Mark Ebner

This short book presents Granda's side of the story of his relationship with the Falwell family. I am unsure of its persuasive qualities, given that I was already inclined to believe him over the opposing parties, but I do take heart after reading of other Liberty University supporters who have subsequently denounced the Falwells. Granda's argument is that Michael Cohen presented to Falwell the offer to endorse his boss not as a stick (leaking their salacious stories about a threesome with show more Granda) but as a carrot (access to the highest power in the U.S. and further impunity).

As a naive sex positive person, initially I believed that being open about their kinks would have been the healthiest, happiest option for the Falwells. After reading this book, however, I understand that what is truly important to these individuals is their hypocrisy: they love a power differential and want to feel superior to others, including their college students whom they force to follow the "Liberty Way" honor code, because they know the rules do not apply to them. Recommended for all libraries. show less

Bob Deasy is smart and clever (yes, there is a difference), he is honest, he is confident, he thinks quickly on his feet, he doesn’t very often find himself at a loss for words, he is sometimes reckless and, he seems fearless. Bob Deasy is a chameleon. All those traits and more make him a perfect “Uncle Charlie” otherwise known as an Undercover Cop. He became an undercover officer almost by accident but discovered he had a “knack” for it. This “knack” translated into show more twenty-three years as a deep undercover operative for the Ontario Provincial Police, mostly in drug enforcement but also including stints with both the Italian and Russian mafias and the homicide unit. The largest part of Mr. Deasy’s work was with the motorcycle gangs riding roughshod in Ontario and Quebec. Mr. Deasy and his team were responsible for some of the most significant arrests in Canadian history. This book is his account of his life as an “UC” and he tells it with mostly self-deprecating honesty yet sometimes with (well deserved) chest-beating bravado and surprisingly often with humour as well. He does not gloss over the “near-misses” and personal blunders that could have ended not only the case he was working but quite possibly his life.

Reading this book was akin to riding shotgun with Mr. Deasy as he drove back and forth on the 401 between Niagara Falls, Toronto and Montreal. His retelling of some of his cases (despite knowing the outcome – I mean he did live to write the book after all) left me holding my breath. When I read books like this one it makes me wonder how the author can be allowed to publish it? I mean, isn’t he giving away insider secrets and some of the tricks of the trade? Doesn’t it make a book like this almost a “how-to manual” for current and future criminals? Mr. Deasly deftly explains that too. In this day and age of electronics, DNA and police/criminal computer databases it seems his methods have become too time consuming (at times it was years before the case wrapped up in an arrest) and in many instances obsolete.

So many of the cases mentioned are cases I remember hearing about on the evening news or reading about in my local newspaper and the locales mentioned are small towns, medium cities and metropolises I am familiar with, visit often or have lived in. This not only made the book that much more interesting, but also frightened me in a strange (tingly) sort of way to think that all this was going on around me and I had virtually no idea.

A friend of my daughter’s recommended this book to me. She thought I would enjoy it – I did! Thanks S. show less

Giancarlo Granda was just twenty years old and working as a pool attendant when he became enmeshed with Liberty University president Jerry Falwell, Jr. (son of Moral Majority leader Jerry Falwell, Sr.) and his wife Becki. The middle-aged couple, who had children around Granda’s age, lured the ambitious college student into their orbit with an odd combination of business mentorship from Jerry and sexual encounters with Becki, with Jerry looking on. Granda got involved in the Falwells’ show more real estate dealings and traveled with the family’s entourage. Whenever Granda tried to end this unhealthy arrangement, the couple used manipulation and gaslighting to keep him in his place.

In 2020, evidence of the Falwells’ financial misconduct and unbecoming behavior came into public view. Granda couldn't escape the media glare. He became the target of late-night TV jokes as the "pool boy"; this sobriquet, which he understandably hates, sounds remarkably similar to “fool boy.”

No one comes across well in this book. Granda portrays himself as the weak-willed victim of the depraved and hypocritical Falwells, Donald Trump’s shady “fixer” Michael Cohen, and other unsavory characters.

The Liberty University scandals of 2020 seem like a long time ago, but readers who are still interested will find this book a quick, informative read. show less

Hollywood Interrupted by Andrew Breitbart and Mark Ebner was ok. After finishing it, I was certainly frothing at the mouth about "Hollywood lefties," but I didn't find the book terribly memorable. It was a quick, easy read, but it didn't really tell me anything that I didn't already know or suspect. I suppose it did give me some specific information around which to form arguments and it did give me some good websites to visit for related information, like famousidiot.com and so on. I have a show more number of the websites tabbed under favorites on my computer. I'll gladly return the book to my mother who loaned it to me. It was more like a really long magazine article than a book. show less