Random

By: Penn Jillette

Narrated by: Penn Jillette

Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

Two weeks before his twenty-first birthday, Las Vegas native Bobby Ingersoll finds out he’s inherited a crushing gambling debt from his scumbag father. The debt is owed to an even scummier bag named Fraser Ruphart who oversees his bottom-rung criminal empire from the classy-adjacent Trump International Hotel. Bobby’s prospects of paying off the note, which comes due the day he turns twenty-one, are about as dim as the sign on the tower’s façade.

The two weeks pass in the blink of a (snake) eye, but before Bobby’s luck runs out, he stumbles upon enough cash to pay Ruphart off and change his family’s fortune. More importantly, he finds himself with a new, for lack of a better word, faith.

Bobby does not consign his big break to a “higher power"—what Penn Jillette hero ever could? Instead, he devises and devotes himself to Random, a philosophy where his life choices are based entirely on the roll of his “lucky” dice. What follows is a hilarious exploration into not so much what defines us as what divines us when we give over every decision—from what to eat to whom to marry to how or when to die—to the random fall of two numbered cubes.

Combining the intellectual curiosity of Richard Dawkins with the humor and grit of an Elmore Leonard antihero, Jillette’s up-on-his-luck Ingersoll is the character we need to help us navigate the chaos of the post-truth era.

Well, unless his roll runs cold.

©2022 Penn Jillette (P)2022 Blackstone Publishing

Meh, it's alright.

Review contains Avery very mild spoiler.


I love penn, he's one of my "mentors". With that being said, this book is just okay. The story has plot armor to spare and is both predictable boring at times.

While I think there is a storry here, it needed to be fleshed out a bit. It was a bit too predictable and far fetched. Personally, I think it would have been amazing if it would have ended in a realistic way. That would have been hilarious.

The book was quite graphic with some sexual stuff that pushed the limit of what I was comfortable with. However, I'm glad it was in there to give representation to other sexual orientations and provided a broad sexual spectrum than to what others may like.

Drama was lost a bit because there wasn't a sense of risk. It seemed impossible to do wrong and that's where this book fell short.

We all want the hero to win. We watch super hero movies. We expect it. We are okay with it. But, bmthere has to be that feeli g of loss. That feeling of failure.

This just didn't have that.

However, the book itself was written pretty well and I hope penn continues to write. He did a great job as a whole and I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.

thanks penn

1: write a review explaining what i liked about the book

2: write a review explaining how reviews are bullshit and are full of lies and manipulation so leaving one is pointless

3: write a review about how i missed out on the dice bag, so now my balls are cold because i have nothing to put them in

4: write a review about how free will is bullshit, anyway. so letting dice decide my decisions is the ultimate form of atheism. include vaguely-related tangents about how much mushrooms ive done

5: write a mean, untrue review saying "I would give it LESS than 1 star!!", but give it 5 stars instead

6: write out my list of options in place of a review

AMAZING STUPENDOUS FUNNY THRILLING

Just a taste of what Mr. Jillette can do well. I loved it alot

I rolled a seven so now I’m writing this

Penn is most like himself and I’d like to be more like that. Robert Ingersoll is a incredible combination of the most incredible people. The story is fun fast and wild I love it. I’ll continue to relisten to this often.

Great story, Fun ride!

I’m a big fan of Penn and I love his story telling and wit. Can’t wait until the next form of entertainment. Thanks Penn

Teens will like this story. Rest of you Mmmm

Penn has always been entertaining. Even on the radio with Alex Bennett hilarious. Not so much this story. It has a good premise and enough of crazy. No body except maybe the kiddies would be entertained by the stupid sex talk. Maybe he's frustrated having to be Mr Clean in his shows. If he finally gets on with the story about half way through trying to prove Las Vegas is crazy the concept of random is a good premise and could have been a lot of fun. He needed the guy from two and a half men to read the story and it would have been a great series. Oh well nice start. Loved his bringing his Vegas buddies into the story. He needed a bottle of Mazola in the group grope scene.

Worth a listen

I like audiobooks that are read by the authors themselves. They emphasize the parts they want to really be driven home and Penn does that. The idea of true random is interesting and the book gives a very inside peek at Vegas life and culture.

Why did I wait 20 years for your next book?

It wouldn't make a great TV show Oh well I guess you were otherwise busy. I'm gonna send my WiFi to her Gil Jett now It keeps both of us happy..

It’s pen at his best

I’d recommend this book to almost anyone. it’s funny, surreal and very entertaining. he does a great job narrating too.

Eh

Not horrible, but not great either. The listen made it a lot better than actually reading the book.