Customer Reviews

Katie.com: My Story

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(27)

 

 

At a glance, it is easy to sympathize with Katie Tarbox: a young, lonely teen who finds an online friend, but is betrayed by his facade and with sexual molestation. She is definitely brave, since of those who are unfortunate to be rapped or molested, only a fraction comes out to tell about their traumatizing experiences.

But with Katie's book, Katie.com, this is where the sympathy ends. With the first glance at the title, it's clear that Katie wants to make important points about meeting people online (which was what led to her unfortunate meeting with "Mark"), but she fails with nothing more of a poorly written sob story. She spends too much time trying to communicate her emotional distress while little attention is paid to the single most important factor that led to her encounter: at 13, she was lonely and naive when she realized how flawed society was, she let that get the best of her when she met "Mark" online and failed to stop her teenaged vulnerabilities from ruling over common sense. Her story could have been more unique, despite the quality of her writing, if she lived up to the promise of telling the lessons learned from her online/offline experiences as an insecure teen, so others could be properly warned.

With her web site, katiet.com, it's insulting that she even gives the impression that she is blaming the Internet for her experiences. It is analogous to being raped while walking down a street, then blaming that street for that shocking event.

In short, Katie.com is the result of emotional fallout expressed in dry writing that does not convey itself effectively. It would have been much wiser for Katie if she had waited several more years before starting on this book. But instead, she shows herself as if she is still that exact same girl she describes herself as at the start of her book.

I'm sorry, I know she's only eighteen, and there's a good story - *somewhere* in here! I just can't get beyond the poor quality of writing, the incessant rambling about nothing, stories with no point. I suspect the reader doesn't need more than half of the background on what it's like to be thirteen - not to mention those who may not sympathize with a girl who is growing up in privilege and complaining about it. I wouldn't waste the money - there are plenty of less painful ways to learn about the dangers of the internet than reading this book.

Anyone who pays for their own internet domain should boycott this book. Neither Katherine Tarbox nor her publishers, own the right to the katie.com domain. Katie Jones, the owner of katie.com, has essentially had her website destroyed by the release of this book with it's chosen title. The proof lies in the abusive and misguided entries on katie.com's guestbook. Katherine Tarbox owns and operates her own domain, katieT.com, so there was no reason at all for her to steal someone else's for the title of her book. I refuse to support this internet piracy by buying this book.

There are real victims whose lives provide inspiration for those around them. But Katie Tarbox is not one of these people. She ignored all of the lessons we are supposed to learn as young children, those lessons that are meant to take us through our lives and threw them away with reckless abandon as she searched for comapny on cyberspace. The lessons taught to children should extend into the realm of the intenet. How she got a book deal is beyong me, the quality is poor and the message, and age old tale of plain stupidity.

I agree with the other people who have had bad comments about this book. It is poorly written and not enjoyable. She seems to be begging for sympathy. She made a dumb mistake and has little common sense. Skip this book

This book is, as an understatement, a disgrace to the average human being. Katie has no concept of decent writing and her story should not have been published. As a student of Katie's age, I can honestly say that she doesn't know what suffering is. Living in privilage is all that Katie has ever, or will ever know. Her pathetic attempt to win sympathy in the public eye casts a shadow of contemptablility on all SPS students. Although, in a different context, her message could be useful, her blatant bid for pity disgusts me. As a 14 year old, Katie should have known what responsibility meant when she started using the internet. Being clueless on the web is more than stupid. She was asking for it. Not that it should ever happen, but you can not be careless! EVERY 14 year old knows that! Everyone, obviously, except for her. SAVE YOURSELVES! RUN!

She was smart enough to know about capitalism but couldn't figure out that this wasn't a 23 year old guy? I mean c'mon! I've been duped by men on the net for years, and I found a website or two that truly deal with this subject on real levels that people can relate to. I dunno, maybe Dutton was just desperate for something, anything dealing with the internet when the internet was "hot" but this? It almost encourages teens go to and get themselves into dangerous situations so they can make money off of it as well.

If you want the real skinny on interent dating, and meeting people on the net, go to http://www.saferdating.com or http:;//www.wildangel.com - the real deal!

Another (yawn) book by a verbose teen who did something stupid and managed to live through it.

Commend her courage? I should think admonishing the workaholic mother who left the computer to babysit and gave her 13 year old unlimited access would be more like it!

I often struggle to find a good book to read. When I read the amazon review, I thought it would be a good, well written novel about the dangers of the internet. After reading the book, I was shocked with the first reviews of the novel, for they seemed unreal and fake, as if the person never read the book. After the first pages, I felt like I was listening to someone complain, and as I read, it seemed to get worse and worse, making absolutely no sense with no application to my life. It seems like it were written by my little sister. An interesting topic, but dissappointing product. I feel cheated. If you are about to buy it, Please reconsider and spend your money on a book with real substance, that has some value towards your life. Even if you think you can relate to the topic, it doesn't address the issue intelligently. I find it hard to imagine anyone appreciating this as a piece of "literature." There are thousands of great books out there. BUYER BEWARE, THIS IS NOT WORTH IT.

While it is unfortunate that the author felt violated, it is difficult to give her very much sympathy. The book reads like the latest issue of YM magazine. Ms. Tarbox paints a picture of her town as if it were an elitist, highly competitive, and altogether unpleasant place to be a child, yet she adores her even more homogenous New England prep school? New Canaan and greater Fairfield County is a wonderful place to grow up. Children there are generally very well-off and denied little. It is unfortunate that Katie's story was not better written. A few extra hours of editing would have gained more sympathy for both the author and her cause instead of making them both laughable.

I often struggle to find a good book to read. When I read the amazon review, I thought it would be a good, well written novel about the dangers of the internet. After reading the book, I was shocked with the first reviews of the novel, for they seemed unreal and fake, as if the person never read the book. After the first pages, I felt like I was listening to someone complain, and as I read, it seemed to get worse and worse, making absolutely no sense with no application to my life. It seems like it were written by my little sister. An interesting topic, but dissappointing product. I feel cheated. If you are about to buy it, Please reconsider and spend your money on a book with real substance, that has some value towards your life. Even if you think you can relate to the topic, it doesn't address the issue intelligently. I find it hard to imagine anyone appreciating this as a piece of "literature." There are thousands of great books out there. BUYER BEWARE, THIS IS NOT WORTH IT.