Late post because I was traveling all weekend (again). This week, I wanted to share what might be my favorite and most fun book of the year. Fooling Houdini is Alex Stone's journey as he aspires to the Olympian level of magicians. Sounds childish and made up at first, but it is fascinating as the author takes you through his voyage.
The brief synopsis of the story is Alex Stone is a struggling magician at the beginning of the book. After some personal reflection, he vows to become better, enlisting the help of every great magician and other resource he can utilize. He flies all over the country, he seeks the help of brain researchers, and even goes to clown school. He does everything he can to achieve his dream of successfully performing at the Magic Olympics.
What I liked most was the world that the author unearths as he describes magic magazines, secret societies, magician schools, and legends of magic. It is a historical and educational lesson on magic at the same time. For the most part, he doesn't discuss how tricks are done, but the ones he shares in the end will certainly entertain anyone interested in math.
The author's writing is good for this type of book. There are side comments which are humorous. The story flows very well from chapter to chapter. We meet a ton of characters that are easy to remember, including a blind man who consults for Las Vegas casinos and the Bicycle Playing Cards company because his feel for the cards is that good.
Everyone is entertained by magic. You'd be lying if you said you weren't. I strongly recommend this book.
My rating for Fooling Houdini: 5 stars out of 5. Get it here!
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