Easier to Laugh
Whoever wrote the tongue-in-cheek official GR synopsis doesn't really respect this book.

...This book will help you navigate your way through the treacherous times we now face in the 21st Century. Don't be left in the dark. Buy this book and share it with your friends, quickly. There is no time to lose!

Maybe this can be forgiven, since the curious cover art suggests the publisher doesn't take it seriously either. To be sure, the story is bizarre: a convoluted tale of criminal conspiracy, coverups, and weird sexual excapades with unlikely public figures. On superficial inspection it looks like it might be parody akin to [book:The Book of the SubGenius The Sacred Teachings of J.R. 'Bob' Dobbs|174479]... comedy in the vein of "let's all laugh at the crazy people". Ten years ago, that's how I would have regarded it. Now, I'm not so sure. For one thing, the book goes way beyond the limits of even them most daring parody. Author Brice Taylor makes very specific criminal allegations including physical abuse, statutory rape, and/or trafficking in persons at the hands of her parents, Bob Hope, Henry Kissinger, and others. It is striking how similar the events in this book are to those in [book:The Franklin Cover-Up Child Abuse Satanism and Murder in Nebraska|567746] -a decidedly non-fiction, non-comedy whose contents have been largely substantiated in the criminal trials and reporting which followed that book.

Summary
The premise is that high-level government and corporate officers wishing to procure the services of prostitutes cannot do so without risk of blackmail or spies (witness Eliot Spitzer). To provide these executives with the sexual services they desire, an exclusive black market of "secure" sex workers has evolved. Security is ensured by recruiting very young girls into a rigorous, years-long program of grooming to ensure loyalty and discression. The training includes intimidation and destruction of the victim's self-esteem through shocking acts of physical and sexual abuse. In a side note that unfortunately won't surprise many of us, Taylor also describes her participation in child beauty pagents, like the ones made infamous by Jon Benet Ramsey, and explains the function of these pagents in the sex trade. As in underdeveloped nations, there appear to be American parents out there willing to sell their daughters into such a life. Taylor claims she was sold in this manner, and subsequently spent almost twenty years in the service of various elites.

Sorting it out
That's a lot of very alien information to take in all at once. It isn't parody, but is it true? Maybe Ms Taylor is lying. Or maybe she's mentally ill. Maybe these stories are part of some counterintellegence program (COINTELPRO), spreading exaggerated and untrue information to discredit these ideas (to make all of this look ridiculous), but in the process hiding or covering up a lone kernel of truth. ...Or there is an outside chance that most, or maybe even all of this book occured exactly as stated.

If the contents are not true, I would be interested in knowing why the author has not been sued for libel by her parents, the Rockefeller family, Henry Kissinger, Bob Hope's estate, or Niel Diamond. It doesn't prove anything that she hasn't been sued, but it does seem odd. Ms Taylor's allegations of blatently criminal activity are very specific about the times, the activities, and the persons involved. The book has been in print for over ten years now, so there has certainly been enough time to assemble a lawsuit.

Honestly, I 'm not sure what to believe, but I'm not satisfied just passing it off like a big joke; I wouldn't put anything past Kissinger or the Rockefellers. ( )

amazon
4.7
goodreads
3.98
librarything
4.71 ( )