Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions |...

Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions | Ben Mezrich | A Thrilling Page Turner!

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Bringing Down the ...

	Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions Ben Mezrich Free Press, 2003 - 272 pages average customer review:based on 421 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Bringing Down the House

Bringing Down the House is Ben Mezrich's non-fiction story about how college students took Las Vegas for millions of dollars. If you didn't know this story was non-fiction before you started reading, you probably would have never guessed it. The book has almost all the aspects of a good novel, in which there are characters who some could identify with, as well as a unique personality, and a good plot. The only quality the book lacks is a great ending, which the author has no say in because of how the true-life story played out. This is one of the few weaknesses of the book. The book includes some great characters like Kevin Lewis, Fischer and Martinez. All of them have very unique personalities. Kevin Lewis is a whiz kid from MIT who just wanted to have some fun. Fischer was a big, burly guy on a mission to break Vegas and make a living off of it. Martinez is a free spirited, fun-loving guy who also wants to make some money and have fun. Ben Mezrich does a great job expressing the emotions and the personalities of the book, making this one of the major strengths of the book. A final strength of the book is the ability of the author to show life in Vegas.
This is Ben Mezrich's first non-fiction book, and it is impressive. Ben has written seven other books throughout his career as a writer. These include, Reaper, which was turned into a TBS movie. His books have sold over one million copies in nine different languages. He is also a 1991 graduate of Harvard.
The movie, based on the book, 21 has probably helped make more people aware of Mezrich's story. This book does not disappoint!

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A Thrilling Page Turner!

I loved this book! It's a real page turner and I could not put it down! I felt like I was right in the middle of the action as things got bigger and bigger for the characters in the book! This book is non-stop action and you can't stop reading because you know something is about to happen, but you don't know what! Also, I liked the main character, Kevin Lewis, and how he began to question that person he was turning into and the lifestyle that he had chosen. I love Las Vegas, but I'll never look at it the same way after reading this book. I haven't seen the movie yet, but I don't know how it could be as good as this book. This book was really fun to read!

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Now I'm Even An In-Door Armchair Adventurer!

I am intriqued by adventure and survival stories. I like to read sories of adversity and overcoming it. So why I'm I reading about a group of narcisists who like to go to Las Vegas and gamble. Because when David beats Goliath it becomes an adventure, if David does it more than once it is then a true life survival story.

The fact that a extremely astute person can get even a little of the edge over the great gambling institutions is intriquing. The idea that this little edge can be levereged further by using a team is brilliant. So brilliant the casinos go to great lengths to make it impossible. The battle of these underdogs vs. the storied Vegas with it's greed and power ups the ante (no pun inteded).

It is downright fun watching Vegas go down even if the hubris these privileged primadonas exude seems to make them less like you and me and more like jerks. If they weren't going up against an entity detested more than "big oil" we may not root them on...But, you will root for them as they leave carnage in the pits because you know given the opportunity, you would do the same (hopefully you would not let it become your life and religion since your moral compass balances you).

Ben Mezrich's book is a bit slight, but is fun and you'll likely zip through it in a couple of sittings because it has good tension and the constant thrill provided by the six is palpable as they manipulate the odds.

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