The true story that inspired the Sofia Coppola film
Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Orlando Bloom, Rachel Bilson: robbed. More than $3 million in stolen clothing, jewelry, shoes, and handbags reported missing. Who is behind one of the most brazen string of crimes in recent Hollywood history? Meet the Bling Ring: a band of club-hopping teenagers from the Valley with everything to lose.
Over the course of a year, the members of the now infamous Bling Ring allegedly burglarized some of the biggest names in young Hollywood. Driven by celebrity worship, vanity, and the desire to look and dress like the rich and famous, these seven teenagers made headlines for using Google maps, Facebook, and TMZ to track the comings and goings of their targets. Many of the houses were unlocked. Alarms disabled. A "perfect" crime— celebrities already had so much, why shouldn't the Bling Ring take their share?
As the unprecedented case unfolded in the news, the world asked: How did our obsession with celebrities get so out of hand? Why would a group of teens who already had so much, take such a risk?
Acclaimed Vanity Fair writer Nancy Jo Sales found the answer: they did it because each stolen T-shirt or watch brought them closer to living the Hollywood dream . . . and because it was terrifyingly easy. For the Bling Ring the motivation was something deeper than money—they were compelled by a compulsion to be famous. Gaining unprecedented access to the group of teens, Sales traces the crimes minute by minute and details the key players' stories in a shocking look at the seedy, and troubling, world of the real young Hollywood.
When I started reading this book, I was hoping to read about the plot of The Bling Ring and how the robberies occurred, but instead I felt almost like a detective while reading this book, which focused on uncovering the story behind the infamous bling ring. This book portrays the interviews of the teens behind The Bling Ring, but by the end of the book, I felt like everybody involved (even the lawyers, to an extent) were so fame-obsessed that you don't feel like you can really trust what they are saying because they all just wanted attention. It was definitely interesting to read about the perspectives of all the players in the case, especially from not knowing so much about The Bling Ring in the first place. This book is a good read if you're interested in learning about the backstory behind one of the most shocking robberies of the past decade. However, I will warn you that sometimes this book feels more like a long essay than a book because Jo Sales sometimes goes off subject and explains other aspects of how America is so obsessed with "the celebrity" and fame. So did this book make me feel like I could teach someone about The BlingRing? Yes. Did it make me want to see the movie? Not particularly.
Have a great week!
-NBW
Buy it here: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-bling-ring-nancy-jo-sales/1114820448?ean=9780062245533
Just For Fun:
One of my favorite blogs posted this article last Thursday, and it totally relates. See inside famous celeb's houses: http://intothegloss.com/2014/03/celebrity-homes-pictures/
Bonus: Paris Hilton's, one of the victims of The Bling Ring, house is featured in pictures 21 to 23. Perfect for a little visual while you read.
And completely unrelated: I'm a hard-covered book, which book are you? Take this fun little quiz and find out!
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