and a fellow blogger raved about the book I just had to have a listen. It was INCREDIBLE. I highly recommend it. It will have you shaking your head in astonishment.

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      • I hate listening to the news. too because it’s so depressing. It is an intriguing story, and I will have to listen too it-lucky for me I have 2 audible credits saved up, lol! I need something that’s a little bit of a change of pace. I’ll have to let you know what I think once I’m done.

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        • Same here. I told my husband, who likes to watch the news at night, that I don’t want to hear the news because it’s too depressing and I think it affects me emotionally even if I don’t realize it. Does that make sense?
          If you use one of your audible credits to listen to Bad Blood, please do let me know what you think-good, bad or indifferent. And if you have a chance, look up Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos. It will give you a visual for when you start to listen, should you decide to. 😉

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  7. I didn’t know about Holmes before reading this review, just Googled her and wow, I lack words. This sounds like it was very well written. Glad you enjoyed the book despite how long the audio was. Great review.

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    • Hi, Diana. ❤️ Yes, this is a true story. Elizabeth Holmes was something else. She messed up a lot of lives. I saw a documentary about it on HBO. I couldn’t believe what I was watching.
      The audio didn’t feel long at all because the book was so good. The author, who is a journalist, is an incredibly gifted storyteller.
      Thanks for stopping by. 🤗

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    • Aww….thank you! 🤗 Whoever makes up those Bitmojis does a fantastic job coming up with common sayings and expressions. 😂 I always seem to find at least one to fit how I’m feeling.
      I forgot to mention that this story is non-fiction. Did you know that? The book was incredibly written and filled me with many emotions. I still feel like this though…🤬.
      Thanks for your support. 😊

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    • Yes, Kathryn!! So true. I’d heard about this some time ago and recently saw a documentary on HBO about it. I was so frustrated by it, especially since this woman knew her invention didn’t work. Many people suffered behind what she did, and someone died, too. The story is captivating.
      Thanks for stopping by, and for commenting. 🌸☺️

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    • Hi, Jill!! (waving enthusiastically.) Not only is this a good story, but it’s a good, TRUE story. Not good really since there were repercussions that affected many innocent people. But the author wrote the story impeccably, and I was fascinated by it.
      I’m enjoying your book. 😉

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