The Fabulist, Mark Chiusano
The Fabulist, Mark Chiusano
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

The Fabulist
The Lying, Hustling, Grifting, Stealing, and Very American Legend of George Santos

Author: Mark Chiusano

Narrator: André Santana

Unabridged: 8 hr 13 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/28/2023


Synopsis

From the dogged Long Island reporter who has been on his trail since 2019, the bizarre, page-turning, and frankly hysterical story of America’s most outrageous grifter—former US Representative George Santos.

America is used to larger-than-life politicians, from Telfon Don to AOC and from Dark Brandon to MTG. The political arena has been injected with an unmistakable edge of celebrity flair and tabloid intrigue. Yet in 2022, a new player on the national scene outshone them all. George Anthony Devolder Santos, and his revolving door of pseudonyms, shed glaring new light on how far we’d let our politics slide as his claimed resume was shred to bits in the wake of a longshot run to office from New York’s 3rd Congressional District.

From Wall Street gigs to an amateur volleyball career, from embellished claims of Jewish heritage to a fabricated 9/11 story involving his mother’s death, Santos’s legend continued to grow as his web of lies evaporated in real time. And the only thing wilder than this charlatan embedding himself in the warm, consequence-evading arms of our nation’s capital was the Queens con artist’s refusal to bow his head in shame.

Newsday alum and PEN/Hemingway honoree Mark Chiusano tells the full (well, as full as can be given the subject) story of Santos here for the first time. From humble years spent in Brazil and glamorous nights on the west side of Manhattan, to the stunning small-time scams employed to ease his slippery climb up the American society ladder, The Fabulist tells a story you’ll have to read for yourself to believe…and even then, it’s George Santos, so who’s to say for sure.

About Mark Chiusano

Mark Chiusano is a journalist and the author of The Fabulist: The Lying, Hustling, Grifting, Stealing, and Very American Legend of George Santos and the story collection Marine Park, an honorable mention for the PEN/Hemingway Award. His journalism has appeared in The New York Times, New York Magazine, The Atlantic, The Drift, POLITICO, and many other outlets. A 2026 New America Fellow, he currently teaches English at CUNY City Tech and directs the Gig Economy Project at New York Law School, where he is a senior fellow. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and children.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Bean

American politics is so screwed and it all boils down to grifters profiting off of the age of misinformation......more

Goodreads review by Sam

HOLY FIRGGIN FRIG, George Santos sucks... Well like I knew that, but I feel like I didn't know HOW much he sucked, and the depth of which his actions has hurt and burned so many people along the way. I am so thankful to Simon Audio, Atria/One Signal Publishers, and Mark Chiusano for granting me adva......more

Goodreads review by Annaka

A well-researched account of the George Santos debacle that is ultimately hampered by the fact that the debacle is not done. While there is more exploration of Santos’ past than there is in the average expository article, the nature of publishing schedules means that it covers the lead up to and San......more