PINBALL WIZARDS by Adam Ruben is about the history of pinball told through the eyes of a avid pinball fan coupled the writer's adventures in competitive pinball and his reflecting on why people have been drawn to pinball over the years.
It's clear that Ruben is a pinball fanatic and enjoyed learning about and writing about pinball. He delves into it's beginning, how it was considered a tool of gambling for a long time and banned many places and Ruben carries used through to today. He covers the ups and down in popularity in the latter half of the 20th century and considers that despite the game being minimized almost to extinction several times, it keeps coming back and tries to figure out why that is. He walks the reader through the major players and major events and even recounts his attempts at the biggest pinball tournament in the country. Throughout, Ruben never takes the writing of the book too seriously; through a random funny moment or recognizing a funny play on words that are born out of pinball and therefore the book is all the more endearing and fun to read.
I think everyone has played pinball at least once in their lives, and therefore everyone could enjoyed reading PINBALL WIZARDS. I know that I after reading PINBALL WIZARDS, I want to find the nearest pinball parlor, arcade, or bar with a pinball game and play a few rounds.
Thank you to Chicago Review Press, Adam Ruben, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! ( )