The Great Beanie Baby Bubble

Just absolutely fascinating, like watching a slow moving train wreck.

Probably more like 3.5 stars but I couldn't bring myself to round up. ( disclosure: I read this book b/c someone talked about it on Twitter.)
This book is a fascinating look into one of the few trends I participated in as a child. Though I was not collecting them. My sister and I just wanted the cats. I knew the Beanie bubble was a thing but I didn't realize the extent. Or how obsessive Ty was about the appearance of his creations. That being said, this book just didn't feel cohesive. There were sections that made sense, like the McDonald's saga, but overall the structure just left me confused. I would have appreciated a timeline. Instead, the book starts at the midway point, goes to the beginning and then the end.
Good things:
* The pure insanity of Ty.
* Quotes from people directly involved.
Cats are responsible for everything! For the most part, the book doesn't openly mock people for collecting.
* The cover gets more hilarious the further you go.
Areas for improvement:
Faith's manuscript. I want more of it. A more focused timeline.
* An interview with someone on the manufactory side of things.
The book has pictures, but didn't include several I thought it should have. I feel like I still have several unanswered questions.

This was a quick, interesting read about the factors and forces behind the Beanie Bubble craze and crash. As someone who frantically called every McDonalds in the St. Louis area to find the right Teeny Beanie Baby for my 7 year old daughter (I was in it to make her happy, not to make money), it was a reminder that smart people often behave totally irrationally. The information the author was able to gather about Ty Warner's upbringing and management style paints the picture of a brilliant but paranoid and obsessive individual who was incapable of caring about anyone but himself. I could have lived with fewer pages devoted to Warner's two girlfriends, but they experienced the rise and fall of Beanie Babies and both victims of Warner's emotional cruelty, so their contributions are important too.

The lesson is, past performance is no guarantee of future results. Also, there's a sucker born every minute.