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Keep It Fake: Inventing an Authentic Life
Shoot straight from the hip. Tell it like it is. Keep it real.
We love these commands, especially in America, because they appeal to what we want to believe: that there's an authentic self to which we can be true. But while we mock Tricky Dick and Slick Willie, we're inventing identities on Facebook, paying thousands for plastic surgeries, and tuning in to news that simply verifies our opinions. Reality bites, after all, and becoming disillusioned is a downer.
In his new book Keep It Fake: Inventing an Authentic Life, Eric G. Wilson investigates this phenomenon. He draws on neuroscience, psychology, sociology, philosophy, art, film, literature, and his own life to explore the possibility that there's no such thing as unwavering reality. Whether our left brains are shaping the raw data of our right into fabulous stories or we're so saturated by society's conventions that we're always acting out prefab scripts, we can't help but be phony.
But is that really so bad? We're used to being scolded for being fake, but Wilson doesn't scold--because he doesn't think we need to be reprimanded. Our ability to remake ourselves into the people we want to be, or at least remake ourselves to look like the people we want to be, is in fact a magical process that can be liberating in its own way. Because if we're all a bunch of fakes, shouldn't we embrace that? And if everything really is fake, then doesn't the fake become real--really?
In lively prose--honest, provocative, witty, wide-ranging (as likely to riff on Bill Murray as to contemplate Plato)--Keep It Fake answers these questions, uncovering bracing truths about what it means to be human and helping us turn our necessary lying into artful living.
We love these commands, especially in America, because they appeal to what we want to believe: that there's an authentic self to which we can be true. But while we mock Tricky Dick and Slick Willie, we're inventing identities on Facebook, paying thousands for plastic surgeries, and tuning in to news that simply verifies our opinions. Reality bites, after all, and becoming disillusioned is a downer.
In his new book Keep It Fake: Inventing an Authentic Life, Eric G. Wilson investigates this phenomenon. He draws on neuroscience, psychology, sociology, philosophy, art, film, literature, and his own life to explore the possibility that there's no such thing as unwavering reality. Whether our left brains are shaping the raw data of our right into fabulous stories or we're so saturated by society's conventions that we're always acting out prefab scripts, we can't help but be phony.
But is that really so bad? We're used to being scolded for being fake, but Wilson doesn't scold--because he doesn't think we need to be reprimanded. Our ability to remake ourselves into the people we want to be, or at least remake ourselves to look like the people we want to be, is in fact a magical process that can be liberating in its own way. Because if we're all a bunch of fakes, shouldn't we embrace that? And if everything really is fake, then doesn't the fake become real--really?
In lively prose--honest, provocative, witty, wide-ranging (as likely to riff on Bill Murray as to contemplate Plato)--Keep It Fake answers these questions, uncovering bracing truths about what it means to be human and helping us turn our necessary lying into artful living.
240 pages, ebook
First published May 5, 2015
12 people are currently reading
182 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 27, 2015
Not what I expected. This is not a straightforward nonfiction work on personal identity and our perception of reality, which is what I thought it Would be. Instead, it is a very rambling series of musings on these and related topics, full of brief references to various novels, movies, philosophers, paintings, etc. To me it feels impressionistic and disjointed, and I gave up on it at chapter 32, a little past the half way mark. The identity I am inhabiting now is that of the Ruthless Reader who refuses to waste any more time on an irritating and uninteresting book. I feel very authentic.
September 7, 2017
The synopsis seemed to position this as some where in the sociology and pop philosophy area.
It's really just a lot of trite navel-gazing and ranting in the name of social commentary. I kept reading as far as I did in hopes the author had a point to make, but it really came off as a bunch of incoherent rambling mumbles. If you've ever been to open-mic night when some guy attempts an edgy and ironic comedic monologue about current culture but clearly has only a theoretical grasp of the concepts of edginess, irony or comedy and so bombs out on stage but doesn't even realize it...yeah.
This is one where I should have paid more attention to the low GR ratings.
__________________
DNF Disclaimer: Usually I don't affix a star rating to books on my DNF/abandoned list. That said, I make exceptions to my own rule if I feel any or all of the following is applicable:
A) I've gotten more than 25% of the way through the book (which is far more than enough for something to prove its value.)
B) I find the content or writing especially inane, insufferable, or just plain old dull,
C) Something about either the content or author's POV just annoyed the hell out of me.
It's really just a lot of trite navel-gazing and ranting in the name of social commentary. I kept reading as far as I did in hopes the author had a point to make, but it really came off as a bunch of incoherent rambling mumbles. If you've ever been to open-mic night when some guy attempts an edgy and ironic comedic monologue about current culture but clearly has only a theoretical grasp of the concepts of edginess, irony or comedy and so bombs out on stage but doesn't even realize it...yeah.
This is one where I should have paid more attention to the low GR ratings.
__________________
DNF Disclaimer: Usually I don't affix a star rating to books on my DNF/abandoned list. That said, I make exceptions to my own rule if I feel any or all of the following is applicable:
A) I've gotten more than 25% of the way through the book (which is far more than enough for something to prove its value.)
B) I find the content or writing especially inane, insufferable, or just plain old dull,
C) Something about either the content or author's POV just annoyed the hell out of me.
May 20, 2016
Reading this book is like wandering through a beautiful gallery of some of the most amazing authors in history. The beauty of it is Wilson doesn't take pages upon pages to tell you who the authors are and bring you up to speed - if he did this book would be an encyclopedia. But it's a marvel when you know the references because you realize he selected EXACTLY the right quotes and people to make his point. And if you don't know the reference, you can still enjoy the book - you just don't get that extra spice (if he spent all the time defining everything it wouldn't have any spice at all; so what he did was perfect).
This book isn't exactly an "eye opener" because Wilson doesn't slap you across the face with surprise facts. But he tells you witty things that make you smirk and wonder just how genius this man is.
This doesn't read like novel, or a story. It reads almost like you're diving into Wilson's mind. Enjoy the experience without expectations and appreciate the journey. For anyone who has studies non-fiction English (as in classes in it), you will especially enjoy this book. I kind of wish my English teachers in college required we read this kind of book. It's beautiful. I enjoyed this book so much that I wrote down notes and quotes. Beautiful and quite a pleasure. Surprised so many people reviewed it so lowly. I would recommend everyone read this.
This book isn't exactly an "eye opener" because Wilson doesn't slap you across the face with surprise facts. But he tells you witty things that make you smirk and wonder just how genius this man is.
This doesn't read like novel, or a story. It reads almost like you're diving into Wilson's mind. Enjoy the experience without expectations and appreciate the journey. For anyone who has studies non-fiction English (as in classes in it), you will especially enjoy this book. I kind of wish my English teachers in college required we read this kind of book. It's beautiful. I enjoyed this book so much that I wrote down notes and quotes. Beautiful and quite a pleasure. Surprised so many people reviewed it so lowly. I would recommend everyone read this.
June 4, 2015
First of all, I didn't finish this book. I won't.
The book is a series of short (1-4 page) essays, which, while easy to read, just don't go anywhere. I got to page 75 without really knowing why this book was written. The jacket blurbs did not jive with what I was reading.
Your mileage may differ, based on time of month, personal drama, and general interests.
The book is a series of short (1-4 page) essays, which, while easy to read, just don't go anywhere. I got to page 75 without really knowing why this book was written. The jacket blurbs did not jive with what I was reading.
Your mileage may differ, based on time of month, personal drama, and general interests.
October 9, 2015
Bleh!
Written in a cutesy noveau journalism tone, this comes across to me as... fake! Smarmy! I couldn't get past the writing style to critique the message.
Don't waste your time.
Written in a cutesy noveau journalism tone, this comes across to me as... fake! Smarmy! I couldn't get past the writing style to critique the message.
Don't waste your time.
May 10, 2023
This was my second time reading the book, and I found that I gained a deeper understanding compared to my first read eight years ago. I'll write a review later.
November 8, 2015
A trite title disguising what is one of the most metaphysically searing books I have read in months.
Hoooooly shit...
Hoooooly shit...
April 17, 2018
Henry David Thoreau wrote in the Conclusion chapter of Walden, "Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth." I've read that line many times and always wondered if Henry would know it if he found the Truth he so desired. Would I? Would we? Wilson says, "We fake it to compensate for what we lack." He also says, "What is true - capital-T True - is that you get to decide how you're gonna try to see it." This may be a pop culture use of wording, but there is an existential realness to these words. Really.
May 23, 2020
Tackles some interesting internal battles with how you present the “self” but it’s written like a bunch of 1-4 page essays with no cohesion. Feels like someone ranting for hours on end. I find it kind of difficult to read books of this nature but it was relatively intriguing.
June 1, 2025
I can't say exactly what I love about this book .. it feels part autobiographical .. part stream of consciousness. Eruditic .. yet relatable (at times even coarse!) and humorous. I don't read nearly as much as I wish I did .. but I just re-read this book with much joy and I am quite glad I did.
August 14, 2016
"This book has been about how we fake it to compensate for what we lack, to make up for the ruining of love in the books of our days. Build your own artifice out of the rubble, maybe a sphere expansive as the universe, or perhaps a single ball, apple size". That single statement ladies and gents is the heart of the matter of Eric G. Wilson's Keep It Fake: Inventing An Authentic Life. The need to “discover your authentic self” has become an article of faith in the United States. There are thousands of blogs, books, and seminars that supposedly teach people how to discover who they really are. But what if our obsession with uncovering an authentic self is getting in the way of living a truly flourishing life? What if instead of trying to discover an authentic life, we should be focused on inventing one instead? Eric makes the subtle but powerful argument that instead of trying to uncover some platonic authentic self that what we should really be doing is trying to create our authentic self. Eric discusses what we can learn from philosophy, from science, from literature, from art, from films, from actors, particularly actors like Bill Murray or Carrie Grant about creating an authentic life.
One of the problems that I have with this book is that it's all over the place. Eric does this on purpose to form sort of a hybrid book that's a collection of essays put together. In one part of the book he interweaves stories of his own life, his life as a phony, as someone who has been a fake in good ways and bad ways. And in other parts he talks a great deal on philosophy, science, psychology, literature, & playful riffs on Bill Murray and Carrie Grant all compromised in short chapters that are about 3-4 pages long. I believe Eric really wanted the book to have a kind of playfulness to it, one that has that kind of heterogeneity and playfulness to it. Some people like it and others like myself don't.
Overall I believe Eric has made his point in the book that is there is no authentic self to be found. You are the creator of that self and I believe that's the diamond in the rough.
One of the problems that I have with this book is that it's all over the place. Eric does this on purpose to form sort of a hybrid book that's a collection of essays put together. In one part of the book he interweaves stories of his own life, his life as a phony, as someone who has been a fake in good ways and bad ways. And in other parts he talks a great deal on philosophy, science, psychology, literature, & playful riffs on Bill Murray and Carrie Grant all compromised in short chapters that are about 3-4 pages long. I believe Eric really wanted the book to have a kind of playfulness to it, one that has that kind of heterogeneity and playfulness to it. Some people like it and others like myself don't.
Overall I believe Eric has made his point in the book that is there is no authentic self to be found. You are the creator of that self and I believe that's the diamond in the rough.
February 2, 2016
Some moving reflection on his own bipolar disorder, as well as having had to give up his dream of being a college and ultimately pro football player.
The less personal part, which is most of it, eluded me. I get that he likes the actor Bill Murray, the philosopher/psychologist William James, and the novelist David Foster Wallace. Beyond that, i often had no idea what he was talking about in these essays. General theme of constructed identity, impossibility of knowing absolute truth about one's self or anyone else.......these are not new concepts, and ideally an editor could have encouraged him to ground them more often in fresh or at least concrete observations.
The less personal part, which is most of it, eluded me. I get that he likes the actor Bill Murray, the philosopher/psychologist William James, and the novelist David Foster Wallace. Beyond that, i often had no idea what he was talking about in these essays. General theme of constructed identity, impossibility of knowing absolute truth about one's self or anyone else.......these are not new concepts, and ideally an editor could have encouraged him to ground them more often in fresh or at least concrete observations.
July 2, 2015
I rate this book 1 star because its marketing blurb presents the book as some social science non-fiction and that is totally misleading. The author's writing style is too poetic, philosophical, or something else for me. I often do not see his points. To me it appears to be a book in English literature and the marketing team should have advertised the book as such (so that I know it does not interest me). Big disappointment!!
January 16, 2017
Eric G. Wilson has provided the antidote for the market place spirituality of our times. Keep it Fake: Inventing An Authentic Life is nothing short of a fucking literary miracle. Drawing on his own life and his depth of literary and artistic wisdom Wilson demonstrates how the roles we choose are the key. This might be the only book you need to read this year. Read it at least 3 times.
June 28, 2015
Very patchy. Comprises 50 short, loosely connected essays, some good, others a bit over the top with so many literary and pop allusions that I could not keep track of the train of thought. About 20% of the essays were memorable, so the book was worth reading.
Read
June 18, 2015Collection of essays. Too philosophical and rambling for me. I'm not going to rate it because I think I am not able to properly appreciate the writing style. Most understated quote: "Excellent men are killed by idiots. This distresses us."
June 6, 2015
I enjoyed Wilson's previous two books but I'm not sure what the point of this one is. It reads more like a collection of brief essays than a coherent narrative. A jumbled mix of cultural and literary criticism, memoir, and philosophy. Some interesting and funny moments but mostly a mess.
Read
December 22, 2016Not something I would normally pick up to read but the book was interesting.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews