Sign-In
Cart
Anansi's Gold: The Man Who Swindled the World
Paperback
Biographies GeneralAfrican HistoryTrue Crime
Publisher Price: $19.99
ISBN13: 9781639735297
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: Apr 22 2025
Pages: 400
Weight: 0.90
Height: 1.20 Width: 5.50 Depth: 8.20
Language: English
Catch Me if You Can meets Coming to America in this epic tale of one of the greatest scammers of all time.-NPR
Shortlisted for the Mark Lynton History Prize * A New York Times Notable Book of the Year * A New Yorker, NPR, Newsweek, The Economist, TIME, Slate, and WIRED Best Book of the Year
The astounding, never-before-told story of how an audacious Ghanaian con artist pulled off one of the 20th century's longest-running and most spectacular frauds.
After winning independence in 1957, Ghana instantly became a target for home-grown opportunists and rapacious Western interests determined to snatch any assets that British colonialism hadn't already stripped. A CIA-funded military junta ousted the inspiring president, Kwame Nkrumah, then falsely accused him of hiding the country's gold overseas.
Into this big lie stepped one of history's most charismatic scammers, a con man to rival the trickster god Anansi. Born into poverty in Ghana and trained in the United States, John Ackah Blay-Miezah declared himself custodian of an alleged Nkrumah trust fund worth billions. You, too, could claim a piece--if only you would invest in Blay-Miezah's fictitious efforts to release the equally fictitious fund. Over the 1970s and '80s, he and his accomplices-including Ghanaian state officials and Nixon's former attorney general--scammed hundreds of millions of dollars out of thousands of believers around the world. American prosecutors called his scam one of the most fascinating--and lucrative--in modern history.
In Anansi's Gold, Yepoka Yeebo chases Blay-Miezah's wild trail and discovers, at long last, what really happened to Ghana's missing wealth. She unfolds a riveting account of Cold War entanglements, international finance, and postcolonial betrayal, revealing how what we call history writes itself into being, one lie at a time.
Winner of the Jhalak Prize * Winner of the Plutarch Award for Biography * Finalist for the 2024 Hurston/Wright Foundation Legacy Award in Historical Nonfiction
1 different editions
Also available
Anansi's Gold: The Man Who Looted the West, Outfoxed Washington, and Swindled the World
Yeebo, Yepoka
Hardcover
Also from
Yeebo, Yepoka
Anansi's Gold: The Man Who Looted the West, Outfoxed Washington, and Swindled the World
Yeebo, Yepoka
Hardcover
Also in
True Crime
Undercover Junkie: Chasing Highs, Confronting Killers, and Unraveling in the Chaos
Cartwright, Brent
Hardcover
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
Larson, Erik
Paperback
Undercover Junkie: Chasing Highs, Confronting Killers, and Unraveling in the Chaos
Cartwright, Brent
Paperback
If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood
Olsen, Gregg
Paperback
Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, a Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor
Harmon, Mark
Paperback
The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty
Bauerlein, Valerie
Hardcover
The Sinners All Bow: Two Authors, One Murder, and the Real Hester Prynne
Dawson, Kate Winkler
Hardcover
Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father's Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success
Buettner, Russ
Craig, Susanne
Hardcover
College Girl, Missing: The True Story of How a Young Woman Disappeared in Plain Sight
Cohen, Shawn
Paperback
Trail of the Lost: The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail
Lankford, Andrea
Paperback
The Survivor: How I Made It Through Six Concentration Camps and Became a Nazi Hunter
Lewkowicz, Josef
Hardcover
Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions (Large Print Edition)
McCloskey, Jim
Grisham, John
Paperback
The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy
Dunlop, Andrea
Weber, Mike
Hardcover
Wiseguys and the White House: Gangsters, Presidents, and the Deals They Made
Dezenhall, Eric
Hardcover
One Nation Under Blackmail - Vol. 1: The Sordid Union Between Intelligence and Crime That Gave Rise to Jeffrey Epstein, Vol.1
Webb, Whitney Alyse
Paperback
Blood and the Badge: The Mafia, Two Killer Cops, and a Scandal That Shocked the Nation
Cannell, Michael
Hardcover
The Incorruptibles: A True Story of Kingpins, Crime Busters, and the Birth of the American Underworld
Slater, Dan
Hardcover
The Sing Sing Files: One Journalist, Six Innocent Men, and a Twenty-Year Fight for Justice
Slepian, Dan
Hardcover
The Illegals: Russia's Most Audacious Spies and Their Century-Long Mission to Infiltrate the West
Walker, Shaun
Hardcover
The Invisible Spy: Churchill's Rockefeller Center Spy Ring and America's First Secret Agent of World War II
Maier, Thomas
Hardcover
The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum: The Rise and Fall of an American Organized-Crime Boss
Fox, Margalit
Hardcover
The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions
Rosen, Jonathan
Paperback
Vigilante Sheriff: The Truth about Corrupt Prosecutors Weaponizing the Legal System
Hill, Victor
Paperback
Trespassers at the Golden Gate: A True Account of Love, Murder, and Madness in Gilded-Age San Francisco
Krist, Gary
Hardcover
Cult Following: The Extreme Sects That Capture Our Imaginations--And Take Over Our Lives
Ocker, J. W.
Hardcover
Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, a Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor
Harmon, Mark
Hardcover
The Fifteen: Murder, Retribution, and the Forgotten Story of Nazi POWs in America
Geroux, William
Hardcover
Ghosts of Iron Mountain: The Hoax of the Century, Its Enduring Impact, and What It Reveals about America Today
Tinline, Phil
Hardcover
Blazing Eye Sees All: Love Has Won, False Prophets, and the Fever Dream of the American New Age
Sottile, Leah
Hardcover
Black Tunnel White Magic: A Murder, a Detective's Obsession, and '90s Los Angeles at the Brink
Jackson, Rick
McGough, Matthew
Hardcover
Opus: The Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking, and Right-Wing Conspiracy Inside the Catholic Church
Gore, Gareth
Hardcover
Eden Undone: A True Story of Sex, Murder, and Utopia at the Dawn of World War II
Kahler, Abbott
Hardcover
Scotland Yard: A History of the London Police Force's Most Infamous Murder Cases
Read, Simon
Hardcover
The New Evil: Understanding the Emergence of Modern Violent Crime
Stone, Michael E.
Brucato, Gary
Paperback
Sister, Sinner: The Miraculous Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Aimee Semple McPherson
Hoffman, Claire
Hardcover
Warden Force: The Worst of the Worst and Other True Game Warden Adventures: Episodes 101-114
Hodges, Terry
Paperback
El Invencible Verano de Liliana / Liliana's Invincible Summer (Premio Pulitzer)
Rivera Garza, Cristina
Paperback
Gangster Hunters: How Hoover's G-Men Vanquished America's Deadliest Public Enemies
Oller, John
Hardcover
Never Saw Me Coming: How I Outsmarted the FBI and the Entire Banking System--And Pocketed $40 Million
Smith, Tanya
Hardcover
Weird Scenes Inside the Canyon: Laurel Canyon, Covert Ops & the Dark Heart of the Hippie Dream
McGowan, David
Paperback
The Next One Is for You: A True Story of Guns, Country, and the Ira's Secret American Army
Watkins, Ali
Hardcover
Trial by Ambush: Murder, Injustice, and the Truth about the Case of Barbara Graham
Clark, Marcia
Hardcover
The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century
Johnson, Kirk Wallace
Paperback
I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer
McNamara, Michelle
Paperback
Starvation Heights: A True Story of Murder and Malice in the Woods of the Pacific Northwest
Olsen, Gregg
Paperback
Warden Force: Deadly Intent and Other True Game Warden Adventures: Episodes 76 - 87
Hodges, Terry
Paperback
A Haunted Road Atlas: Next Stop: More Chilling and Gruesome Tales from and That's Why We Drink Volume 2
Schiefer, Christine
Schulz, Em
Paperback
The Madness of John Terrell: Revenge and Insanity on Trial in the Heartland
Terrell, Stephen
Paperback
The Fairbanks Four: Murder, Injustice, and the Birth of a Movement
O'Donoghue, Brian Patrick
Hardcover
Firmly Convinced: A Revealing Look at the Criminal Justice System Through the Eyes of a Career Prosecutor
Wiech, Chet
Hardcover
Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of the Hunt for the Nation's Most Elusive Serial Killer
Graysmith, Robert
Paperback
Trial by Ambush: Murder, Injustice, and the Truth about the Case of Barbara Graham
Clark, Marcia
Paperback
A Better Ending: A Brother's Twenty-Year Quest to Uncover the Truth about His Sister's Death
Thomson, James Whitfield
Hardcover
Death In Big Bend: True Stories of Death & Rescue in the Big Bend National Park
Parent, Laurence
Paperback
American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century
Callahan, Maureen
Paperback
A Hunger to Kill: A Serial Killer, a Determined Detective, and the Quest for a Confession That Changed a Small Town Forever
Pulitzer, Lisa
Mager, Kim
Hardcover
Takedown: Inside the Fight to Shut Down Pornhub for Child Abuse, Rape, and Sex Trafficking
Mickelwait, Laila
Hardcover
White Robes and Broken Badges: Infiltrating the KKK and Exposing the Evil Among Us
Moore, Joe
Hardcover
Scout Camp: Sex, Death, and Secret Societies Inside the Boy Scouts of America
Renner, James
Hardcover
The Devil Behind the Badge: The Horrifying Twelve Days of the Border Patrol Serial Killer
Jervis, Rick
Hardcover
Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World
Hope, Bradley
Wright, Tom
Paperback
A Haunted Road Atlas: Sinister Stops, Dangerous Destinations, and True Crime Tales Volume 1
Schulz, Em
Schiefer, Christine
Paperback
American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road
Bilton, Nick
Paperback
A Devil Went Down to Georgia: Race, Power, Privilege, and the Murder of Lita McClinton
Landau, Deb Miller
Hardcover
The Absinthe Forger: A True Story of Deception, Betrayal, and the World's Most Dangerous Spirit
Rail, Evan
Hardcover
Sunny Skies, Shady Characters: Cops, Killers, and Corruption in the Aloha State
Dooley, James
Paperback
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
Larson, Erik
Hardcover
Mr. New Orleans: The Life of a Big Easy Underworld Legend
Brouillette, Frenchy
Randazzo V., Matthew
Paperback
Dynamite Nashville: Unmasking the Fbi, the Kkk, and the Bombers Beyond Their Control
Phillips, Betsy
Paperback
The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther
Haas, Jeffrey
Paperback
The Mob and the City: The Hidden History of How the Mafia Captured New York
Hortis, C. Alexander
Paperback
Submerged: How a Cold Case Condemned an Innocent Man to Hide a Family's Darkest Secret
Levin, Hillel
Hardcover
If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood
Olsen, Gregg
Hardcover
Ghosts of Crook County: An Oil Fortune, a Phantom Child, and the Fight for Indigenous Land
Cobb, Russell
Hardcover
The Woman Who Fooled the World: The True Story of Fake Wellness Guru Belle Gibson
Donelly, Beau
Toscano, Nick
Paperback
McMillions: The Absolutely True Story of How an Unlikely Pair of FBI Agents Brought Down the Most Supersized Fraud in Fast Food History
Hernandez, James Lee
Lazarte, Brian
Hardcover
Twenty-One Boxes: Robin's Story and the Tragedy of the Edenton Seven
Hester, Betsy
Couto, Robin
Paperback
Vanished in Vermillion: The Real Story of South Dakota's Most Infamous Cold Case
Raguse, Lou
Paperback
Killers of the Flower Moon (Movie Tie-In Edition): The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
Grann, David
Paperback
True Crime Trivia & Activity Book: Untangle the Secrets Behind History's Most Gripping Crimes
Barnes, Lana
Paperback
The Serial Killer Coloring Book II: An Adult Coloring Book Full of Notorious Serial Killers
Rosewood, Jack
Paperback
The Sinners All Bow: Two Authors, One Murder, and the Real Hester Prynne (Large Print Edition)
Dawson, Kate Winkler
Paperback
The Barn: The Secret History of a Murder in Mississippi (Large Print Edition)
Thompson, Wright
Paperback
Carrie Carolyn Coco: My Friend, Her Murder, and an Obsession with the Unthinkable
Gerard, Sarah
Hardcover
Save Our Souls: The True Story of a Castaway Family, Treachery, and Murder (Large Print Edition)
Pearl, Matthew
Paperback
Killer Cocktails: Dangerous Drinks Inspired by History's Most Nefarious Criminals
Frey, Holly
Trimarchi, Maria
Hardcover
The Death Row Cookbook: The Famous Last Meals (with Recipes) of Death Row Inmates
Fleury, John
Paperback