You'll Never Believe Me: A Life of Lies, Second Tries, and Things I Should Only Tell My Therapist

It started out great! The writing is witty and sharp. But just 2 chapters in and there goes the hate. The author is writing a memoir of her experiences. There was no need to be so venomous about the Mormons church. I understand the need for background but geeze! Opinions are opinions and personal beliefs are just as individualized. You lost one reader 30 pages in.

If there is a target audience for this memoir, it’s likely not me. I am right at the end of the Boomer Era, close enough to Gen X to identify, but far enough from Millennials to be seen as a product of an incomprehensible generation. So, when I first started reading “You’ll Never Believe Me”, my reaction was, typically Boomer. She scammed her friends! She bounced checks! She used drugs and slept with a lot of guys! She’s a Bad Girl. Cue gasps and the pressing of the back of a trembling hand to my forehead.But, here’s the great thing. Kari Ferrell is not a bad person. She did some screwed up stuff after going through a difficult childhood as an adopted person of color in not only a predominantly white culture, but also in a highly structured, highly religious Mormon culture. In Salt Lake City, no less. And, in trying to find some place where she belonged, she gravitated toward those who, for whatever reason, also felt like outcasts or “less than”. And once that happened, it was difficult to get off that path of stealing and scamming.Kudos to Ferrell for dealing with the consequences of her actions. After such a tough start, and a lengthy stay in prison, she has fought to put her past behind her and enact real changes to help people in marginalized communities, including women of color, women in prisons, and those who identify as LBGTQ.Thank you to Ferrell for writing honestly about what she’s been through. Although I didn’t think I could ever identify with her, as a much older non-Mormon white woman who’s never been in much trouble, I found plenty about her to admire by the end of her story. She made me much more aware of my own privilege, and opened my eyes to ideas and circumstances I’d never considered.

Interesting and thought provoking, though we disagree on quite a bit.Which is usually what I find to be interesting and thought provoking.I was debating with myself as to whether to give this a 3 or 4 stars, and decided to go with 4 in honor of this seeming (ironically) like one of the more honest self portrayals I've seen, heard or read in quite some time. Honesty should be honored.Also she made me laugh more than once and that's tough with someone as emotionally detached as I am.Keep pressing on, Kari. I hope you find truth and peace.

I had no problem with the author telling her story. What I struggled with during the reading was her trying to justify her illegal and immoral actions through her adoption status. I would say that she was lucky that her "parents" bothered to give her a new home at all. I also was extremely bothered by her inaction regarding the crappy way that she treated the people she had fleeced as the "Hipster Grifter". I don't recall one time that I detected a true apology for her actions to her "friends". I'm sorry, but I can't find any room in my heart to normalize this kind of criminal activity. Please don't read this book. If I could give it zero stars, I would.

Kari is a piece of work! Funny and poignant all in the same breath. Kari learns as much about life as she does by looming inward, honesty is a bitch, but who better to be honest than yourself?