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The Spin
"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.
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.
ebook
First published August 10, 2012
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About the author
Don Keith
71 books55 followersAward-winning and best-selling author of more than 40 published works, Don Keith was born in 1947 and has lived in the South all his life. He attended the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa where he received his degree in broadcast and film communication with a minor in English and literature. While working as a broadcast journalist, he won awards from the Associated Press and United Press International for news writing and reporting. He was also the first winner of Troy State University's Hector Award for innovation in broadcast journalism. As an on-the-air broadcaster, Don won the Billboard Magazine "Radio Personality of the Year" in two formats, country and contemporary. Keith was a broadcast personality for over twenty years in Birmingham and Nashville, and also owned his own consultancy, co-owned a Mobile, Alabama, radio station (WZEW-FM), and hosted and produced several nationally syndicated radio shows.
His first novel, THE FOREVER SEASON, was published by St. Martin's Press in the fall of 1995 to commercial and critical success. It called heavily on Keith's own athletic and academic experiences. Reviewers praised its unique approach and powerful story. The novel won the Alabama Library Association's "Fiction of the Year" award in 1997, joining works likewise honored from Harper Lee and others, and was re-issued in the fall of 2002 by the University of Alabama Press as part of its prestigious Deep South Books series.
He has written both fiction and non-fiction, including several books on WWII history, biographies, and military thrillers. His co-written thriller, HUNTER KILLER, was the basis for the hit movie starring Gerard Butler and Gary Oldman.
His first novel, THE FOREVER SEASON, was published by St. Martin's Press in the fall of 1995 to commercial and critical success. It called heavily on Keith's own athletic and academic experiences. Reviewers praised its unique approach and powerful story. The novel won the Alabama Library Association's "Fiction of the Year" award in 1997, joining works likewise honored from Harper Lee and others, and was re-issued in the fall of 2002 by the University of Alabama Press as part of its prestigious Deep South Books series.
He has written both fiction and non-fiction, including several books on WWII history, biographies, and military thrillers. His co-written thriller, HUNTER KILLER, was the basis for the hit movie starring Gerard Butler and Gary Oldman.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 20, 2013
I started reading The Spin about eight months ago, and as of yesterday was only about half-way through it. I finished the last half in one sitting.
From the very beginning I was drawn in by the elegant writing and smart pacing, and became attached to the quirky characters. Despite all that, however, I found it difficult to stay focused on the story. I was puzzled by this contradiction for a long time, but now I think I understand.
This is much more than just a good story. It is an important book with an important message.
Sure it's entertaining on the surface and, like any good book, has additional depth. Rarely though does the heart of a work of literature connect with me so personally. I think even before I was conscious of this fact, I grasped it on some level. Eight months ago, I just wasn't ready for it. I wasn't prepared to join Jerry Gray in his quest.
Today, though, I am. It was exactly what I needed--the voice of encouragement and inspiration that all of us need from time to time.
From the very beginning I was drawn in by the elegant writing and smart pacing, and became attached to the quirky characters. Despite all that, however, I found it difficult to stay focused on the story. I was puzzled by this contradiction for a long time, but now I think I understand.
This is much more than just a good story. It is an important book with an important message.
Sure it's entertaining on the surface and, like any good book, has additional depth. Rarely though does the heart of a work of literature connect with me so personally. I think even before I was conscious of this fact, I grasped it on some level. Eight months ago, I just wasn't ready for it. I wasn't prepared to join Jerry Gray in his quest.
Today, though, I am. It was exactly what I needed--the voice of encouragement and inspiration that all of us need from time to time.
Displaying 1 of 1 review