The con-man may be someone you want to avoid in real life, but he is a beloved figure in literature. Why do readers and writers love the con artist so? And why is he always a "he"? Lots of reading recommendations, plus the story of a local writer who's not only written about the con-man; he's also been one.
Guests:
- Clancy Martin, philosophy professor, University of Missouri-Kansas City, writer, Bad Sex
- Kaite Stover, The Kansas City Public Library
- Mark Luce, The Barstow School
- Jeffrey Ann Goudie, freelance book critic and editorialist, The Kansas City Starand The Huffington Post
The Bibliofiles recommend:
- Players: Conmen, Hustlers, Gamblers and Scam Artists, edited by Geno Hyde and Stephen Zanetti (Luce)
- The Big Con, by David Mauer (Luce)
- Yellow Kid Weil, by J.R. "Yellow Kid" Weil and W.T. Brannon (Luce)
- You Can't Win, by Jack Black (Luce)
- The Exploits of Arsene Lupin, by Maurice LeBlanc (Luce)
- Raffles the Amateur Craftsman, by E.W. Hornung (Luce)
- Queenpin, by Megan Abbot (Luce)
- The Grifters, by Jim Thompson
- Jay's Journal of Anomalies, by Ricky Jay (Luce)
- Gamesmanship and One-Upsmanship, Stephen Potter (Luce)
- The Secret History of Wonder Woman, by Jill Lepore (Goudie)
- Purity, by Jonathan Franzen (Goudie)
- Boy, Snow, Bird, by Helen Oyeyemi (Goudie)
- Catch Me If You Can, by Frank Abagnale (Stover)
- Bringing Down the House, by Ben Mezrich (Stover)
- Guys and Dolls, by Damon Runyon (Stover)
- The Art Forger, by B.A. Shapiro (Stover)
- Paper Moon: A Novel, by Peter Bogdanovich (listener recommendation)
- The Great Brain, by John D. Fitzgerald (listener recommendation)
- The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas (listener recommendation)
