Non-Fiction: License to Pawn by Rick Harrison

Today in January Magazine’s non-fiction section, contributing editor Brendan M. Leonard reviews License to Pawn by Rick Harrison. Says Leonard:

Rick Harrison, one of the owners of Las Vegas’ Gold and Silver Pawn Shop, is an unlikely television star. But the History Channel’s Pawn Stars, a blue-collar Antiques Roadshow and advanced negotiation seminar, is one of the most successful reality television shows. It’s also one of the most enjoyable, and it would be easy for Harrison to cash in on his newfound fame by writing a book that’s mostly fluff and filler. Tell a few good stories, make a few jokes, recap some fan favorite episodes, and deliver it to you, the reader, for $24.99. In and out -- from your wallet to his.

The book Harrison wrote with Tim Keown, License to Steal, is not that book. Many of the aforementioned tropes appear, true, but they’re wrapped within a story that is as unlikely as Harrison’s television fame. When it comes to TV show tie-ins, this is one of the better ones in recent memory.

The full review is here.