The Noble Hustle Poker, Beef Jerky, and Death

I’ve never read anything by Whitehead before, but — brief though it may be — I think this is actually a very good introduction. His personality tears through every page, his sense of humour and self-deprecation are powerful and pervasive, and he lends a poetic gloss to the grime of Vegas and Atlantic City. I don’t care about poker but this is some very good social critique.

It's a bit too cute by half. His prose is disarming and you can't help but be drawn in, but it sort of drones on after a while and you stop caring about any of it. There's a lot about it that I liked and appreciated, though. I just didn't really feel the need to finish it because there were almost too many metaphors and weaving back to his own life and demons. I dunno.