"The Stranger appears out of nowhere, perhaps in a bar, or a parking lot, or at the grocery store. His identity is unknown. His motives are unclear. His information is undeniable. Then he whispers a few words in your ear and disappears, leaving you picking up the pieces of your shattered world."--

To one degree or another, we all misjudge reality. Our perception--of ourselves and the world around us--is much more malleable than we realize. This self-deception influences every major aspect of our personal and social life, including relationships, sex, politics, careers, and health.

The story of a man who becomes a legend and an important political figure by falsely claiming he shot a ruthless gunman (Liberty Valance).

"Award-winning poet and critic Kevin Young traces the history of the hoax as a peculiarly American phenomenon -- the legacy of P.T. Barnum's 'humbug' culminating with the currency of Donald J. Trump's 'fake news'. Disturbingly, Young finds that fakery is woven from stereotype and suspicion, with race being the most insidious American hoax of all. He chronicles how Barnum came to fame by displaying figures like Joice Heth, a black woman whom he pretended...

"From the New York Times-bestselling author and host of NPR's Hidden Brain comes a thought-provoking exploration of deception's role in human success. Everyone agrees that lies and self-deception can do terrible harm to our lives, to our communities, and to the planet. But in Useful Delusions, host of NPR's Hidden Brain Shankar Vedantam argues that, paradoxically, deceiving ourselves and others can also play a vital role in human success and well-being....

A "New York Times"-bestselling author and lie detection expert for the ATF, FBI, and CIA uncovers the tools to recognize liars in this easy-to-follow program that will help readers lead a confident, trust-filled life.

This companion to The Dark Game: True Spy Stories introduces the military strategy of deception and examines how it has been used in war over the past 150 years. From the story of the Trojan horse to today, deceptive techniques have always been used in war. In recent years the technology behind fooling the enemy has evolved dramatically. Janeczko focuses on the American Civil War, World Wars I and II, and the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the...

Two brothers -- Will and Jeff -- and their friend Tom are out one night at their favorite South Beach bar, the Wild Zone, and decide to make a bet on who can be the first to seduce a mysterious-looking young woman drinking by herself. Pretty, dark-haired, blue-eyed Suzy has an innocent, almost ordinary girl-next-door way about her. Little do the friends know that their harmless bet is about to take on a life of its own, a life full of deadly consequences...

Recounts the story of the six double agents -- Bronx, Brutus, Treasure, Tricycle, Garbo, and a shadowy sixth spy whose heroic sacrifice is revealed here for the first time -- who would weave a web of deception so intricate that it ensnared Hitler's army and helped to carry thousands of troops across the Channel in safety on 6 June 1944, D-Day. The story of D-Day has been told from many points of view, but never before from the perspectives of the...