"[T]his little-known story unfolds like Catch Me if You Can ." -- The Washington Post "Reading Anansi''s Gold is like watching a heist movie . all about improvisation, unforced error, unlikely escape." -- Dan Piepenbring, Harper''s "Yepoka Yeebo''s riveting Anansi''s Gold traces the outlines of Blay-Miezah''s life, shedding light on how he perpetrated his deceptions for years while living in incredible opulence. The author delves into archives across the Atlantic, digs up criminal proceedings and conducts interviews with victims and associates alike, in the process telling us not just about Blay-Miezah, but about the world that enabled him to thrive." -- New York Times Book Review "Skillfully interweaves archival material, F.B.I.
records, and interviews to recount the saga of [a] con man''s career, and to reflect on how lies can be leveraged in the creation of national histories." -- The New Yorker "The sprawling story of Blay-Miezah''s outsize life and wayward career is told with mordant aplomb by first-time author Yepoka Yeebo . While [the book] reflects a daunting amount of research, it reads like a picaresque novel . Compelling." -- The Wall Street Journal "An enthralling rags-to-stolen-riches story, a thrilling true-crime caper, and a sharp indictment of a world that allows scammers like Blay-Miezah to thrive." -- TIME "A wild tale . Yeebo''s substantial research - based on interviews, archives, government reports, and the like - is nothing less than awe inspiring, and her prose is careful and self-assured, often outraged, sometimes dryly amused . Anansi''s Gold is a fascinating story brilliantly told.
" -- The Boston Globe " Catch Me if You Can meets Coming to America in this epic tale of one of the greatest scammers of all time." -- NPR "In her thrilling new book, Yepoka Yeebo tells the jaw-dropping story of a man behind a scam called ''one of the most fascinating - and lucrative - in modern history'' . the ever-proliferating grifter-lit bookshelf is on the verge of collapsing under its own weight, but Yeebo''s contribution to the category stands out . meticulously researched." -- The Guardian "A wild, juicy ride." -- Los Angeles Times "Stylish and substantive, Yepoka Yeebo''s Anansi''s Gold is a non-fiction masterpiece, artfully weaving Blay-Miezah''s remarkable exploits into the fabric of history. Highly recommended." -- The Philadelphia Inquirer "Rigorously researched and beautifully written.
" -- CrimeReads "In this absorbing true crime narrative, Yeebo details the fascinating story of this audacious con artist." -- Town & Country "Absorbing . A colorful, eye-opening account." -- Newsweek, Favorite Books of 2023 "Yeebo pulls off something near-magical here. She excavates an overlooked historical narrative as juicy as any true-crime blockbuster, where every detail is both fastidiously researched and completely over-the-top-one of Blay-Miezah''s major adversaries in his quest to scam? Former child star Shirley Temple Black, of course!-while also conveying how the colonial system nurtured and turbo-charged this dysfunction." -- Wired, Best Books of the Year "Yeebo seamlessly moves from the fun of a classic con-man yarn . to an equally engrossing history of the West African state and its rocky path to postcolonial independence. Her sharpest point: that Blay-Miezah succeeded so handsomely by exploiting the stereotype of Africa as a source of ill-gotten wealth, ripe for the picking.
" -- Slate, 25 Best True Crime Books, Podcasts, and Documentaries of All Time "Even as [Yeebo collapsing under its own weight, but Yeebo''s contribution to the category stands out . meticulously researched." -- The Guardian "A wild, juicy ride." -- Los Angeles Times "Stylish and substantive, Yepoka Yeebo''s Anansi''s Gold is a non-fiction masterpiece, artfully weaving Blay-Miezah''s remarkable exploits into the fabric of history. Highly recommended." -- The Philadelphia Inquirer "Rigorously researched and beautifully written." -- CrimeReads "In this absorbing true crime narrative, Yeebo details the fascinating story of this audacious con artist." -- Town & Country "Absorbing .
A colorful, eye-opening account." -- Newsweek, Favorite Books of 2023 "Yeebo pulls off something near-magical here. She excavates an overlooked historical narrative as juicy as any true-crime blockbuster, where every detail is both fastidiously researched and completely over-the-top-one of Blay-Miezah''s major adversaries in his quest to scam? Former child star Shirley Temple Black, of course!-while also conveying how the colonial system nurtured and turbo-charged this dysfunction." -- Wired, Best Books of the Year "Yeebo seamlessly moves from the fun of a classic con-man yarn . to an equally engrossing history of the West African state and its rocky path to postcolonial independence. Her sharpest point: that Blay-Miezah succeeded so handsomely by exploiting the stereotype of Africa as a source of ill-gotten wealth, ripe for the picking." -- Slate, 25 Best True Crime Books, Podcasts, and Documentaries of All Time "Even as [Yeebocam? Former child star Shirley Temple Black, of course!-while also conveying how the colonial system nurtured and turbo-charged this dysfunction." -- Wired, Best Books of the Year "Yeebo seamlessly moves from the fun of a classic con-man yarn .
to an equally engrossing history of the West African state and its rocky path to postcolonial independence. Her sharpest point: that Blay-Miezah succeeded so handsomely by exploiting the stereotype of Africa as a source of ill-gotten wealth, ripe for the picking." -- Slate, 25 Best True Crime Books, Podcasts, and Documentaries of All Time "Even as [Yeebo collapsing under its own weight, but Yeebo''s contribution to the category stands out . meticulously researched." -- The Guardian "A wild, juicy ride." -- Los Angeles Times "Stylish and substantive, Yepoka Yeebo''s Anansi''s Gold is a non-fiction masterpiece, artfully weaving Blay-Miezah''s remarkable exploits into the fabric of history. Highly recommended." -- The Philadelphia Inquirer "Rigorously researched and beautifully written.
" -- CrimeReads "In this absorbing true crime narrative, Yeebo details the fascinating story of this audacious con artist." -- Town & Country "Absorbing . A colorful, eye-opening account." -- Newsweek, Favorite Books of 2023 "Yeebo pulls off something near-magical here. She excavates an overlooked historical narrative as juicy as any true-crime blockbuster, where every detail is both fastidiously researched and completely over-the-top-one of Blay-Miezah''s major adversaries in his quest to scam? Former child star Shirley Temple Black, of course!-while also conveying how the colonial system nurtured and turbo-charged this dysfunction." -- Wired, Best Books of the Year "Yeebo seamlessly moves from the fun of a classic con-man yarn . to an equally engrossing history of the West African state and its rocky path to postcolonial independence. Her sharpest point: that Blay-Miezah succeeded so handsomely by exploiting the stereotype of Africa as a source of ill-gotten wealth, ripe for the picking.
" -- Slate, 25 Best True Crime Books, Podcasts, and Documentaries of All Time "Even as [Yeebo collapsing under its own weight, but Yeebo''s contribution to the category stands out . meticulously researched." -- The Guardian "A wild, juicy ride." -- Los Angeles Times "Stylish and substantive, Yepoka Yeebo''s Anansi''s Gold is a non-fiction masterpiece, artfully weaving Blay-Miezah''s remarkable exploits into the fabric of history. Highly recommended." -- The Philadelphia Inquirer "Rigorously researched and beautifully written." -- CrimeReads "In this absorbing true crime narrative, Yeebo details the fascinating story of this audacious con artist." -- Town & Country "Absorbing .
A colorful, eye-opening account." -- Newsweek, Favorite Books of 2023 "Yeebo pulls off something near-magical here. She excavates an overlooked historical narrative as juicy as any true-crime blockbuster, where every detail is both fastidiously researched and completely over-the-top-one of Blay-Miezah''s major adversaries in his quest to scam? Former child star Shirley Temple Black, of course!-while also conveying how the colonial system nurtured and turbo-charged this dysfunction." -- Wired, Best Books of the Year "Yeebo seamlessly moves from the fun of a classic con-man yarn . to an equally engrossing history of the West African state and its rocky path to postcolonial independence. Her sharpest point: that Blay-Miezah succeeded so handsomely by exploiting the stereotype of Africa as a source of ill-gotten wealth, ripe for the picking." -- Slate, 25 Best True Crime Books, Podcasts, and Documentaries of All Time "Even as [Yeebocam? Former child star Shirley Temple Black, of course!-while also conveying how the colonial system nurtured and turbo-charged this dysfunction." -- Wired, Best Books of the Year "Yeebo seamlessly moves from the fun of a classic con-man yarn .
to an equally engrossing history of the West African st.