Double down: Reflections on Gambling and Loss - Hardcover

Barthelme, Frederick; Barthelme, Steve

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0395954290 ISBN 13: 9780395954294

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin (Trade), 1999

Synopsis

This first nonfiction book by Frederick Barthelme, author of Bob the Gambler, and his brother and colleague Steven is both a story of family feeling and a testimony to the risky allure of casinos.
Within a year and a half, the authors had lost both of their parents, less than a decade after their brother Donald died. Their exacting father had been a prominent modernist architect in Houston; their mother, the architect of this family of seven, which she "invented, shaped, guided, and protected."
"We were on our own in a remarkable new way," the Barthelmes write, "and we were not ready." What followed was a several-year escapade during which the two brothers lost close to a quarter million dollars in the gambling boats off the Mississippi coast. They played to enter that addictive land of possibility. Then, in a bizarre twist, they were charged with violating state gambling laws, fingerprinted, and thrown into the surreal world of felony prosecution. For two years these widely publicized charges hung over their heads, shadowing their every step, until, in August of 1999, the charges were finally dismissed. Double Down is the sometimes wryly told, often heartbreaking story of how Frederick and Steven Barthelme got into this predicament. It is also a reflection on the pull and power of illusions, the way they work on us when we are not vigilant.

About this title

Review:

"One of the best firsthand accounts ever written about organized gambling."-James Lee Burke
""Double Down "is a good gambling story, maybe worth every penny the Barthelmes lost."-Chicago Tribune
"Fresh, fascinating, and-with its tone pitched halfway between sheer heartbreak and ironic detachment-deeply moving. [A] beautifully written book."-Francine Prose, Elle

About the Author:

Frederick Barthelme is the author of eleven books, including BOB THE GAMBLER and THE PAINTED DESERT. He directs the writing program at the University of Southern Mississippi and edits the literary journal Mississippi Review. Mr. Barthelme lives in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

About this edition

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin (Trade)
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0395954290
• ISBN 13: 9780395954294
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 8