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Positively Fifth Street: Murderers, Cheetahs, and Binion's World Series of Pokerby James McManus
Review-a-Day (What is Review-a-Day?)"I found the author's writing about the tournament heart-stoppingly dramatic, as brilliant as anything ever written about poker. And while his coverage of the Binion trial feels less compelling, less fought-for, Positively Fifth Street, like Sin City itself, is an endlessly fascinating spectacle." Adrienne Miller, Esquire (read the entire Esquire review) Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:In the spring of 2000, Harper's Magazine sent James McManus to Las Vegas to cover the World Series of Poker, in particular the progress of women in the $23 million event, and the murder of Ted Binion, the tournament's prodigal host, purportedly done in by a stripper and her boyfriend. But when McManus arrives, the lure of the tables compels him to risk his entire Harper's advance in a long-shot attempt to play in the tournament himself. This is his deliciously suspenseful account of the tournament — the players, the hand-to-hand combat, his own unlikely progress in it — and the delightfully seedy carnival atmosphere that surrounds it. Positively Fifth Street is a high-stakes adventure and a terrifying but often hilarious account of one man's effort to understand what Edward O. Wilson has called "Pleistocene exigencies" — the eros and logistics of our competitive instincts. Review:"Chasing after the great big epic of the U.S.A., McManus finds at the poker table a reflection of just about everything that matters: love, money, violence, resentment, envy, fear. Positively Fifth Street is a love story, really, and just the far side of gonzo, too, with the tranquilized reporter following his dream right into the story — like the kid at the natural history museum who crawled inside the diorama." Rich Cohen, author of Lake Effect Review:"Murder, sex, drugs, Sylvia Plath, Amarillo Slim, the history of cards, the psychology of gambling, and most insistently the edgy drama of no-limit Texas hold'em — it's all here in language that nearly burns a hole in the page." Billy Collins, U.S. Poet Laureate Review:"Beware this book. Jim McManus portrays a Vegas that most of us don't believe ever really existed — seedy and thrilling and deadly — and his poker scenes rank with the most exciting sports writing you'll ever find. I'd never even heard of Texas hold'em when I first read his blow-by-blow account of how far he made it — as an amateur! — in the World Series of Poker. Now, because of him, I'm hooked on the game." Ira Glass, host of This American Life Review:"Very entertaining and very accurate." David Sklansky, author of The Theory of Poker Synopsis:Positively Fifth Street is a high-stakes adventure, and a terrifying but often hilarious account of one man's effort to understand what Edward O. Wilson has called "Pleistocene exigencies" — the eros and logistics of our primary competitive instincts. Synopsis:Written in the tradition of "The Gambler" and "The Biggest Game in Town, Positively Fifth Street" is a high-stakes Las Vegas adventure, a penetrating study of America's card game, and a terrifying but often hilarious account of one man's effort to understand the eros and logistics of man's primary competitive instincts. Synopsis:Rough sex, black magic, murder, and the science—and eros—of gambling meet in the ultimate book about Las VegasJames McManus was sent to Las Vegas by Harper’s to cover the World Series of Poker in 2000, especially the mushrooming progress of women in the $23 million event, and the murder of Ted Binion, the tournament’s prodigal host, purportedly done in by a stripper and her boyfriend with a technique so outré it took a Manhattan pathologist to identify it. Whether a jury would convict the attractive young couple was another story altogether.McManus risks his entire Harper’s advance in a long-shot attempt to play in the tournament himself. Only with actual table experience, he tells his skeptical wife, can he capture the hair-raising brand of poker that determines the world champion. The heart of the book is his deliciously suspenseful account of the tournament itself—the players, the hand-to-hand combat, and his own unlikely progress in it.Written in the tradition of The Gambler and The Biggest Game in Town, Positively Fifth Street is a high-stakes adventure, a penetrating study of America’s card game, and a terrifying but often hilarious account of one man’s effort to understand what Edward O. Wilson has called “Pleistocene exigencies”—the eros and logistics of our primary competitive instincts. About the AuthorJames McManus is a novelist and poet, and most recently the winner of the Peter Lisagor Award for sports journalism. He teaches writing and comparative literature at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, including a course on the literature and science of poker. What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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