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

I'm an avid reader, I'm not going to lie. I basically always have a book going - it's like a third arm to me. I read this book at the end of February and found it a highly enjoyable read.

Basically, it tells the true story of the MIT Blackjack team, a group of students who learned how to count cards and headed to Vegas to take millions. The story is written in the first person narration of someone who knew the subject - Kevin Lewis (one of the members of the team), and is thus very personal. The book also inspired the recent hit movie 21, which starred Kevin Costner, Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, and Lawrence Fishburn.

The novel is fast-paced and fascinating. In some ways, it was more enjoyable than the film (which I had seen before reading the book) - particularly in that the methods of card counting are actually understandable to a relative math dummy like myself. The narrative style is interesting and places you right in the belly of the beast, and you feel every moment of exhilaration and fear right along with the main character. In many ways, the book reminded me of the novel version of 'Catch Me if you Can,' which has a similar "how the heck can that be a real story" feel to it. In all, this relatively short novel is definitely work reading, and certainly worth buying at its cheap paperback cost.

I really enjoyed this novel. This is a great book for one to read if you're in the mood for a fast pace story based on true events. This book may appeal more to those who actually gamble and play blackjack. As the story suggests, six MIT students decide to take over Vegas by winning at blackjack over and over and over. They do a great job with their great mathematical skills and continue to 'bring down the house.' Ben Mezrich does a great job of depicting the scenes to give the reader a sense of the environment, however if you're not too familiar with casinos, it may be difficult for you to get the same sense and feel that the story tries to depict. Mezrich takes you on a rich story of the students and how they devise their plan to overrun Vegas. He continues to show you the plan is developed and how it is carried out. Counting cards is a hard thing to do, however with math-loving students, they are able to devise a plan that seems nearly full-proof. Mezrich continues to take the reader into the world of gambling; through the good and through the bad. He also continues to show what happens when you mess with the casino. In the end of the novel, Mezrich lets the reader know exactly how it is to count the cards. He shows the same technique that the students use. A great book to read. I recommend it to those especially if you're familiar with the casino crowd.