Most people will be lucky to see $250,000 in their lifetime. Two brothers, Rick and Steve Barthelme, managed to gamble away that much in a matter of two years and tell the story of how it happened in their new book, "Double Down."

Both men are well-educated teachers in Mississippi. Yet the allure of producing three 7s on a slot machine or betting several thousand dollars on 17 black on the roulette wheel was just too much to resist. By the time they were finished, it no longer was a matter of winning or losing, but of playing. Quitting became synonymous with failure.

Of course, gambling wasn"t the extent of their lives. Rather, it is a way to cope with their family situation. After losing a brother to cancer, the brothers Barthelme watch their wonderful mother and complicated father pass away. Sadly, it is from their inheritance that the brothers wager in Biloxi and Gulfport.

Although they at times appear to know what they are doing, perhaps to spite their father, Rick and Steve try to defeat the system that ensures they can"t win. No matter how many times they double down on blackjack and win, how many jackpots the slots turn up, they will never break even. The dealers know, the waitresses know, and the brothers arguably do too. Like a Greek tragedy, the pathos exists in the futile attempt they make to dodge their fate.

There are only two problems with their account of their story. The first is the change in pronouns. This seems minor, but when they refer to themselves as "Steve and Rick" in one sentence and "we" in the next, it becomes very distracting. The second problem is the lack of a cohesive conclusion. The brothers get into some tragicomic legal binds, but they fail to address the conclusion to their troubles. The book would be enhanced if only they would have completed that chapter of their life, as painless as it must be to recount.

As anyone who has read "Angela"s Ashes" knows, it"s very possible to find humor even in the bleakest of situations. In the midst of gambling woes and middle class existential angst, the Barthelmes show this to be true.