Liar's Paradise: The Seven Degrees of Corporate Deceit

Tell more white lies-that's the message of this humorous and quirky treatise about dishonesty in the workplace. Lying, Edmond claims, ""will make the world a happier place, people will think better of you and you will think better of yourself."" Throughout this UK import-peppered with appealing British tics, surprising statistics and the varying categories of liars-the author pushes the premise that offices are hubs of deception ""where facts are not facts and the truth is obscured."" The key, according to Edmonds, is to know how to function in this fraudulent environment, tell the right kinds of lies, and spot the liars around you. Edmonds bolsters his case with references to everyone from Saint Augustine to Kant, pointing to historical examples of lying and reminding us of some basic truths: nearly everyone lies at least twice a day, fakes something on their resume or pilfers pens from the office-supply closet. Much of this is stuff any workplace drone already knows; of course meetings are good time-wasters and multi-bulleted Powerpoint presentations often conceal complete inadequacy. But for that it's no less an enjoyable read; at the very least, Edmonds (Bullshit Bingo) reminds cubicle-dwellers that they're not alone and can survive their morally gray purgatory.