Charlatan

America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him and the Age of Flimflam

By: Pope Brock

Narrated by: Johnny Heller

This is the enormously entertaining story of how a fraudulent surgeon made a fortune by inserting goats' testes into impotent American men. "Doctor" John Brinkley became a world renowned authority on sexual rejuvenation in the 1920s, with famous politicians and even royalty asking for his services. His nemesis was Dr. Morris Fishbein, editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association, but it took him 15 years to destroy Brinkley in a dramatic courtroom showdown.

In the meantime, despite mounting evidence that his quack treatments killed many patients, Brinkley became a millionaire, and his pioneering use of radio not only kick-started country music as a national force in America but also invented the whole concept of radio advertising. He also became the first politician to campaign over the airwaves when he ran for governor of Kansas.

©2008 Pope Brock (P)2008 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Told with uproarious brio...heavenly...A book so lively that its wild stories are virtually wall to wall." ( The New York Times)
"Hugely amusing [but also] dark and cautionary, a reminder of the high price of gullibility and ignorance." ( Washington Post Book World)
"If Hollywood hasn't already optioned Pope Brock's Charlatan....what's keeping it?" ( Newsweek)

Fascinating

This book is funny and sad, but most of all just mind-boggling. It proves in spades the observation (attributed to P.T. Barnum) that "There's a sucker born every minute." The only reason I didn't give it five stars is the mediocre narration, which included some startling mispronunciations. My favorite was "precis" pronounced PREE-sis.

Got Your Goat?

Pope Brock in his entertaining and informative book, "Charlatan," tells the story of John Brnkley who became a medicine man early in the last century. He became famous for transplanting goat testicles into impotent men. That is not the entire story, however.

It seems America has always been interested in circus side shows, quick cures, and hucksters in general. Today we carry on the tradition in reality shows, The Learning Channel programs on the odities of humanity and other entertainments. John Brinkley capitalized on that tradition.

Most interesting to me was the discussion of Brinkley's move into radio and how he turned it into a money machine. As a boy, I remember his station broadcasting (along with XEG - DelRio) the Carter Family, the Light Crust Dough Boys, and so forth. We could travel across the country at night and hear the DJs peddle medicine, music, and autographed pictures of Christ. It was a hoot at the time for sure.

The book takes the listener back to a simpler (?) time where anything was possible and we all believed. I did not give it four stars because it wanders in places and is a little over written in spots. Otherwise, "Charlatan" is an interesting change of pace. The reading is excellent.

Highly entertaining history

The book and the narration were both great. This is the kind of well-researched book that changes the way you view the recent past and present. Brinkley wasn't just an evolution of the snake oil salesman, he had an important role in the rise of the modern A.M.A., medical marketing, and even country music.

Johnny Heller's narration was brisk, old-timey when appropriate, and you could tell he enjoyed the book. Yes, he mispronounced Gila monster but to deduct stars for one or two mispronounced words is pedantry.

Strange Science Don't Wanna Miss!

Excellent telling of the bizarre story of Doc Brinkley. Any fan of Old Weird America should not miss this...and observers of the current day might find there's nothin my new under the sun! Heller's perfect for this reading and Brock is perfect.

nix the narrator

Fascinating subject, but the narrator was amateurish beyond belief. He did not prepare by checking pronunciation of words. "Precis" he pronounced pre-sis. He did not realize that Gila monster is from the Spanish so it is "Hila" not a g sound. He called Pavia, Italy, PA' via when it is Pa- VI'-A. Kudos to the author; nix the narrator.