If what Mezrich says about competing with the Red Sox is true, then today they're kicking his ass. He's at Barnes & Noble in the Pru for a Q & A about Rigged. Mezrich and his audience are in the back, near the café. The air smells like chocolate chip cookies, which is the best thing that can be said about how things are going. A few blocks away, the Sox's World Series championship parade is rolling by. Consequently, the turnout isn't quite what he'd hoped.

Mezrich could have called off the appearance, but to do so would have meant disappointing the loyal fans who showed up. And they are loyal. A bit crazy, too. Among the smattering of devotees here is a woman whom Mezrich, only half-jokingly, calls his stalker. (D'Agostino thinks she may have an anatomically correct doll at home with Mezrich's picture on it.) She's hunched protectively over a copy of Rigged in the kind of prison posture cons use to keep people away from their food. Mezrich says she's a holdover from the Holden Scott days.
The scene is less glamorous than the publicity tour for 21, but no less essential to the Ben Mezrich brand. And if enduring an event like today's is part of the marketing process, that's a tradeoff he's all too happy to make. "I'm writing about these kids who make it to that next level, the new American Dream," he says. "That's what I'm trying to live as well—the new American Dream."

The fans are eager to hear the famous author's thoughts. While a line for coffee forms just a few feet away, Mezrich stands directly in front of his readers. He could reach out and touch them if he wanted. He uses a microphone anyway.