Can you fake it until you make it?That's what Laurent Christ believes in Don't Mess Up My Block, a funny new novel that satirizes the American self-help obsession.Laurent has pursued self-improvement to its logical conclusion - he reinvents himself with a brand-new name and history. He drops a hundred pounds, shaves his head and goes on the road as a management consultant. Despite his lack of business experience, he's soon providing advice to corporations around the county. Everywhere he goes, comic disaster follows as companies follow his glib counsel.But failure is not going to stop him. One man and a story - that's all you need to make it in America.As a management expert, he's inevitably drawn to Washington, DC.

But even he is appalled by the intransigent bureaucracy he finds in the city. Maybe he's been wrong about everything. Maybe you need more than a catchphrase to find success.Laurent tells the story of his life in Don't Mess Up My Block, a satiric novel that examines the American faith in gurus and easy solutions.The book is told by Laurent Christ, a marketing consultant and the ultimate self-made man. A late-night encounter with a hooker leads him to an epiphany - success comes from eliminating distractions from "your block." Will he find Oprah-sized fame with this glib philosophy or be unmasked as a total fraud? Micromanaging bosses, greedy government contractors, foreign policy disasters - follow Laurent through an America that comically, tragically no longer works in Don't Mess Up My Block.