The Noble Hustle: Poker, Beef Jerky, And Death

"You do not have to know anything about poker or even care about it to immerse yourself in Colson Whitehead’s memoir, The Noble Hustle. In 2011, Grantland gave him the assignment to compete in the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, and write about it. Whitehead was a casual player, and he writes in depth about his preparation for the game and his progress, but the true delight of this book is his cool hilarity. It’s not really a spoiler to say that Whitehead doesn’t get rich — but neither is this a book about learning life through poker. It’s more like being inside a particularly interesting brain experiencing a specific and odd thing. I’d read a book by Whitehead about car repair — his turn of phrase is so delicious that you’ll have to restrain yourself from interrupting whoever’s nearby to read them great line after great line."