My thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for an advance copy of this memoir of a person who worked for some of the worst people in the world, helping them influence public opinion, ie get the media to either support or ignore much of what made these people bad, for money, influence, or for fun.

When people look at the current state of the world and wonder why things are as bad as they are, it all just comes down to both human greed and ego. People will do a lot of nasty things for money, sometimes selling out their morals, ethics, even futures for surprisingly little amounts. One can't forget the lure of power. Being around the powerful is its own heady allure, capturing people who know they are not that smart, or would ever have any pull on their own into an orbit where the can be something. Players in a game of lowering the bar as quickly and as deeply as possible. Darn the consequences. I got mine, fudge everyone and everything. And abetted by a journalism class who wants both the cachet of being the people who call people to task, while inviting them to correspondent's dinners, and writing books. Into this world stepped Phil Elwood, who quickly became very good at what he was doing. Until it all went bad for him. All the Worst Humans: How I Made News for Dictators, Tycoons, and Politicians is a story about a man, a series of plans, willing journalists, and politicians, and how cheaply people sell themselves for.

The book begins with a come to Jesus moment for our narrator Phil Elwood. Though this Jesus works for the FBI and they have a few questions, which is something no one wants to hear. The book flashes back to a younger Elwood losing himself in college, but finding a job as an intern to than Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a place that seemed to teach young Elwood that real things get done in backrooms with lots of booze. Readers follow his slow ascent to buying drugs for the sons of dictators. Or getting the county of Qatar the World Cup, whose stadiums were built by slave labor. There are deals, pitches, and willing journalists who settle for complete stories given to them, so they don't have to work. To a lot of people this will be revelatory, but to anyone paying attention, many of our last wars played out like this.

I was never a fan of The Wolf of Wall Street, which seemed a more how awesome is this kind of story about excess, while omitting the people who suffered so one guy could get Margot Robbie. Nor have I ever been a fan of Tucker Max, which seems to be a white guy thing in all these books. The writing is good, one would hope a PR man would be a good writer, or could find a good collaborator to do the typing. One can get wrapped up in the narrative, until one remembers again, this is a PR guy, so the truth, the feeling bad and discussing of guilt might be a little fake. One should read this to find out why governments get away with what they do. Why money seems to go everywhere but to places like Flint, Michigan that need clean water. To many this is all a game, omitting that quite a few people get wiped off the board, not knowing they are playing.

Recommended for people who took their ethics classes at the Kennedy School as a pass/fail. I felt nothing for the narrator, but I did enjoy learning more about the situations and politics that went around behind the scenes on a few things. Books like this show the rot that is apparent to all, but to make change takes work. It's easier to just take the money.

This was a good book. I really love the world building and the characters. The pacing was really good and it was an interesting story to read. This was a wild book and it took me on such a crazy ride

Fun, buzzy book. It is a super quick read and I often found myself captivated by the story. Felt a little self congratulatory at times and didn't really have an overarching narrative throughout but I enjoyed.

Thanks to the publisher for access to this book! I very much enjoyed it - both the description of a world I'm not too familiar with (PR) as well as the author's examination of his struggles with mental illness and substance use.

Man this book was a ride! It had the anxiety-inducing suspense of fiction, but I was hooked from page 1. This story was crazy and mind blowing at times, but Elwood gives both a narrative on PR as a career but also on politics and social justice. I found the book absolutely fascinating.

I had many conflicting feelings when I read this book. First there was horror and disbelief as Phil Elwood told story after story of working with the eponymous "worst humans" (not an exaggeration, think Muammar Gaddafi), but also an unhealthy fascination - people employed by dictators and foreign governments don't often share such details with the wider public. Then there was compassion, as I read about the impact this crazy job had on the author, leaving him with PTSD and severe depression. Towards the end I even began to cheer for him - but then I suddenly realised that I was reading the words of a man who is a master of manipulation, so I began to question how sincere his remorse was.

In the age of disinformation, it is certainly a timely and eye-opening read. And it is very well written - even the parts where you despise your narrator are maddeningly engaging.

Thanks to the publisher, Henry Holt and Co., and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

I really enjoyed reading this book, it was a unique topic and I enjoyed getting to read this memoir. Phil Elwood does a great job in writing this and keeping me reading more. It sheds light on what’s going on behind the scenes and thought it worked perfectly.

Shocking, bleak, and oh so entertaining. Kudos to the author for sharing his stories and giving readers a glimpse of the power of PR and its intersections with global politics, crises, corruption, etc. Highly recommended, especially to readers interested in global affairs and anyone who has passed through or lived in the DC area.

Many thanks to Henry Holt & Company and NEtHalley for the opportunity to read a copy.