The Noble Hustle: Poker, beef jerky, and death

by Colson Whitehead

Ebook, 2014

Library's rating

Library's review

Full disclosure: I only read this book because I wanted to read something by Whitehead, who's been on my wishlist forever. Neither Zone One nor Underground Railroad were available at the library, so I snagged this one, which is a memoirish account of his experience playing in the World Series of

Poker a few years ago. It was my first Whitehead, but it won't be my last. I learned that he is a marvelous writer, dexterous with language in ways that are both witty and thoughtful. The book and subject are rather slight and not really my bag, since I have never played a hand of poker in my life, but I still enjoyed his tale and look forward to reading another of his books with a little more meat on its bones.

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Read but unowned, Read in 2016

Description

"In THE NOBLE HUSTLE Colson Whitehead does for participatory journalism what he did for zombie novels in ZONE ONE: Take one literary genius, add $10,000 and a seat at the World Series of Poker, and stir. On one level, Colson Whitehead's THE NOBLE HUSTLE is a familiar species of participatory journalism - a longtime neighborhood poker player, Colson was given a $10,000 stake and an assignment from the online ESPN offshoot Grantland to see how far he could get in the World Series of Poker. But since it stems from the astonishing mind of Colson Whitehead (MacArthur Award-endorsed!), the book is a brilliant, hilarious, weirdly profound and ultimately moving portrayal of - yes, it sounds overblown and ridiculous, but really! - the human condition"--… (more)