Imagine that at any moment you could be beaten, thrown in jail, or worse. Imagine that your money was coming from an almost illegal source. This is exactly the case for Kevin Lewis and his friends go through in Bringing Down the House. It’s a gripping story about a team of card counters with cliffhangers at every turn.

Many people say that the book is ‘short-lived’ or ‘unrealistic’, but I disagree with this. I understand that the book is supposed to be based on a true story, but Ben Mezrich wrote the book the way he wanted. So what if he embellished a bit? It ultimately doesn’t ruin the flow or feel of the story. If anything, it helped keep the book interesting because otherwise we would just have kids playing blackjack, winning money, and trying not to get caught. I do agree though, that the story isn’t nonfiction, it’s a fictional story based on real events. On top of that, there is nonstop suspense and action regarding the fate of the characters, so it’s definitely not short-lived. Others say that Mezrich’s style was poor, but I believe that it helped keep the reader in the moment and the events that were unfolding.

There are many parts of the book that were well-done. I feel like Kevin, Fisher, and Martinez really developed throughout the story. Their relationships drastically changed from beginning to end. Even each character developed a lot. Kevin went from being skeptical of card counting, to being addicted to the gambling lifestyle, back to being skeptical, and ending loving both Vegas and his normal life with his family. The plot was also really gripping and kept on the edge of my seat wondering what, if anything, would happen to the crew and how they would handle the situation. However, the book is not perfect. I felt like it contained an unnecessary amount detail at times, and even diverted from the main story. I found that the diversion sometimes lead to the story being difficult to follow, but an easy to get over by reading the passage over once more.

Now, this book is definitely not for everyone. Everything is very fast-paced on at times difficult to follow. However, I think that anyone who enjoys true stories, blackjack, or just a quick read that will keep you interested will like the book.

Better than the movie

Sometimes, the fact that a book is based on something that actually happened adds a bit more value to my read. May be because the twists and turns were not made up? This is a book that is based on the actual stories of the MIT blackjack team. The book moves back and forth between the events of the MIT team and the author's present day research. It deals you the behind the scenes reality of all the glitz and glamour of the Vegas nightlife. If you've seen the movie, the book is almost nothing like the movie and it has its own flavor to it. When I started the book, all I wanted was to play blackjack and I did too. But when I was done with the book, the harsh reality hit my face - You're always a loser eventually, when it comes to Casinos.

Fun quick read