4.4 out of 5
297 global ratings
"A rollicking, unexpectedly affecting story. . . It’s going to be one of the big, buzzy Beltway books of the year." ―Politico
A bridge-burning, riotous memoir by a top PR operative in Washington who exposes the secrets of the $129-billion industry that controls so much of what we see and hear in the media―from a man who used to pull the strings, and who is now pulling back the curtain.
After nearly two decades in the Washington PR business, Elwood wants to come clean, by exposing the dark underbelly of the very industry that’s made him so successful. The first step is revealing exactly what he’s been up to for the past twenty years―and it isn’t pretty.
Elwood has worked for a murderer’s row of questionable clients, including Gaddafi, Assad, and the government of Qatar. In All the Worst Humans, Elwood unveils how the PR business works, and how the truth gets made, spun, and sold to the public―not shying away from the gritty details of his unlikely career.
This is a piercing look into the corridors of money, power, politics, and control, all told in Elwood’s disarmingly funny and entertaining voice. He recounts a four-day Las Vegas bacchanal with a dictator’s son, plotting communications strategies against a terrorist organization in Western Africa, and helping to land a Middle Eastern dictator’s wife a glowing profile in Vogue on the same time the Arab Spring broke out. And he reveals all his slippery tricks for seducing journalists in order to create chaos and ultimately cover for politicians, dictators, and spies―the industry-secret tactics that led to his rise as a political PR pro.
Along the way, Phil walks the halls of the Capitol, rides in armored cars through Abuja, and watches his client lose his annual income at the roulette table. But as he moved up the ranks, he felt worse and worse about the sleaziness of it all―until Elwood receives a shocking wake-up call from the FBI. This risky game nearly cost Elwood his life and his freedom. Seeing the light, Elwood decides to change his ways, and his clients, and to tell the full truth about who is the worst human.
272 pages,
Kindle
Audiobook
Hardcover
First published June 24, 2024
ISBN 9781250321572
Phil Elwood
Phil Elwood is a public relations operative. He was born in New York City, grew up in Idaho, and moved to Washington, DC at age twenty to intern for Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. He completed his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University, and his graduate studies at the London School of Economics before starting his career at a small PR firm. Over the last two decades, Elwood has worked for some of the top – and bottom – PR firms in Washington. He lives in DC.
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Nona
5
How the news is made.
Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2024
Verified Purchase
This is a fabulous inside tale, breezy and informative. If you liked “Confessions of an Economic Hit Man” you will love this book.
Elwood tells us the inside story of what gets on front page, and why. It’s cynical and informative, and you won’t be able to put it down.
Buy it. Read it. Enjoy it; and maybe vote.
2 people found this helpful
Sean Dawson
5
Gripping entertainment, funny and thought provoking
Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2024
Verified Purchase
Great read. Quick and exacting prose. Loved it. Make more.
2 people found this helpful
Kriskishie
5
Wildly entertaining; a must read
Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2024
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You’d be hard pressed to find a memoir that is this much of a page-turner. One of the best books I’ve read in a while.
Anonymous
5
Better than 5 stars!
Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2024
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I bought this book after reading the NYT review, thinking I'd tackle it over the 4th of July weekend. Like Chris Buckley who said in his blurb that he couldn't put it down, I couldn't either and devoured it within hours of starting it. Elwood writes with the force of Hemingway and the acerbic wit of David Sedaris. Over the top review? Perhaps, but this book is that good! Kate Grant
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4 people found this helpful
LDC
5
Fast-paced memoir that reads like a comedy spy thriller
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2024
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This book is so many things - funny, scary, thrilling, upsetting, heartfelt. It’s a great read.
2 people found this helpful
Andrea Miller
5
Intense, interesting and fun read!
Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2024
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Absolutely could not put it down once I picked up Elwood's Book. A really insightful and gripping read- come to learn more about how DC PR really works, stay for his own very personal story about how this impacted him. A really great read.
Tania
5
Interesting read
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2024
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I didn’t know what to expect when I started reading this. Really gives you insight into a different world, I had no clue about. Easy to ready and entertaining.
Izzy
4
Entertaining
Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2024
Verified Purchase
Well written, entertaining and good for killing time. Spin machine works exactly as it’s written here. But hard to say if it’s really interesting. It’s like saying much and at the same time saying nothing. Anyway, it has interesting cases, a frank description of private life but something is missing. After the revelations of Cambridge Analytics and election interference scandals it all looks out-of-date. Maybe bc working for dictators is easy. 80% of the job is done when you accept the offer. Your efficiency is smth obscure. You can’t do anything at all. And it’s also being described at the book
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2 people found this helpful
Robert Price
4
how would the author spin this review?
Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2024
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This is a fascinating insight to the murky world of “The Swamp” aka DC politics. I will never read another news article again without wondering who planted it and what agenda it serves. Shady international deals, espionage, a love story, and the blurred effects of an alcoholic drug addled mind all blend to make a delicious cocktail of a story. My advice to the author: keep writing!
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6 people found this helpful
funseeker
3
Difficult to read
Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2024
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Somewhat interesting, but written in a stream of events writing style that quickly becomes tedious. The author needs to take a breath once in a while.
3 people found this helpful
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