Paul Berton takes aim at the waste and excess of consumer culture with a lively and satire-laced exposé of the rich, famous and totally miserable.

There is little argument that having enough money to meet your needs is important. But beyond that, what makes us happy? Is a lot of money the answer? Is a glamorous life actually glamorous? Must we have thousands of followers on social media, only to have the internet rabble criticize us at every turn? Amid all the fun and frivolity, there is inevitable misery and madness. A double-edged sword. A poisoned chalice. That’s what this book is about: In ten punchy chapters full of anecdotes about the miseries and misfortunes of the affluent, Berton offers readers ten reasons NOT to wish for fame or fortune.


Praise for Misfortune and Fame

"Funny, fascinating and forcefully written," -- Will Ferguson

"Hilariously eye-opening," -- Jamie Tennant

"Clever and comical," -- Vicki Gabereau

Witty and well-written," -- Ian Coutts

"An at once entertaining and treacherous romp through the 'mine-all-mine' fields of exces and overindulgence," -- Jeff Mahoney

News

The Hamilton Spectator's Jeff Mahoney writes about "the velvet noose of fame and fortune" in Berton's latest book.

Mutsumi Takahashi of CTV News interviews Paul Berton on Misfortune and Fame.

Ian Coutts interviews Paul Berton for the Zoomer Book Club.

Joseph Hnatiuk of the Winnipeg Free Press calls Misfortune and Fame "more than a gossip column on steroids," but "terse, lucid and forcefully compelling."







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