A Woman's Perspective on Tom Walker's The Puppet Master's Bible

I don’t write book reviews. I don’t do self-help. I don’t do “growth.” I don’t want a mindset shift. I just wanted to know why the hell people are like this.

Why the gaslighting.
Why the manipulation.
Why the fake apologies, the love-bombing, the guilt-tripping, the moving goalposts.

I wanted to know why every woman I know has been tricked, played, or guilted into accepting less than they deserve. Why we keep trusting. Why we keep excusing. Why we keep saying, “Maybe they’ll change.”

And holy. fcking. sht.

This book broke me.

It’s not some motivational “take control of your life” thing. It’s the red pill no one warns you about. The Puppet Master’s Bible isn’t just about how people manipulate—it’s about how we’ve been programmed since birth to be manipulated.

America is a Mind Game, and We’re All Losing

I don’t know how to explain it, but I feel like I’ve been sleepwalking. Like I knew something was off but couldn’t put my finger on it. I thought I was smart. I thought I was strong. I thought I could see through the bullshit.

Nope.

I’ve been playing defense my whole life without even knowing there was a game.

Because this book? This book dissects the playbook of the entire world we live in.

• Work? You’re kept just exhausted enough to not fight back.
• Dating? The second someone senses you want something, they use it against you.
• Family? If they can’t control you with love, they’ll control you with guilt.
• Politics? They don’t need to convince you, they just need to exhaust you into submission.

You are being manipulated at all times.
By brands. By social norms. By people who say they love you. And if you’re not aware of it, you’re just a walking “Accept Terms & Conditions” button for other people’s bullsh*t.

I See the Strings Now. And I Want to F*cking Cut Them.

‍Let’s talk about relationships for a second.Ever had a guy suddenly turn cold the second you got attached? Ever had someone string you along just enough to keep you hooked? Ever had someone do something horrible, then somehow make you feel like the bad guy for being upset?Congratulations. That’s a manipulation loop. And they probably didn’t even consciously do it. They just learned—through trial and error, through culture, through watching other people—that it f*cking works.This book explains why it works. Why your brain literally rewires itself around someone who gives and takes validation like a f*cking slot machine. It’s science, not just “toxic behavior.”It’s why you forgive people you shouldn’t.

It’s why you second-guess yourself when you know you’re right.

It’s why you explain yourself to people who never actually listen.And the second I started recognizing it, I saw it EVERYWHERE.

• The ex who used to be so sweet until I needed him.
• The boss who kept “rewarding” me with more work instead of a raise.
• The “friend” who only calls when she’s falling apart but disappears when I need help.
• The politicians who get people to fight over crumbs while billionaires eat the whole damn cake.

We’re not stupid for falling for it. We were never given the tools to see it.Until now.Ego, Empathy, and The Big LieI read Ego is the Enemy a while back. It was good. Made me realize how much of my suffering was self-inflicted. But The Puppet Master’s Bible? It made me realize how much of my suffering was engineered.

‍By systems.
By expectations.
By people who benefit when we stay small, stay silent, stay grateful for crumbs.

But here’s where sh*t got weird. The solution isn’t to “fight fire with fire.” It’s not to become better at manipulating. It’s not to become colder or hardened.

It’s the opposite. It’s empathy.

‍Not “fake nice” empathy. Not “be a good person” empathy. But the kind of deep, brutal, unshakeable understanding of people that makes manipulation unnecessary.

Because the moment you really understand someone? You don’t need to convince them. They convince themselves.

‍Final Warning: This Book Will Change You

‍If you read this, you will lose sh*t.

You will lose patience for people who use you.

You will lose the illusion that people are “just confused” or “just need love.”

You will lose the ability to be gaslit, tricked, or emotionally blackmailed.But you’ll gain something more valuable.You will see the game.You’ll understand why people do what they do.

You’ll understand how to move through this world without getting played.

And you’ll understand how to actually change things—not through force, but through actual power.I used to think being strong meant being cold.

I thought it meant being untouchable. But that’s just another lie I was fed.Real strength? Is knowing how things work. It’s seeing the system and deciding where you stand.

‍I know where I stand now.

‍TL;DR

• If you’ve ever been manipulated, gaslit, or guilt-tripped, read this book.
• If you feel like the world is designed to keep you small, it is—and this book explains how.
• If you want revenge, don’t get mad. Get clarity.
• If you want to win without playing dirty, learn real empathy.

This book will either wake you up or piss you off. Maybe both.Either way, you won’t be the same after.