The Spin Book Reviews

The Spin by Don Keith Book Summary

"Sometimes you have to listen to your heart, not your head."

Jerry Gray is an average man--a straight-arrow family man, hard worker, faithful husband--but with a non-average amount of troubles stacking up around him. His marriage is failing, his daughter may be dying of a rare blood disorder, he is still paying his late father's hospital and funeral bills, and his closely-held dreams have been shoved aside at every turn. And then, at the worst possible time, he loses his job in a major layoff. That is when Gray decides he has to step away from his level-headed approach to life--the down-the-middle existence his father preached--and take a chance. A very big chance. He decides to cash in what little he has left and risk it all on one spin of the roulette wheel in Las Vegas. That seems to him to be the only way to escape from the troubles that are overwhelming him.

This drastic gamble quickly becomes much more than simply a symbol for taking a risk and following a dream for Jerry Gray. The news of his quest quickly spreads, becomes a media circus, and captures the imaginations of millions. Soon, Gray is joined by thousands of other people who show up at his home or wait for them to arrive in Vegas, all of them ready to take their own symbolic risk in life, to step out of formation and reach for a dream.

Along the way, we meet some of these fascinating characters who see their own lives changed dramatically for the better when they join Jerry's ride to Vegas for The Spin. And these are characters you will never forget. Chauncey McKissack, a long-time family friend who harbors a deep, dark secret not even Jerry could have guessed. A beautiful singer/songwriter who places such uncommon pressure on herself that it ultimately prevents her music from being heard. A leftover from the "Summer of Love" whose insight and incantations spur the group along on their quest. A would-be writer who allows fear of failure to stymie his stories before they even get started. A narcissistic TV news anchor who can only manage to love his own image. The owners of a hole-in-the-wall casino off the strip in Las Vegas and the publisher of a girly magazine, all whose luck is changed amazingly when The Spin lands in their laps. A drug-crazed pro-basketball player who literally lands in the middle of Jerry's fateful ride to the desert to risk everything.

This amazing heart-over-head parable will have readers re-thinking their own lives and dreams as they go along with Jerry Gray and his odd parade, all the way to Las Vegas and the ultimate impartial spin of the roulette wheel. Red or black? Win or lose? Just as it did for those closest to The Spin, its outcome and what it really means will leave you both amazed and inspired.

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The Spin (Don Keith) Book Reviews 2024

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