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AMORALMAN

A True Story and Other LiesΒ 
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( 4,367 ratings, 555 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
AMORALMAN by Derek DelGaudio delves into the author's remarkable life as a professional magician and con artist. This memoir explores his journey of self-discovery, the nature of deception, and the ambiguity of truth and reality. It's an intriguing exploration of moral ambiguity and personal transformation.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you are intrigued by confessional stories blending biography with themes of deception and honesty, written by a masterful magician and performer.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Truth and lies are two sides of the same coin. But who's flipping it? A thought-provoking and brilliantly entertaining work of nonfiction from one of the world's leading deceivers, the creator and star of the astonishing theatre show and film In & Of Itself.

Derek DelGaudio believed he was a decent, honest man. But when irrefutable evidence to the contrary is found in an old journal, his memories are reawakened and Derek is forced to confrontβ€”and try to understandβ€”his role in a significant act of deception from his past.

Using his youthful notebook entries as a road map, Derek embarks on a soulful, often funny, sometimes dark journey, retracing the path that led him to a world populated by charlatans, card cheats, and con artists. As stories are peeled away and artifices are revealed, Derek examines the mystery behind his father's vanishing act, the secret he inherited from his mother, the obsession he developed with sleight-of-hand that shaped his future, and the affinity he felt for the professional swindlers who taught him how to deceive others. And once he finds himself working as a crooked dealer in a big-money Hollywood card game, Derek begins to question his own sense of morality, and discovers that even a master of deception can find himself trapped inside an illusion.

AMORALMAN is a wildly engaging exploration of the fictions we live as truths. It is ultimately a book about the lies we tell ourselves and the realities we manufacture in others.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

AMORALMAN by Derek DelGaudio is praised for its exploration of honesty and deceit, blending factual and fictional elements to reveal broader truths about perception. Reviewers commend its compelling narrative, philosophical depth, and unique storytelling, comparing it to a magic trick that uncovers existential revelations. The memoir details DelGaudio's journey from a magic-enthused boy to a professional card cheat, highlighting the moral intricacies and personal epiphanies that come with living a life steeped in deception.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780593081112

Publisher: Random House USA Inc

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 01 February 2022

Country: United States

Imprint: Vintage Books

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 132.0mm

Height: 203.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 256

About the Author

Derek DelGaudio is a writer and performer, primarily known for his highly-acclaimed theater show, IN & OF ITSELF. He served as the Artist in Residence for Walt Disney Imagineering and cofounded the performance-art collective, A.BANDIT. Mr. DelGaudio lives in New York City.

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