A M O R a L M a N

A deeply thought-provoking, wonderfully engaging memoir from a unique and one of the most gifted magicians to come along in years, the creator and star of the acclaimed, sold-out, one-man show, In and Of Itself. Derek DelGaudio is on his way to legendary status as a magician. But his interest and talents run much deeper than mere tricks and sleights-of-hands. In this beautifully written and candid memoir he describes how, as a young boy, he was obsessed not just with magic, but with cheating and cons as well. He writes about how that dark side of his obsession developed and grew--and the ramifications of a life built around it. We see how he learned to keep secrets when he discovered his single-parent mother was gay and that they were being ostracized in their very religious community. In line with this need for secrecy, became even more obsessed with cheating. In his late teens, Derek found a father figure in a charismatic con man and card cheat, traveling and learning from him, perfecting his own skills, and, finally, when his mentor was sent to jail, replacing him at a big money card game in Hollywood. And it was there that he began to realize what would become the foundation of his performing life: that the "real" in any situation is malleable, and, perhaps, illusory. Alternately tender, thrilling, and hilarious, Amoralman is both a powerful coming of age story, and an exploration of the idea that the world is not just rigged at the card table.