There Is No Ethan: How Three Women Caught America's Biggest Catfish

4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars | 481 ratings

Price: 19.1

Last update: 01-06-2025


About this item

Part memoir, part explosive window into the mind of a catfisher, a thrilling personal account of three women coming face-to-face with an internet predator and teaming up to expose them.

In 2011, three successful and highly educated women fell head over heels for the brilliant and charming Ethan Schuman. Unbeknownst to the others, each exchanged countless messages with Ethan, staying up late into the evenings to deepen their connections with this fascinating man. His detailed excuses about broken webcams and complicated international calling plans seemed believable, as did last minute trip cancellations. After all, why would he lie? Ethan wasn't after money—he never convinced his marks to shell out thousands of dollars for some imagined crisis. Rather, he ensnared these women in a web of intense emotional intimacy. After the trio independently began to question inconsistencies in their new flame's stories, they managed to find one another and uncover a greater deception than they could've ever imagined. As Anna Akbari and the women untangled their catfish’s web, they found other victims and realized that without a proper crime, there was no legal reason for “Ethan” to ever stop.

THERE IS NO ETHAN catalogues Akbari's experience as both victim and observer. By looking at the bigger picture of where these stories unfold—a world where technology mediates our relationships; where words and images are easily manipulated; and where truth, reality, and identity have become slippery terms—Akbari gives a page-turning and riveting examination of why stories like Ethan's matter for us all.


Top reviews from the United States

  • Madison
    5.0 out of 5 stars A thrilling page-turner...
    Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2024
    Thought provoking, wildly upsetting, surprisingly funny, and just plain crazy — this is not your typical catfish story. Makes you want to have everyone you know read it so you can discuss it. My blood was boiling throughout. The fast-paced writing style kept me reading compulsively. Devoured it cause had to know what happened. I'm glad she took the space to show the details of the con and the insidious emotional abuse; it doesn't happen overnight, and a full book is required to really see that evil genius unfold. Kudos to these exceptional women for both enduring and having the bravery to speak out. It's shocking and truly terrifying that this person is still out there with no consequences. Recommend avoiding spoilers before you read or listen!
  • Brooke Weinstein
    4.0 out of 5 stars If it could happen to Anna it could happen to anyone
    Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2024
    This book is a fast read and very interesting bc it could happen to anyone even though you would swear it would never happen to you. This was a book club read which gave everyone a TON to unpack and discuss
  • Donna K.
    3.0 out of 5 stars TMI
    Reviewed in the United States on August 14, 2024
    Interesting story but WAY too much dialogue of conversations and accounts. Started skipping entire pages. Just wanted to know how it ended and what happened to the bad “guy”.
  • kmrbooklover
    5.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing, stunning.
    Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2024
    I could not put this book down as I found myself drawn into the drama and chaos that “Ethan” generated, and I was pained by the impact he had on the lives of several loving, intelligent women. It’s really an eye opener and leaves me borderline enraged that Emily Slutsky has not been charged with multiple crimes. She is clearly a danger to society and shows virtually no remorse. wonder how long before the medical corporation that she works for wakes up and realizes that the threat she poses is significant. Maybe they need to be sued first. What a tragedy. She’s a sick sadist. This author needs to be praised for her courage for coming forward this way.
  • Cookie
    4.0 out of 5 stars This will blow your mind
    Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2024
    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½

    In this nonfiction book, Anna Akbari tells the stories of her experience and the experiences of two other women who were catfished by someone they knew as Ethan Schuman. Ethan Schuman spent months, and in one case, years, in an online relationship with these women, building a connection and an intense emotional intimacy. Schuman manipulated them, gaslighted them, and fought with them via email and messages and they still couldn't let him go. By coincidence, the three women found each other, and began seeing all the holes in what Schuman claimed to be true.

    I am purposely going to be vague in my review because I think everyone should go into this blind. As tempting as it may be, don't Google who Ethan Schuman really was. I promise you, the ride that this book takes you on is going to be worth the suspense.

    I listened to this book shortly after I attended a training by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. In that training, I learned about online sexploitation and other online predatory behavior. This book piqued my interest and I was curious to see how who Ethan Schuman was and the motives for Schuman's behavior. I would not have guessed that this situation played out the way it did.

    Being a sociologist, Anna Akbar chronicles the stories of the three women and the profile of Ethan Schuman well. This is a cautionary tale for those who engage in online dating. Trust your gut and don't ignore the red flags! Even a highly intelligent woman who is an expert on sociology fell victim to a cat fisher.

    This was a gripping book that I couldn't put down. I highly recommend the audiobook because it's narrated by the author with the male messages narrated by Justin Price.
  • Kelly Caldwell
    5.0 out of 5 stars Audible version is a must
    Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2024
    This was a excellent book. The audible read by the author was wonderful. She puts a lot of emotion into her story telling that keeps the listener coming back for more. The story itself is a wild ride. It does a great job of illustrating that there is so much more that sex and money to these types of cons.
  • Mary Ann
    3.0 out of 5 stars Tedious
    Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2024
    This is a tediously repetitive true story about some naive young women who were conned by a fake on-line “boyfriend.” The con artist stole not their money but their hearts. For folks who might engage in on-line relationships, this is a cautionary tale.
  • CC
    2.0 out of 5 stars Painful
    Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2024
    An interesting - and upsetting - story but I suggest you read the magazine article, it was not worthy of a book. The book is filled with so much unnecessary detail and tedious repetition of long, not-so-interesting online exchanges. IMHO this author desperately needed a good editor. I read it to the end only because I believed the hype and thought it would get better but alas, it did not. I resorted to a LOT of skimming, something I haven't done since college! Investing time in a book is not something to take lightly. This is one I wish I had not invested in I'm afraid.

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