Bringing Down The House: The Inside Story Of Six MIT Students Who Took Vegas For Millions, Ben Mezrich; Free Press

“Recounts the story of how a notorious gang of MIT blackjack savants devised and received backing for a system for winning at the world’s most sophisticated casinos, an endeavor that earned them more than three million dollars.”
Robin’s Note: Bringing Down the House is another competition/sports-related title that’s high on action and well-written (and, of course, there’s the particular fun of knowing it’s all true.)  If you like heist movies or the satisfaction of a well done prank, this book will appeal.

Have Board, Will Travel: The Definitive History Of Surf, Skate, And Snow, Jamie Brisick; HarperEntertainment

“Describes the ins and outs of surfing, skateboarding, and snowboarding, covering the histories of each sport, the best places to ride, leading personalities, performance details, and insider tips.”
Robin’s Note: This sports nonfiction title is a great pick for anyone keen on sports fiction and curious about the real-life talent and skill it takes to succeed.  The major connection here is sports that require boards – surfing, skateboarding, and snowboarding.  Also check out Skate and Destroy (skateboarding) and Streetball (basketball) for more engaging nonfiction titles on sports.  If you prefer memoirs, you might enjoy Senior Year: A Father, A Son, and High School Baseball by Dan Shaugnessy.

Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode The Internet Out Of Idaho, Jon Katz; Villard

“Jesse and Eric were roommates in the tiny town of Caldwell, Idaho, nineteen-year-old working class kids eking out a living with their seven-dollar-an-hour jobs selling and fixing computers. College was never in the cards. Their families had been torn apart by divorce and hard times, separation and illness. They had almost no social lives, and little to look forward to. Geeks is the story of how Jesse and Eric—and others like them—used technology to try and change their lives and alter their destiny.”
Robin’s Note: This is an intriguing memoir about two guys who became part of the dotcom boom in the 1990s, and gives a strong portrait of the time and place that allowed them to escape their fate trapped in a small town with no community outside message boards.  The rise of the internet and internet business is featured in this book, and it’s fascinating to see how much the world has changed since in terms of both the Internet and in terms of the opportunities technology still brings.

The Perfect Store: Inside EBay, Adam Cohen; Little, Brown

“Adam Cohen, the only journalist to get full access to eBay, tells the remarkable story of its rise and how it formed one of the most passionate communities in cyberspace.”
Robin’s Note: This title is great for anyone interested in business, and in particular how some of the brand name companies we all recognize today got their start.  This title, about EBay as a company and as an online mecca for collectors, combines company history with a look into how Ebay brands itself successfully.  Particularly interesting is the way that EBay has cultivated the reputation of being built around community despite behavior that may make its “community” more constructed than naturally occurring.

Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester At America's Holiest University, Kevin Roose; Grand Central Pub.

“Armed with an open mind and a reporter’s notebook, Roose dives into life at Liberty University with the goal of connecting with his evangelical peers. He experiences their world first-hand, in this hilarious and heartwarming, respectful and thought-provoking chronicle.”
Robin’s Note: Roose, a student at Brown, is upset that when he meets a group of Evangelical college students, he discovers they can barely have a conversation.  He sets out to do a “semester abroad” at Jerry Falwell’s Evangelical Liberty University to try to figure out whether he can find common ground.  This memoir is funny, thoughtful, and above all well-intentioned—Roose is determined to reject the stereotypes he knows he has and attend this college with an open mind.  He grows an enormous amount, encountering the expected and unexpected, and ultimately the friendships he makes are what he gladly takes away from the experience.