September 17-21, 2007

Here’s something new and different for MotherTalk reviewers: Money for Nothing, Ed Ugel’s memoir about getting rich off the good fortune of others. Here’s an excerpt from the back cover:

At age twenty-six, Ed Ugel found himself broke, knee-deep in gambling debt, and moving back into his parents’ basement. It all changed, however, when he serendipitously landed a job as a salesman for “The Firm” — a company that offered up-front cash to lottery winners in exchange for their prize money, often paid in agonizingly small annual payments, some lasting up to twenty-five years. For the better part of the ensuing decade, Ed spent his time closing deals with lottery winners, making a lucrative and legitimate — if sometimes not-so-nice — living by taking advantage of their weaknesses . . . weaknesses he knew all too well. 

Ed met hundreds of lottery winners and saw up-close the often hilarious, sometime sad outcome when great wealth is dropped on ordinary people. Ed traveled deep into the heart of the country where he discovered the American Dream looks a lot like a day at the casino. And Ed knows casinos. In fact, his own taste for gambling gave him a unique insight into lottery winners.

Even as he relished his accomplishments, he grappled with the question: “If you are good at something that is bad for some people, does that make you a bad person?”

Sept 17: The New Homemaker hands the microphone to her husband, who says “[Edward Ugel's] writing is just flat out funny, and his take on the historical basis of Lotteries in America should be required reading for every state legislator out there.” Baggage and Bug says “[Money for Nothing] is an enjoyable read that might make you think twice before picking up your next Powerball ticket. It’s also a rather interesting glimpse into the life of a man who wants desperately to succeed in life, but isn’t sure how far he is willing to go to get there.”

Sept 18: Life in the Hundred-Acre Wood says “Ugel’s description of how he succeeds in manipulating poorly educated and financially desperate winners is heartbreaking. And Ugel readily admits he is, at best, a predator who will stop at nothing to get a signed contract so he can walk away with a hefty commission.” And Gotcha Baby says “The lottery is a tax for people who are bad at math, and Money for Nothing illustrates that point beautifully. Not only does he explain a little bit about how the lottery works, Ugel also explains how winners never really win the whole amount advertised in the jackpot, how revenue generated by lotteries tends to replace, rather than add to state budgets, and other unpleasantness the ‘You’ve Got to Play to Win’ people don’t bother to tell you.”

Sept 19: My Little Patch of Sunshine says “[Money for Nothing] fed my fantasies for a few days about what I would do if I ever won, (and my hopes that I would handle my winnings intelligently).” And The Debroff Debrief says “Money for Nothing seems like excellent reading for a lot of the men I know, and my husband is already immersed in my copy. Thumbs up!”

Sept 20: Top Rack Dishwasher Safe says “Ugel touches on the humanity in each person in a way that makes it easy to understand how he could be so good at his job for so long. I highly recommend Money For Nothing to anyone who has ever dreamed of hitting it big.” And After the Bubbly says “Money for Nothing is a fascinating look at a world most of us will never experience firsthand. It’s a page-turner and an intimate glimpse into the mind of a gambler. Plus, it’s funny – in a dark way and isn’t that the best kind?”

Sept 21: Jenn’s Journal says “My favorite parts of the book were the lottery winners and the stories surrounding them.  I wish there was more of that in there.  Ed’s story was pretty interesting too.  Gambler, salesman, the ups, the downs.” And Lather. Rinse. Repeat. says “Ugel’s strength is in his retelling of various scenarios with a colorful cast of characters who won big and find themselves in dire straits. Those portions of the story are comedy fodder worthy of a prime time sitcom.”

This entry was posted on Friday, September 14th, 2007 at 4:00 pm and is filed under Books. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.