The Gambler: How Penniless Dropout Kirk Kerkorian Became the Greatest Deal Maker in Capitalist History

William C. Rempel

Biography and memoir

Print length: 432 pagesDey Street Books, 2018

Description

Kirk Kerkorian, the son of Armenian immigrants, leaves school early and moves through boxing, wartime ferry flying, and a succession of speculative ventures before emerging as a formidable American deal maker. William C. Rempel follows the intensely private businessman as he buys and sells airlines, reshapes the Las Vegas hotel and casino industry, takes control of MGM, and later makes a consequential bid for influence at Chrysler. Rather than presenting wealth as a smooth ascent, the biography concentrates on repeated cycles of risk, leverage, negotiation, loss, and recovery. Kerkorian’s reluctance to seek publicity contrasts with the scale of his ambitions, giving the book its central tension between an elusive personality and a highly visible record of corporate transformation.

Reading profile

About this profile

Collected’s assessment, not reader ratings. Complexity runs from 1 (least demanding) to 5 (most demanding).

Writing: How much attention the sentences and language require.
Ideas: How much interpretation or abstract reasoning the book asks of you.
Structure: How much you need to keep track of speakers, timelines and connections.
Background knowledge: Prior knowledge needed to follow the book, beyond what it explains.
Emotional intensity: Emotional pressure, from gentle (1) to intense (5). Separate from difficulty.

Writing style

Direct · Journalistic

Pace

Moderate

Tone

Cerebral · Earnest · Reflective

Structure

Chronological nonfiction

Focus

Character · Information · Plot

Emotional intensity

3 / 5

Reading complexity

1–5 · higher means more demanding

Writing: 3 / 5
Ideas: 3 / 5
Structure: 2 / 5
Background knowledge: 2 / 5

Themes

AmbitionLegacyMigration and displacementTransformationWealthWork

Book details

For the print edition listed above.

Publisher: Dey Street Books
ISBN: 9780062456779

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