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Subtitle: One Man's Journey Through the Dark Side of Lottery Millions By Edward Ugel
Money for Nothing. I found this book to be fascinating. It is much more than a memoir. Some parts are encyclopedic. Chapter Two is a summary on how the lottery system works. I learned some facts that were startling. For example, did you know that since most of the early colonists came to escape oppressive taxes, lotteries were instrumental in financing and capitalizing infrastructure in all of the original colonies? "In 1612, the first colonial-era lottery raised nearly 30,000 pounds for the Virginia Company's Jamestown Settlement."(page 27) Since then, lotteries were used to build everything from churches to roads. Scandal and political corruption were key in the 1870's Louisiana lottery so much that most states outlawed state lotteries. It wasn't until about 100 years later that states once again sought out a way to gain "painless revenue." New Hampshire carries the honor of enstating the first state lottery in 1964. Chapter Three is entitled: "Everything You'll Wish You Never Knew About Winning the Lottery." If chapter two's history lessons about the lottery and the lump-sum business were eye opening, then chapter three was actually scary. Some of the subtitles will give you an idea of the subject matter: "Misery Love Company", "A Wolf in State's Clothing", "Trust Me, I'm With the Government (and Other Failed Lottery Marketing Campaigns)", "If it Looks Like a Casino and Smells Like a Casino...", "Wanna Play Monopoly?", and "Oh, Please, Please Think of the Children". I believe that just for these two chapters alone everyone should read this book, especially lottery winner wannabe's. |
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The rest of the book was a conundrum to me. Part Psychology 301, part memoir with experiences that will either give you a good chuckle or make you speechless in unbelief, part Salesmanship 620 graduate level course with a splash of Salemanship 101 thrown in for good measure, part Philosophy 201, part Sociology 421, the author Ed Ugel digs deeply into human nature and gets down and dirty in the telling. The truth ain't always pretty. Oh, and did I mention that Salesmanship 620 turns into Management 799? Crash course. Ugel is also the master of analogies. You don't have to have college level reading skills to understand this text. Analogies fly off his pen every few pages.
It didn't take the intelligence of a squirrel to realize that Ed Ugel is a connoiseur of dramatic movies. Ed Ugel's writing style is smart, snarky, witty, candid, biting, and insightful. I loved his dry sense of humor. The story of his adventure with the secluded lottery winner and the dogs had me in stitches. "These dogs weren't going to turn me into PETA's Man of the Year"..."For the sake of the story, they should be considered wolfish dogs--anti-Semitic dogs"..."The queen wanted to address the dummy trying to shield his groin with his briefcase." When the deal was finally all but signed, he concluded, "I was relieved to be headed away from the little kennel of horrors (another movie analogy)." If you don't read the book, you will be missing a good humorous piece, information about a slice of culture you may either be fully cognizant about and even part of, or totally ignorant of it as I was, and a tome that makes you think and wonder about the nature of man. If Ed Ugel decides to further his writing career, I'd be pleased to read anything coming from his "pen." |
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Title: Money for Nothing by Edward Ugel Hardback, 235 pages First Edition HarperCollins Publishers: 2007 ISBN: 978-0-06-128417-5 ISBN-10: 0-06-128417-3 USA $24.95/ Canada $28.95/ UK L14.99 |
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Comments: 14
What a lovely review. I'm touched that you found the book relevant on so many levels. I sent a link to a few folks in my family, I couldn't help myself. (Some of your favorite lines in the book are mine too.) My wife just read your review and said, "She get you better than most people do." I concur.
I hope you'll continue to give such insightful reviews to other authors as it really made my day. You made me feel like a real writer. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Ed Ugel
i just read some of Keren's works... excellent... chip off of mom... hehe
Bless you and yours always...
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