Rating: 
Summary: Relentless Slam Job of Steve Wynn
Review: I read this book with an open mind - my only prior knowledge of Steve Wynn was that he was the guy that built the Mirage, Treasure Island and Bellagio - the Mirage having ushered in the new era of modern luxury casino hotels in Vegas, and the $1.6 billion dollar Bellagio having upped the ante.
That said, I can see why Steve Wynn fought so hard to prevent this book from being released. Wynn sued the the original publisher and apparently helped force it into bankruptcy.
Any reader of this book will likely come away believing that:
1) Wynn rubbed elbows with mob figures, and may have served as a front man in some of his early dealings, before he accrued enough juice on his own,
2) Wynn leveraged his money-making capacity into a large measure of control over the local and state government and judiciary,
3) Wynn is an egomaniac,
4) Wynn kicks puppies....
You get the idea. Although the book makes a fair attempt at biography, its real purpose is to be an expose'. After 350 pages, it has the effect of beating a dead horse.
Wynn may indeed be all of those things, and certainly some of the things he's accused of could result in the loss of his Gaming License - although it seems Nevada is far too invested in him to ever let that happen. I wish there was a more balanced, well-rounded account of Steve Wynn's story out there.
Rating: 
Summary: A lousy biography
Review: I was hoping to learn a lot about the evolution of the Golden Nugget, the creation of the first megaresort in Vegas (the Mirage), as well as Wynn's super-gimmicky Treasure Island and how Bellagio took glitz to the highest level yet in Vegas. I instead read a mixed bunch of stories that seemed to have very little order. The book fails to follow any kind of progression, and is mostly about Wynn's associates' ties to organized crime. The Vegas casinos he built are only mentioned in passing, or when a controversy was involved.John L. Smith seems more intent on criticizing Wynn's associations than actually telling the story of how he rebuilt Las Vegas. I came out of the book still wondering what he was thinking when Mirage opened, and how the public took to it. If you want a REAL biography by John L. Smith, I highly recommend "No Limit", Smith's story of Bob Stupak. I read this one after "Running Scared" and was left wondering why Smith didn't write a similar book on Wynn. So if you're going to spend the money, buy the Stupak book-it's more informative and much more entertaining.
Rating: 
Summary: Courage in the Face of Expensive Legal Bullying
Review: Mr. Smith and his publisher are heroes of journalism for publishing the well-researched truth about someone who did everything he could to scare them into giving up.
Rating:
Summary: a flawed but necessary book.
Review: Tabloid Trash. Lots of juicy supposition, innuendo and rumour with little substantiation. This book is one more piece of evidence of the schizophrenia of the American Dream: the striving for wealth...and then the relentless persecution of those who achieve it. Steve Wynn built his business with far more integrity than he has ever been given credit for, certainly more integrity than most, and if he has to be faulted for anything it may be his vision to transform Casino Gaming into a cultural, as well as gambling, experience. He may have bitten off more than he could chew, but he has left a wonderful legacy of beautiful hotels with excellent service, not to mention providing jobs for hundreds of people. And he made money for himself...God Forbid. And please...don't start waving around the First Amendment in defense of baloney like this. Are the author and publisher free to print malarkey like this? Sure. And is Steve Wynn free to defend himself? ABSOLUTELY. Please don't waste your hard earned money on this snake-oil. Why the successfull and hard-working should be so ruthlessly persecuted is one of the great mysteries of American culture...
Rating:
Summary: Lousy and Low...not worth one star...
Review: Tabloid Trash. Lots of juicy supposition, innuendo and rumour with little substantiation. This book is one more piece of evidence of the schizophrenia of the American Dream: the striving for wealth...and then the relentless persecution of those who achieve it. Steve Wynn built his business with far more integrity than he has ever been given credit for, certainly more integrity than most, and if he has to be faulted for anything it may be his vision to transform Casino Gaming into a cultural, as well as gambling, experience. He may have bitten off more than he could chew, but he has left a wonderful legacy of beautiful hotels with excellent service, not to mention providing jobs for hundreds of people. And he made money for himself...God Forbid. And please...don't start waving around the First Amendment in defense of baloney like this. Are the author and publisher free to print malarkey like this? Sure. And is Steve Wynn free to defend himself? ABSOLUTELY. Please don't waste your hard earned money on this snake-oil. Why the successfull and hard-working should be so ruthlessly persecuted is one of the great mysteries of American culture...
Rating:
Summary: a flawed but necessary book.
Review: The negative reviews are fair enough. The book reads like National Enquirer grade journalism. On the other hand, how many writers have had the guts to approach this subject head on ? Smith is most effective at bringing the reader into the environment that surrounds Wynn. One you begin to realize how seamlessly the world of hard core criminality has blended with ideals of "family life" and high culture, thanks to the inventive minds of the gaming industry, you might take a step back and ask what we are inadvertantly turning into. Have we been complicit in handing over popular culture to well tailored goombahs ? One might begin to reach that conclusion. One might begin to consider the consequences of an amoral money-power fascination that has taken hold in America. Does Wynn represent the emergence of a new type of hero, the wiseguy who gets over ? Yo, Wynn got over, America bought in. Is this who we are destined to become ?
Rating:
Summary: Some connections are missing!
Review: This book is misnamed! It should have been called "The Six Degrees of Steve Wynn" after the game where you can connect anyone in Hollywood to anyone else in six steps. Smith tells a series of stories about colorful characters and then tries to tie these people to Wynn. I didn't believe it for a minute. Too bad, because the truth would probably have been more interesting than this hatchet job
Rating: 
Summary: "Running Scared" is running on empty
Review: This book reads like what it is -- a quick 300 pages cranked out by a Vegas journalist familiar with the subject, commissioned by a publisher with a rich history of wallowing in libel. The preface admits as much. The publisher proudly proclaims on the book jacket, "Steve Wynn has already sued the author of this book and its publisher twice...." Indeed, the book leaves you wondering if getting sued by Steve Wynn was the whole point of this book, and is the only notoriety this tabloid volume would ever have received. The author does himself and the reader a great disservice with his vague source citations. The book lists a great many books, interviews, and court records, but unfortunately these sources are listed as a group at the end of the book and aren't footnoted throughout the text. This makes it impossible to discern the specific source for any of the claims in the book. Most disappointingly, the book fails to give a satisfying biography of its subject. Most of the more fascinating business maneuvers in Wynn's career are sadly glossed over, leaving you with more questions than answers. How exactly did Wynn make so much money buying and selling a small lot on the corner of Caesar's? Exactly how did Wynn leverage control of the Golden Nugget? This book won't really tell you. All too often you'll have to be happy with the answer than Wynn "knew somebody". I kept up hope for this book (having already read other damning customer reviews), but ultimately I found this book disappointing. It seemed unnecessarily condemning of Wynn -- if he's a crook, the facts should speak for themselves, and the author needn't pursue it so doggedly. This book seems only to prove that Wynn works in a business with a lot of shady peers, and that Wynn doesn't seem to mind it. What a surprise.
Rating:
Summary: Running Scared is an important book about an important man.
Review: This book really needed to be written. It's well-documented, impeccably researched, and it's about time somebody stood up to the mighty Steve Wynn and the gambling industry. Where else but Nevada can Wynn and Governor Bob Miller state, in the libel trial on this book, that they recently spent the weekend with Michael Milken, a convicted felon, without anyone taking notice? Book readers, take note! Wynn is placing all his finances into stopping this book from printing. He has already put the publisher of this book out of business. The First Amendment must prevail, and all of us must be vigilant so we don't lose those rights to write and/or read what we please.
|
