The author’s life journey, as encapsulated in this text, presents a model of how to live with ambition and integrity regardless of how adverse the circumstances. Fittingly titled, his life story is remarkable in that he is constantly moving up the entrepreneurial ladder. However, where most lose good friends and quality relationships along the way, Coury is building upon them.

Essentially an autobiography up to the modern day, Tenacity is easy to read, with the subheadlines within chapters making it even easier to compartmentalize the different phases of Coury’s life. As with his own life, Coury’s story is direct and does not lead its audience in roundabouts to get to its main objective. Thus, beginning with Coury’s Brooklyn roots and expansion to Las Vegas, there will undoubtedly be a multitude of elements of the author’s life that speak to the readership, be it in how they are or how they would like to be. For longtime Las Vegas residents, and even those recently settled, the story will reference the rise of individuals like Steve Wynn and provide a snapshot of the evolution of the strip hotels.

Adversity forges character and resilience. Ron Coury is living proof of it in the “Mean Streets” chapter, when he fights for the dollar his mother gave him for a haircut or chooses to engage a group of teenage thugs beating up on his friend, Timmy. Enlisting in the Marine Corps and finding a friend like Dan Hughes only further activated Coury’s value of grit, teamwork, relationships, and, most importantly, a recurring theme in this text: loyalty.

Coury’s rise begins with Project Transition in Las Vegas, where his determination to become a casino dealer and start forging a life beyond the Marines plows through hurdles like lack of experience. Perhaps the most intriguing lesson that Coury teaches through highlighting his various examples is, quite simply, that “failure was not an option.” On more than one occasion, the author finds himself needing drastic resources to complete a desired deal. Not once does the author back down at the odds. On the contrary, Coury delivers a clinic in leveraging relationships that are generally beneficial to both sides. For example, when he has his eyes set on the purchase of the Suburban Lounge, he is able to close the $35,000 deficit preventing the purchase by proposing an investment of roughly that amount to a client of his in Coury’s side business as a realtor.

The allure of this book is its basis in fact. Many of the events narrated from Coury’s perspective can be found on the web in the form of articles in the Las Vegas Sun and the Las Vegas Review-Journal. With conviction, journalists such as Wayne Allyn Root portray Coury’s role as that of a Las Vegas visionary. In the author’s quest to achieve the American Dream, which spans from starting a printing facility and owning bars to owning a limousine service, he changes Las Vegas as a whole.

The most striking aspect of Coury’s entrepreneurial career is that he is fearless in his pursuits; his endeavors do not stay within one industry but rather travel to any and all industries where he deems there is a need with a problem he can solve. Nested within Coury’s successes are many trials and tribulations with the propensity to tear apart even the strongest of wills. When he finds himself in the midst of political power plays, particularly with the case against him and the Winners bar, he risks losing everything he worked to build, and more importantly, the respect he had earned throughout Southern Nevada. In typical Coury fashion, he does the only thing that he knows: fight.

Overall, the author’s book is a fluid and entertaining tale that endears Coury’s character to audiences. His unyielding fire and passion are class personified. The entire foundation of the text rests on this premise and never disappoints.

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