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    Bringing Down the Mouse
    Bringing Down the Mouse
    Bringing Down the Mouse
    Audiobook7 hours

    Bringing Down the Mouse

    Written by Ben Mezrich

    Narrated by Tonya Mezrich

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Charlie Lewis goes on a roller coaster ride of risk, math, and gaming in this middle grade novel that parallels the New York Times bestselling Bringing Down the House, which inspired the movie 21.

    Charlie Lewis is a nerd. All he's ever been good at is math—and he's really good at math. So good that he's recruited by a group of kids determined to game the system at the biggest theme park in the world-and win the grand prize. Soon Charlie is caught up in the excitement and thrill of using his math skills for awesomeness…but what's at stake may be more than he's willing to risk. How far will Charlie go for a chance at the ultimate reward?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOasis Audio
    Release dateJun 19, 2018
    ISBN9781621888413
    Author

    Ben Mezrich

    Ben Mezrich graduated magna cum laude from Harvard in 1991. He has published twelve books, including the New York Times bestsellers The Accidental Billionaires, which was adapted into the Academy Award-winning film The Social Network, and Bringing Down the House, which has sold more than 1.5 million copies in twelve languages and became the basis for the Kevin Spacey movie 21. Mezrich has also published the national bestsellers Sex on the Moon, Ugly Americans, Rigged, and Busting Vegas. He lives in Boston.

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    Reviews for Bringing Down the Mouse

    3.5/5

    867 ratings56 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      So here's a classic story: team of underdogs find their way into a crack in the system and use it to attack the empire. Right? That's what we have here, in a sense. It's hard to argue that casinos don't represent a big power base - after all, they win at just about anything they allow you to play, in the long run. Except maybe for blackjack, and that's where this story begins.Blackjack is exploitable, you see, if you can keep track of the cards and you know the strategy, and Mezrich tells the story of a team of players from MIT who got together and, making use of the strategy of knowing when the odds come to favor the player in blackjack, as a team took the casinos for huge amounts of money before getting burned out. It's an intrinsically intriguing story, as Mezrich notes at the outset, watching the lead character, Kevin Lewis, get trained, take on a bigger and bigger role on the team, and enjoy the fruits of his labors. When the end comes, though, it comes almost too quickly.Here's the thing about this book for me: as enjoyable as the story is, there's not really much in the way of nuance to the telling of it; Kevin is shown having some doubts about the life he's leading as he's going along, but really, not too much. And maybe that's really how it was, but beyond the chapters showing other people being like "dude, you can't beat Vegas forever" to Mezrich, it's really a charge straight ahead kind of book. That makes it fun enough, and a fast read, but it's almost too slick; it feels unreal.And maybe that's really my main issue with the book: it really does feel unreal. This is really more of a movie-style "based on a true story" book, rather than non-fiction proper; it feels that way when you're reading it, and some of the principle people involved (including Mezrich) have owned up to it not all being true. Some of the events were made up for dramatic effect, but beyond that, as a reader of more wholly truthful non-fiction, it's hard to accept this style of extended dialogue and quotes, and such. No one was taping these conversations, and so it feels like this misrepresentation of the story when you're reading through it.I have a feeling I might have enjoyed this more if it had been billed as not being entirely real; it's still a good story, and it's slick, glossy and fast, much like Vegas, I guess. I enjoyed it, but I'm not giving it much more than a tepid recommendation. You could do worse for a plane ride, though.
    • 1/5
      What is going on ? ? ? ? ? ?
    • 4/5
      In his sixth grade class, Charlie Lewis is known as Numbers, for his love of all-things math. When an MIT student recruits “Numbers” aka Charlie to join a team of middle school students in a secret math club, Charlie is thrilled. Their goal is to learn how using principles of physics, chemistry, and math can beat the odds at carnival games. After months of practicing, Charlie has his chance to prove his meddle and take home the prize of a lifetime park pass. The lessons he learns about being manipulated, about being honorable and responsible add up to a rollicking read aloud for a middle school math class. Students will be tempted to test out games to see if they too can beat the odds.
    • 5/5
      This book is a great book, and I highly recommend it.
    • 4/5
      I am always a little suspicious of books that disguise fiction as fact or, worse still, blur the line between the two. Bringing down the house definitely falls into that category. Nevertheless, the story is compelling and the book a real 'page-turner'. Don't expect high literature, but great if you are looking for a light read on the train at the end of a tough day in the office.
    • 5/5
      The movie was fun, but only the book gives you the real story in full detail. It was exciting and fascinating all the way through!
    • 3/5
      I agree with the review on the back of the book--it is a literary Ocean's 11! It was a fun diversion from real life, and almost unbelievable. I'd recommend for anyone who loves heist movies.
    • 4/5
      Six MIT students form a team to play blackjack to win in the 90s. The story focuses mostly on Kevin Lewis, who leads eventually leads a double life. He's an MIT student & eventually gets a job, but on the weekends, he becomes one of a group that travels to Vegas and other gambling places as a players team - and have figured out a team method to consistently win at blackjack with hauls of thousands to hundreds of thousands per weekend, to split amongst themselves and their "investors". Very lucrative gig, for as long as it lasted.
    • 2/5
      How do you make a book about sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll boring? This is how! Saw the film, enjoyed it. Read this, hoping to gain a deeper insight into what "happened". I'm also a bit obsessively interested with card counting and general numberiness so I was disappointed that took up about ten pages of the book and the rest was just a boring: "AND THEN HE WON MONEY. AND THEN HE LOST MONEY. AND THEN THE CASINO GOT UPSET."

      Guh.
    • 4/5
      Not an engaging, suspenseful read as such but it is definitely interesting to see the mechanics of card-counting and just how they pulled this off.Certainly worth a quick read.
    • 4/5
      Fascinating story!
    • 3/5
      This book was well written and the topic interesting, but the book fell far below my expectations. Perhaps this was because of the hype about the book and the possibility of an upcoming movie, but I found the book ho hum. One thumb up.
    • 4/5
      Mezrich has been given an inside look at a world few people will ever know. The world of high-stakes gambling. It's giddy, glitzy, and glamorous as well as kinda scary once you've been "made." Fascinating and fast-paced, the book races along to the inevitable conclusion, in which everybody gets caught, but still leaves the reader with hope that the casinos can be beat, which will probably be great for the gambling industry. I wish I wasn't so bad at math...
    • 4/5
      I guess I don't understand why some people are so angry about this book not being "real" in a way that non-fiction is. It is creative non-fiction, which means some of the stuff is stylized to make things a bit more exciting than they may have been. False names, combined characters, non-existent places; it's all a part of the genre. Heck, Hollywood does this every single time they make a "based on a true story" film. Even documentaries do this sometimes (which they should not.) So what's the problem? You started reading a third-person account of Kevin Lewis' life in 1994, down to how sweat was trickling down his neck, and you thought "Oh, this is factual non-fiction for sure!"
      Yes, the writing is not the best.
      The story is good and the behind-the-scenes aspect is interesting. I assume things have changed a lot in the 21st century. Certainly, the automatic shuffling machines have made a dent in the card counters' income. I certainly learned a lot about the game of blackjack. And how casinos used to be run and how some people just have it made (an upper-middle class family AND the whiz-kid brains to beat the casinos AND the equally well-paying job as consultants and so on.) And for the rest of us, there's the book to read. (And a "based on a true story" Hollywood film. Shocking, I know.)
    • 2/5
      I would have enjoyed the book more without the author inserting himself into the main story.
    • 4/5
       Bringing Down The House by Ben Mezrich is the story of how a group of MIT students used card counting to take Vegas for all the money it had. The book is centered around student Kevin Lewis, who is going about his college duties, studying and working for his degree. Then one day, Kevin is asked to come to a MIT blackjack team meeting by Fisher and Martinez after one of his swim practices, and he complies. Kevin is then asked by legendary blackjack player Micky Rosa to join MIT’s blackjack team. Kevin soon agrees, and goes through rigorous training to eventually learn the game inside and out, and be ready for Vegas. When the time comes, Kevin gets ready and sets off for Vegas with team. Kevin can’t believe the amount of money to be made through card counting.Throughout the next few years, Kevin and the team go on to terrorize Vegas, taking millions from casinos and striking it rich. Eventually however, the casinos catch on. They don’t like card counting, even though it is legal. Will the team continue to rack in the dough, or will their new partying lifestyle in Vegas go up in smoke?Bringing Down The House includes a very exciting, action-packed, and on the edge storyline told by Mezrich himself. The thrill of winning huge sums and the life of partying almost every weekend is almost paradise for Kevin Lewis. This thrill, told very thoroughly and expertly by Ben Mezrich is filled with a great deal of action some of it good, some of it bad. The MIT team eventually runs into issues from casinos, such as being forced to leave, being privately confronted, or being threatened to have their money taken away. This excitement, as well as the problems cre ate a great storyline that leads to a shocking ending to Bringing Down The House.Another aspect of Bringing Down The House which I enjoyed was the theme, or moral of the story. The theme really and truly is saying not to push your luck too far, especially in Vegas. In the book, the MIT blackjack team earns lucrative cash, as well as endless luxuries in Vegas, that is, until the casinos start to catch on to their card counting. In our lives, we can take risks financially and physically, but eventually they will start to catch up with us. This is a great moral on life, as it can be proven fairly easy. There are also other parts of Bringing Down The House which I enjoyed, such as the layout of the chapters, and the character personalities. The layout of the chapters went so that the story always resumed on a certain date, summing up what happened in between and skipping right to the key parts to the plot. I really enjoyed this, as the story was spread over a long period of time and you really get to see all of the ups and downs of everyone. The second thing I enjoyed were the differing character personalities, which really played a role in how Bringing Down The House played out. This is shown in how each of the characters acted different while in Vegas, some more cocky, while some laid back, which eventually led to them being caught for card counting. Now, they have to try to escape the authorities and continue to card count.Overall, Bringing Down The House is a story of gains and losses, exactly what happens in real world Vegas. I have decided to give the book a 4-star rating out of 5. The storyline of the book is very interesting and action-packed, and really takes some unexpected turns. The theme of “don’t push your luck” is also very good, and true to life as well as real world Vegas. The personalities of each character really contradict each other, and make a difference in how their card counting scheme works out. I also really enjoyed how the book spanned multiple years, making the whole card counting adventure seem like an endless party. I would certainly recommend this book, especially to any adventure seeker in a book, as it will keep you on your toes.
    • 5/5
      Witty. It's a very nice story considering the fact that it happened for real. It has a strong effect on me because after I read this I had the urge to play blackjack and try their card counting techniques. The feel of the story was kind of like Catch Me if You Can by Frank Abagnale. My comparison is not because they have the same plot, it's because they both have the awesomeness and coolness in them.
    • 5/5
       Bringing Down the House was an exciting book that put you through the eyes of an MIT blackjack team. The ride it takes you on is one you will never forget. the book itself was fantastic and the plot was impeccable. the book was exciting, thrilling, and kept you on the edge of your seat. you will be wanting to read more. Bringing Down the House had, to me, no flaws. The book was great and one of the best books i have ever read.
    • 3/5
      Another title I happen to pick up due to its film adaptation. I read about 3/4 of the way through it and then I chose to, for lack of a better phrase " drop it ". So if you cant already tell i was a little disappointed with this book.Not that the author was bad or anything like that I just wasn't a fan of how it was written. The book is about the truly amazing story of a group of MIT students take the city of Vegas for millions of dollars, by counting card's and playing blackjack using mathematics to due so successfully. So the story did have me tied in from the start so you might be asking yourself " well all you have done so far is give positive feedback on a book yet you say you dropped it and gave it a 3 out of 5 stars." So here are the problems i found with this book. The way the chapters transit are each one has a date a location which are not always in order which can make the main story hard to follow. Another problem i found was character development in between the lines the main character "Kevin" seems to grow and adapt to the situations he finds himself in while other characters story lines seem to fall flat. Despite all of that my main problem with this book was how boring it could get. There are some parts that are fun to read about and that is were this books does shine, but these scenarios are short lived and and there are large portions of time in between them. So my final thoughts on this book is it can get boring and if you have any intention of reading this story, make sure you van sit through many long unneeded monologues that don't help the main story.
    • 2/5
      The mathematical underpinnings and details of the team's strategies are the strong points - I wish it were either obviously fiction (it might have been less pained) or strictly factual - I suspect the real story is interesting enough without the author's flowery imaginings.The story is interesting but plagued by borderline painful writing and unbelievable dialogue. For example, comparing sushi-induced diarrhea to cards coming out of a blackjack shoe? Please.Anyway, have been curious to read this for a long time.
    • 4/5
      I'm not sure of the literary merit of this book, but it was a rollicking good read, a lot of fun, and even managed to get me interested in taking my friend, Charlie, up on teaching me to play Blackjack. (Charlie's old girlfriend traveled around the world as a member of a team of card-counting Blackjack players. I guess he picked up a couple of things along the way.) If you have a couple of hours to kill on an airplane, you could do far worse than this book!
    • 4/5
      So here's a classic story: team of underdogs find their way into a crack in the system and use it to attack the empire. Right? That's what we have here, in a sense. It's hard to argue that casinos don't represent a big power base - after all, they win at just about anything they allow you to play, in the long run. Except maybe for blackjack, and that's where this story begins.Blackjack is exploitable, you see, if you can keep track of the cards and you know the strategy, and Mezrich tells the story of a team of players from MIT who got together and, making use of the strategy of knowing when the odds come to favor the player in blackjack, as a team took the casinos for huge amounts of money before getting burned out. It's an intrinsically intriguing story, as Mezrich notes at the outset, watching the lead character, Kevin Lewis, get trained, take on a bigger and bigger role on the team, and enjoy the fruits of his labors. When the end comes, though, it comes almost too quickly.Here's the thing about this book for me: as enjoyable as the story is, there's not really much in the way of nuance to the telling of it; Kevin is shown having some doubts about the life he's leading as he's going along, but really, not too much. And maybe that's really how it was, but beyond the chapters showing other people being like "dude, you can't beat Vegas forever" to Mezrich, it's really a charge straight ahead kind of book. That makes it fun enough, and a fast read, but it's almost too slick; it feels unreal.And maybe that's really my main issue with the book: it really does feel unreal. This is really more of a movie-style "based on a true story" book, rather than non-fiction proper; it feels that way when you're reading it, and some of the principle people involved (including Mezrich) have owned up to it not all being true. Some of the events were made up for dramatic effect, but beyond that, as a reader of more wholly truthful non-fiction, it's hard to accept this style of extended dialogue and quotes, and such. No one was taping these conversations, and so it feels like this misrepresentation of the story when you're reading through it.I have a feeling I might have enjoyed this more if it had been billed as not being entirely real; it's still a good story, and it's slick, glossy and fast, much like Vegas, I guess. I enjoyed it, but I'm not giving it much more than a tepid recommendation. You could do worse for a plane ride, though.
    • 3/5
      A fun read that took a somewhat boring concept of advanced math applied to gamboling and made it interesting. Engaging characters but I am sure they will be much watered down for the movie.
    • 3/5
      A good story that could have been made great in more capable hands. The writing was grandiose, if not melodramatic, and often a bit too cliche for my taste. Along with the writing, the story itself bordered on redundant at times.
    • 2/5
      This book presented a really interesting look at the MIT 'club' that ended up winning millions of dollars playing blackjack at various casinos. Very fast-paced read for a nonfiction book and gave a good insight to the adrenaline rush and lifestyle these 'geeky' kids lived. Lots of language however and some descriptions of Vegas lifestyle so watch out gentle readers!
    • 5/5
      Reads like a suspense novel, but it's a fantastic and interesting true story! Loved it! One of the best non-fiction books I've ever read!
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this book. I know next to nothing about card counting and had only vaguely heard about the MIT teams. Fun, but not over technically work.
    • 3/5
      Recently made into a movie called "21," this book tells about a group of math whizzes from M.I.T. who form a card counting group and plot to win money -- lots of money -- from Vegas casinos while playing blackjack. Although not technically illegal, card counting is not very popular at casinos and can result in being barred. The book has a definite suspense aspect to it as the casinos begin to zero in on the students and their system, which involves an elaborate system of aliases, hand signals and "secret" words. I haven't seen the movie so I can't speak on that, but I found the book fast-paced and exciting. If nothing else, it helped me realize that being good at math could actually be helpful!
    • 4/5
      A facinating read of how a group of people went to Vegas and made money. Interesting how it was done eventually made into the movie "21"
    • 4/5
      I wouldn't have necessarily picked this book up on my own but now that I've finished it (for a book club discussion) I'm glad that I read it. The book tells the true story of a team of highly intelligent, mathematically-inclined students (mostly from MIT) who use sophisticated strategies to legally win millions by playing blackjack. (On a side note, I really don't get the subtitle as the book describes a team of 12 players, not 6.) The writing is not top-notch, but it is fast-paced and works with the subject and setting (most of the major action takes place in Vegas). At the end, there's a short essay by one of the MIT insiders giving more detail on exactly how the team was able to win at blackjack, which was written to be understandable even to someone like me, who is not a math whiz to say the least! I'd recommended this book as a short, light read that opens up your eyes to a world you probably wouldn't know much about otherwise.