After Perfect by Christina McDowell

Elizabeth Holmes reported to prison in Texas this week, to begin serving an 11-year sentence in the Theranos blood-testing scandal. Her fall from grace reminded me of this wonderful book published in 2015 called "After Perfect" by Christina McDowell. The honest and raw memoir details the destruction of Christina and her family when her father goes to prison after being convicted in a case involving Jordan Belfort (known as "The Wolf of Wall Street"). Born Christina Prousalis, she grew up worshipping her father Tom Prousalis, and the perfect life he has built for his family. Then suddenly, as if overnight, the reality of their wealth begins to crumble. At 19, she drives her father to prison. Her family soon loses their possessions and their home. She runs from the wealthy life she had in Washington, D.C. and tries to build a new life for herself in Los Angeles. The lies her father told her begin to reveal themselves, such as the fact that he laundered money in her name to the tune of more than $100,000. As the lies surface, she spirals into the underbelly of L.A., and falls victim to a sea of drugs, alcohol and countless bad choices. Eventually, she is able to heal and build a new life for herself beyond her father's shadow, and change her last name from Prousalis to McDowell as proof. The book is full of nostalgic details from the nineties, and explores themes of love, family, money, betrayal, and greed. Her story began as a blog post attacking the glamorization of The Wall Street scandal. The blog attracted publishers and turned into a book deal for Christina. She went on to write a second book, "The Cave Dwellers," which was published in 2021 and explores the high society of Washington, D.C. Like Elizabeth Holmes, McDowell is not always the most likable person, but her journey is nonetheless fascinating to read and follow in order to see where she is headed next.. To buy this book on amazon click here.