Scan barcode
perlstein's review against another edition
5.0
Damn. Derek blew my mind twice in two months. Well crafted.
thewallflower00's review against another edition
5.0
Like a lot of people, I came to Derek Delgaudio from his Hulu special “In and Of Itself“. It’s part magic show, part stand-up, part TED talk and everyone on Twitter was talking about it. I loved every second. So of course, I looked to see if there was more. And this was it.
This is more of a memoir–a tale of how he grew up and became a sleight-of-hand master. But Derek Delgaudio cannot be defined because he’s both a walking contradiction and an antiquity. A likable liar. A loveable cad. Neil Gaiman said that “magic (like fiction) means someone stands up on stage and says ‘I am going to lie to you’ and you accept the lie because you want to.”
Fortunately, this book isn’t as “pull the wool over your eyes”. Probably because it’s harder to do card tricks in the written word. But also because you probably want to figure out how such a man exists. It’s all about truth vs. lies, who plays who, who can you trust. He can do with words what he does in his special.
This book expounds on the details he touches on in his special, like his lesbian fire-fighting mother and his… well I wouldn’t call it stage fright, but part of the reason he’s the master of his field is he doesn’t like performing. But he can do the same thing over and over and over, practice and practice and practice the same motions to 10th degree black belt level and never get bored.
Derek Delgaudio is the honest cheater. The Sting transformed into a force for good. If you saw the special, you’ll want to read the book. If you read the book, you will want more. It certainly did for me.
This is more of a memoir–a tale of how he grew up and became a sleight-of-hand master. But Derek Delgaudio cannot be defined because he’s both a walking contradiction and an antiquity. A likable liar. A loveable cad. Neil Gaiman said that “magic (like fiction) means someone stands up on stage and says ‘I am going to lie to you’ and you accept the lie because you want to.”
Fortunately, this book isn’t as “pull the wool over your eyes”. Probably because it’s harder to do card tricks in the written word. But also because you probably want to figure out how such a man exists. It’s all about truth vs. lies, who plays who, who can you trust. He can do with words what he does in his special.
This book expounds on the details he touches on in his special, like his lesbian fire-fighting mother and his… well I wouldn’t call it stage fright, but part of the reason he’s the master of his field is he doesn’t like performing. But he can do the same thing over and over and over, practice and practice and practice the same motions to 10th degree black belt level and never get bored.
Derek Delgaudio is the honest cheater. The Sting transformed into a force for good. If you saw the special, you’ll want to read the book. If you read the book, you will want more. It certainly did for me.
jimmacsyr's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed this book very much. Interesting to see the progression and internal dialog.
rachelbohlen's review against another edition
3.0
Fine, I guess. A pretty forgettable tale of a borderline con man.
lbcaterson's review against another edition
5.0
I don't think that I have read a book in a single sitting in 20 years.
But I did it with this one.
But I did it with this one.
moviesnob1979's review
5.0
OMG, I didn’t want this book to end! Fast paced, witty and funny! I felt like I was living these experiences myself! I want more!
balletbookworm's review
4.0
I've been tearing through audiobooks this month, whew. (this is a quick one, especially if you're like me and listen at 2x speed because everyone reads to slow)
This is a really interesting one - I wasn't sure if I was going to care much in the beginning (card cheat? OK, I was kind of meh) but Delaudio's story is interesting, how he became interested in illusions as a kid and then sleight of hand, and then all the card tricks. And THEN how he worked as a dealer almost by accident. And also all the people he meets along the way.
But then again, what is true? And where is the misdirection?
This is a really interesting one - I wasn't sure if I was going to care much in the beginning (card cheat? OK, I was kind of meh) but Delaudio's story is interesting, how he became interested in illusions as a kid and then sleight of hand, and then all the card tricks. And THEN how he worked as a dealer almost by accident. And also all the people he meets along the way.
But then again, what is true? And where is the misdirection?
heckmanity's review
5.0
Magic is such a peculiar form of performance, and this is the second magician's memoir that I've read and really enjoyed. Not sure I can say much more at the moment without the time to absorb it all, but finishing this book was a nice return to reading after a month of craziness that kept me from it.