First Quarter Outside Reading Book Review

21: Bringing Down the House by Ben Mezrich. Free Press, 2002. Genre: Non-fiction

The book 21 is about six M.I.T (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) students that organize a blackjack team. Kevin Lewis and Jason Fisher lead the team and teach the rest of the members to count cards and win millions of dollars in casinos. When the team heads to Vegas, they organize a plan that they will use in the casino. Usually the two leaders of the group will do all the gambling and counting of cards while the rest of the members disguise themselves and stay in sight. The job of the spotter is to show certain signals to the main gamblers if there is trouble coming. Sometimes the players will act severely intoxicated so their opponents try to take advantage but they just end up losing their chips to the blackjack team.

“In this high-octane tale with rich, sharp dialogue bordering on Elmore Leonard turf, the plot races by at a NASCAR pace and the characters on both sides of the table are as real as an inside straight, making their moves and planning their scores like a croupier on speed. Take the odds, bet the bank, and stare down the dealer. Bringing Down the House is a cant-miss deal.” –Lorenzo Carcaterra, author of Gangster and Street Boys.

This story shows the risk these college students were willing to take and the seriousness they went about what they were doing. They knew that if they got away, if would be an amazing feat, but if they got caught trouble was coming their way.

Ben Mezrich was an author of several books. He also wrote Rigged, Busting Vegas, and The Accidental Billionaires. I have not yet had a chance to read them but relating to their titles, they seem similar to gambling stories. I enjoyed reading 21: Bringing Down the House so I am confident that I would also enjoy other books Ben Mezrich wrote.

“Three of them, coming around the nearest craps table. Big, burly men with narrow eyes. No time for niceties.” (3) Ben Mezrich showed the thoughts of the character by italicizing the text.

This story really brought together my attention. I am a big risk-taker and I don’t usually hold things back. That’s mainly why I enjoyed this book because it kept me wondering what was going to happen next and the situation the characters were in made me think of how mentally strong the players must have been. Just knowing that these college students knew they were gambling illegally but still continued to do it made me think of what people would be able to get away with.