Under The Neon Sky by Jay Rankin
By Nick Manteris · 0 Comments · Leave a Comment
Las Vegas is frequently referred to as Sin City and it wasn’t assigned that nickname arbitrarily. It’s an unusual place…it has all the vices you would find in a regular city and a few characteristics that are a little more unusual. Gambling is legal inside the city limits, prostitution is legal only a short distance away and the alcohol never stops flowing. Millions and millions of people visit Vegas every year to party and gamble and go a little wild – and the locals that live and work here see all kinds of crazy stuff on a daily basis. Under The Neon Sky is a personal account from a doorman at the MGM Grand and he shares some of his crazy experiences.
The book is informal, written with a loose and casual style, but it holds your attention – while simultaneously telling the highlights of five years as a doorman and warning about the potential dangers of living in a city like Las Vegas. The first chapter starts in the middle of a hectic night, but it pauses at a crucial moment. Then it goes back to the beginning of his story and takes you chronologically through events until you return to the moment where the story paused. 
The break between the tension and resolution is ultimately anticlimactic, but the journey is an entertaining one. And – based on my own experiences from the time that I spent driving cabs around the city – the anecdotes that he shares feel authentic. Being a doorman appears to be a more demanding job than being a taxi driver, but it pays much better…and they both have a completely different set of stressors. If I had spent a few more years driving a cab I may have burned out worse than any single character from the book.
He makes a very good case for only coming to Vegas as a visitor to have fun and heavily implies that living here can – and probably will – destroy your life. The underlying message seems to be: If you’re not careful, Vegas will chew you up and spit you out. I don’t think it’s the city though...Vegas isn’t inherently malicious. People can be self-destructive no matter where they live and big corporations will work their employees to death if they can – especially if there’s a long line of people waiting to step into your shoes. Surely Mr. Rankin knows that it isn’t all Vegas’ fault. Just like he knows that if you want to make the big bucks you have to dance around like an idiot…because everything has a price. And you always have to risk losing in order to win.
Full Disclosure: This book was forwarded to us by Mr. Rankin's publisher for review purposes.
