Amoralman: A True Story and Other Lies
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- Create Date：2022-01-17 09:52:43
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Derek Delgaudio
- ISBN：0593081110
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Summary
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 theater show and film In & Of Itself。
"In a magic trick， the moment of revelation is essential: the spectators are amazed， not only because what they're seeing defies explanation but because they should have seen it coming all along。 The end of DelGaudio's story has that effect， but instead of an ace of spades there's a moral epiphany--an existential ta-da！" --The New Yorker
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 confront--and try to understand--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。
A M O R A L M A N 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。
"In a magic trick， the moment of revelation is essential: the spectators are amazed， not only because what they're seeing defies explanation but because they should have seen it coming all along。 The end of DelGaudio's story has that effect， but instead of an ace of spades there's a moral epiphany--an existential ta-da！" --The New Yorker
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 confront--and try to understand--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。
A M O R A L M A N 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。
Reviews
Jeannette Tenthorey
，
Interesting story of how one gets into the world of scam， but mostly I liked learning more about the creator of In and of Itself （so rad）
Violet
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I went into this somewhat mistaken as to the content。 Sometimes that is the best luck of all。 This is so engaging， so well done。 Complex and simple at the same time， with layers of commentary which come off seamlessly and integrate into a story which is truly never boring。 I knew basically nothing about bust-out dealers and gambling slights， and never would have expected that information to come packaged as a positive life and morality tale。 He did it right。4。5
Bryan Hoenig
，
Great read and message。 I enjoyed how the author weaved in different lessons supporting his initial message。 Can't wait to watch his show next！ Great read and message。 I enjoyed how the author weaved in different lessons supporting his initial message。 Can't wait to watch his show next！ 。。。more
Chris S。
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A beautiful tale and a must for fans of In and Of Itself。
Leslie
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I once worked with a person who quit his job so he and his brother could try to make a living playing poker full time。 He had no doubts at all of being successful。 I couldn’t even imagine what life like that might be。 So many biographies and memoirs I’ve read， yet I’ve never read much of anything about card games; just a couple movies。 I’m thinking California Split maybe with James Caan？ The Rounders。 Interesting story read by the author， Derek Delgaudio Amoralman: A True Story and Other Lies。 I I once worked with a person who quit his job so he and his brother could try to make a living playing poker full time。 He had no doubts at all of being successful。 I couldn’t even imagine what life like that might be。 So many biographies and memoirs I’ve read， yet I’ve never read much of anything about card games; just a couple movies。 I’m thinking California Split maybe with James Caan？ The Rounders。 Interesting story read by the author， Derek Delgaudio Amoralman: A True Story and Other Lies。 I didn’t find it as captivating as many reviewers and haven’t seen his show， In & Of Itself， yet， so the book didn’t live up to all the five star reviews。 For me， his interactions with other people were more interesting than the details of magic and tricks。 Can’t help wondering， though。。。 。。。more
Elyse French
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Everyone has a story， not every story needs to be a book。
James
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Audiobook read by its author Derek DelGaudio is hands down one of the most fascinating and unexpectedly emotional books I’ve enjoyed in recent years。 Really phenomenal。 Everyone should read it and also watch his brilliant Hulu special In & of Itself （each work stands alone）。
Nancy C
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Nonfiction - a long memoir， really - and fascinating！ Explores issues of truth， lies， cheating， and the sleight-of-hand maneuvers that often shape our lives。 All this from the perspective of a talented card sharp who， hired as a poker dealer， undertakes a dark and sometimes dangerous journey into high stakes gambling dens。 I absolutely inhaled this book and will be thinking about it for a long time to come。 MHD: It’s yours on loan if you want it。
Tobiah Zarlez
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There is very little chance many of the stories in here are true。 But of course， the book explictly acknowledges this。 You should watch Derek's In and Of itself first。 If you enjoyed that， you'll enjoy the additional stories in this。 There is very little chance many of the stories in here are true。 But of course， the book explictly acknowledges this。 You should watch Derek's In and Of itself first。 If you enjoyed that， you'll enjoy the additional stories in this。 。。。more
Emily Corpus
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I’ve never read anything like this book and I love it。 When I first started I was a little thrown off， but the more you know the characters you love it。 The ending made me so sad， but I loved the way it ends in a full circle。 It is so good I definitely recommend it if people wanna read something outside of their comfort books。
Purya Rabet
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Good writing。 Better storytelling。
Maria Becker
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Memoir of Derek Delgaudio's life from being a kid who loved sleight of hand to a card sharp cheating millionaires out of their millions， intermixed with lots of great ideas about secrecy， deception， love， and why we do what we do。 I first heard of Derek Delgaudio when listening to his （very good） Fresh Air interview last spring。 I then went on to watch his （VERY good） stage show In and Of Itself and LOVED it。 This book plays with similar ideas about identity， who we are， who we want people to se Memoir of Derek Delgaudio's life from being a kid who loved sleight of hand to a card sharp cheating millionaires out of their millions， intermixed with lots of great ideas about secrecy， deception， love， and why we do what we do。 I first heard of Derek Delgaudio when listening to his （very good） Fresh Air interview last spring。 I then went on to watch his （VERY good） stage show In and Of Itself and LOVED it。 This book plays with similar ideas about identity， who we are， who we want people to see us as， the protection of secrets， etc。， but it's also much more just a story of his life than the stage show。 He's had an incredibly interesting life。 I think that sometimes memoirs are good because the person is interesting， and sometimes the memoir is good because the writing is good， and this is one of those times where the author really checks both of those boxes。 This is a pretty short read， but I read the entire thing in basically a day because I couldn't put it down。 And then when I finished it I just sat there thinking about it for a while。 （The way he connects the last paragraph and the first paragraph is a thematic *chefs kiss*）。 His stage show has really impacted a lot of people （it's available to stream， and I could not recommend it enough）， and I think this book might be a good intro point to Delgaudio's craft。 Keywords: magic， mentorship， card cheats， identity， secrets， deception， mothers/sons， truth/lies， Plato's The Cave， stories， art， conceal/reveal， craft。 。。。more
Chris Ringelberg
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Like many of the books I’ve already read this year， this one came curtesy of Adam Savage in a video he did on his favorite books on pool sharks and card sharps， and this one intrigued me not only in how recent it had come out but in also how semi-vague he described how it had become one of his all time favorite books period。 I can sort of see why now。 The book weaves together a mixture of autobiographical， instructional， historic， and philosophical genres to tell the tale of David growing up and Like many of the books I’ve already read this year， this one came curtesy of Adam Savage in a video he did on his favorite books on pool sharks and card sharps， and this one intrigued me not only in how recent it had come out but in also how semi-vague he described how it had become one of his all time favorite books period。 I can sort of see why now。 The book weaves together a mixture of autobiographical， instructional， historic， and philosophical genres to tell the tale of David growing up and his fascination with magic but also the moral quandary of what sleight-of-hand and illusionary evoke when shown: deception。 He speaks on how we struggled with the side of magic we don’t think about or at least as the view of the tricks， just take for fact。 That the point is to trick us。 To lie， in a very stretched out view of it。 David bares all as he struggles with both sides of the same coin in trying to find his purpose and fixture in life while also not being afraid to show how hard it was or how much he respects the people who helped him along the way。 This isn’t a book that is going to spell out its purpose in bold-faced letters， or in a warm wrap-up after it all。 The book ends and leaves you thinking， laughing， and shaking your head… but not entirely sure why or what for。 This book ends letting you know its continued on， that this isn’t where the true story ends as that hasn’t happened yet。 Which in a special way， I guess could be considered a lie。 A deception。 A magic trick。 I’d highly recommend this book to anyone who is lost， struggling， or even just bored。 It’s a quick read that you can take a lot away from at any age， and one I’m sure to come back to over and over again。 Read this book and be amazed， not tricked， by its magic。 。。。more
Lisa Kimberly
，
Amoralman is a logical next step after viewing Delgaudio's one-man-show "In and Of Itself"。 I watched it over the summer and ordered this book as the credits rolled， I was so moved。Suffice it to say， the book sat impatiently on my shelf for a few months。 I never should have waited。Derek Delgaudio， a talented （yet apprehensive） magician， expounds on his early journals from his youth and adulthood in this "Amoralman"。 Recent viewers of "In and Of Itself" will recognize parts of his childhood that Amoralman is a logical next step after viewing Delgaudio's one-man-show "In and Of Itself"。 I watched it over the summer and ordered this book as the credits rolled， I was so moved。Suffice it to say， the book sat impatiently on my shelf for a few months。 I never should have waited。Derek Delgaudio， a talented （yet apprehensive） magician， expounds on his early journals from his youth and adulthood in this "Amoralman"。 Recent viewers of "In and Of Itself" will recognize parts of his childhood that are referenced in both works。 His writing is honest， raw， and shows a loose-switchblade-hold of craft that makes his voice so engaging to read; A true page turner。Delgaudio sets off with an introduction based in Plato's "Allegory of the Cave"。 You wonder for a moment where Plato will factor into this memoir， as it is barely mentioned again until the middle of the book。 From there， the parallels between Plato's allegory and Delgaudio's stint as a dealer start to carve deep， and you get to see Delgaudio for the creative， neurodivergent， and profound mind that he is。This book was a joy to read。 I powered through the second half in one sitting--I am completely remiss to have put this book off for so long。 "In and Of Itself" is not a prerequisite， but I would consume both in a close span of time， as "Amoralman" serves as a companion。 。。。more
Ben Mozingo
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An interesting perspective on the nature of truth from someone who has studied the art of true deception。
Mknawrocki
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Anyone who gambles should read this book。
Rob
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True story of the evolution of a magician into a conman who gets swept into the poker scene in LA。 A fun read， with some twists and turns， and insights into how con men operate in the real world - and can become victims themselves。 A quick read， worth the time。
Michael Blanchard
，
This book is simply wonderful
Tom
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Delgaudio's "In & Of Itself" is one of my favorite pieces of art/film that I've ever seen。 This book was a perfect followup to that masterpiece， and highlights his expert storytelling abilities and philosophical self reflection。 Delgaudio's "In & Of Itself" is one of my favorite pieces of art/film that I've ever seen。 This book was a perfect followup to that masterpiece， and highlights his expert storytelling abilities and philosophical self reflection。 。。。more
Jennifer
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How can we know what’s true if we can’t recognize what’s false？
Eric
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The author's self-introspection is refreshing; however， the theme of whether he is telling the truth makes one wonder。 The entire nature of cheating at games of chance made me squeamish。 But overall it was an entertaining listen。 The author's self-introspection is refreshing; however， the theme of whether he is telling the truth makes one wonder。 The entire nature of cheating at games of chance made me squeamish。 But overall it was an entertaining listen。 。。。more
Mary LeFever
，
I enjoyed listening to this， recorded by the author。 Learned a bit about how gambling cheating is done， illuminating， actually。Only question I have is， how much of the story was embelished to entertain the reader， or to coerce the reader to "make up their own story？！" I enjoyed listening to this， recorded by the author。 Learned a bit about how gambling cheating is done， illuminating， actually。Only question I have is， how much of the story was embelished to entertain the reader， or to coerce the reader to "make up their own story？！" 。。。more
Kimberly
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Enjoyed his documentary but this book dragged on and I was never really excited about reading it but felt obligated to finish it since I already read a bit before it started to really drag on。
Evan Geller
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Entertaining read。 Provides some insight into the world of skilled， and occasionally immoral， card dealers。 This book certainly confirmed my decision not to pursue professional poker as a career。 Recommended。
Julie Trapp
，
2。5 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 confront--and try to understand--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 a 2。5 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 confront--and try to understand--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。 [amazon synopsis]Amoral man - that he was。 He should be in prison。 Then， again， people who partake of these card games get what they deserve - to lose big time。 Unfortunately， the author helped them along。 。。。more
Aaron
，
I was so blown away by Delgaudio's performance art/show on Hulu， "In and of Itself" that I was excited to see if he expounded on the ideas of that show in this auto-bigraphy of his life。 'Amoralman' is mostly entertaining， a swift read that's overall competently written， although not altogether poetic。 A lot of Delgaudio's history of his family and love of magic is supported by some rather interesting stories in this book。 I however took issue with some of the details。 He talks about his mother' I was so blown away by Delgaudio's performance art/show on Hulu， "In and of Itself" that I was excited to see if he expounded on the ideas of that show in this auto-bigraphy of his life。 'Amoralman' is mostly entertaining， a swift read that's overall competently written， although not altogether poetic。 A lot of Delgaudio's history of his family and love of magic is supported by some rather interesting stories in this book。 I however took issue with some of the details。 He talks about his mother's Pride flag getting destroyed。 Maybe it happened， but flying a Pride flag in early 1980s wasn't thing。 In another story he talks about scouring the internet at school for a certain school project。 Internet was barely available in schools and colleges in the early 90s during the period the author was talking about。 Is he mis-remembering？ Or is he telling "Other Lies" as the tagline of the book's title suggests。 Who knows？ If you watched and really enjoyed the Hulu special you may get something out of this。 Otherwise it's probably skippable for everyone else。 As for me， I was entertained but had a sneaking suspicion I was being bullshitted which is what an illusion is afterall。 。。。more
Brad
，
Okay。 I loved In & Of Itself， it made me cry A LOT （I was a little drunk）。 But this book is just okay。 It’s non-fiction—OR IS IT？！？！？！？！ which I think robs it of any magic it could have had。 I dunno。 Fun story， is it all nonsense？ Who knows。 It’s exciting， but I think all the moralizing is a bit unrealistic and silly。 If someone handed me $2500 for a single night of work I don’t think I’d fall into an elaborate hallucination that just happened to be the framing device for my entire future novel…
Alli
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Outstanding read。 Big fan。
Niki Ganong
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Reads more like an autobiography。 Lacks the wonder and spectacle of In and of Itself。 For fans only。
Andy Greskoviak
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