Boom Town

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Award winning journalist Sam Anderson s long awaited debut is a brilliant, kaleidoscopic narrative of Oklahoma City a great American story of civics, basketball, and destiny.Oklahoma City was born from chaos It was founded in a bizarre but momentous Land Run in 1889, when thousands of people lined up along the borders of Oklahoma Territory and rushed in at noon to stake their claims Since then, it has been a city torn between the wild energy that drives its outsized ambitions, and the forces of order that seek sustainable progress Nowhere was this dynamic better realized than in the drama of the Oklahoma City Thunder basketball team s 2012 13 season, when the Thunder s brilliant general manager, Sam Presti, ignited a firestorm by trading future superstar James Harden just days before the first game Presti s all in gamble on the Process the patient, methodical management style that dictated the trade as the team s best hope for long term greatness kicked off a pivotal year in the city s history, one that would include pitched battles over urban planning, a series of cataclysmic tornadoes, and the frenzied hope that an NBA championship might finally deliver the glory of which the city had always dreamed.Boom Town announces the arrival of an exciting literary voice Sam Anderson, former book critic for New York magazine and now a staff writer at the New York Times magazine, unfolds an idiosyncratic mix of American history, sports reporting, urban studies, gonzo memoir, and much to tell the strange but compelling story of an American city whose unique mix of geography and history make it a fascinating microcosm of the democratic experiment Filled with characters ranging from NBA superstars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook to Flaming Lips oddball frontman Wayne Coyne to legendary Great Plains meteorologist Gary England to Stanley Draper, Oklahoma City s would be Robert Moses to civil rights activist Clara Luper to the citizens and public servants who survived the notorious 1995 bombing of the Alfred P Murrah federal building, Boom Town offers a remarkable look at the urban tapestry woven from control and chaos, sports and civics. New Download [ Boom Town ] Author [ Sam Anderson ] – kino-fada.fr If Sam Anderson can emotionally invest born and raised Okie me in the politics and interpersonal relationships of the Thunder, a basketball team I ve never watched play a single game not even on a television screen , then I promise you that he ...Who needs a synopsis with a sub title like that A fun, fast paced read for people that enjoy unusual histories with a generous helping of weird.This is a stunningly good piece of civic history here Sam Anderson does the impossible and makes the arid, droll landscape of Oklahoma City explode with intrigue Boom Town is a wonderful mix of basketball reportage, frontier history and expose of a city in flyover country that really deserves a ...There a few versions of Oklahoma City There s the bombing OKC There s the flyover state OKC Then there s the Thunder version Sam Anderson has taken Oklahoma City, the OKC Thunder and, really, the state of Oklahoma and combined it into a fantastic story Shooing back and forth through time, Anderson captures what makes Oklahoma and the Thunder so great This is the story of a great state, a state that popped up over night, a state that had a college before it was officially recognized as There a few versions of Oklahoma City There s the bombing OKC There s the flyover state OKC Then there s the Thunder version Sam Anderson has taken Oklahoma City, the OKC Thunder and, really, the state of Oklahoma and combined it into a fantastic story Shooing back and forth through time, Anderson captures what makes Oklahoma and the Thunder so great This is the story of a great state, a state that popped up over night, a state that had a college before it was officially recognized as a state There s the Land Run, tornados, Wayne Coyne, Gary England There s also Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden I always find it hard to describe Oklahoma Yes, it in the middle of the country and yes, it s full of people ...I had mixed feelings about this book At least the parts that piqued my interest, the passages about the Oklahoma City Thunder basketball team, were interesting and I especially enjoyed reading about the angst felt when one of the young stars of the team, James Harden, was going to leave and sign with another team The writing about Garden s trademark...Endlessly fascinating, funny, sad, and familiar reportage about a very American and very weird city Highly recommended especially to readers who d appreciate the consistent presence of Russell Westbrook, Wayne ...There was so much local buzz around this one and after finishing the book I would agree that this one was worth every bit of that BUZZ The blurb fantastical saga of OKC, apocalyptic weather, purloined basketball team, etc immediately hooked me and I zoomed through it I loved how Anderson flipped back and...Boom Town is centered around Oklahoma City and it s strong will and obstinance to survive and remain relevant since the city s time of conception when people first staked out their claims to this city This book is a tribute not just to the city but to the people who have made and are still making OKC the kind of city it is today Sam Anderson, takes his reader, back and forth through a time continuum using history, current events, and sports as the backdrop to tell the story of OKC He introduc Boom Town is centered around Oklahoma City and it s strong will and obstinance to survive and remain relevant since the city s time of conception when people first staked out their claims to this city This book is a tribute not just to the city but to the people who have made and are still making OKC the kind of city it is today Sam Anderson, takes his reader, back and forth through a time continuum using history, current events, and sports as the backdrop to tell the story of OKC He introduces us to men and women who aren t found in our history books like Ms Clara Luper an African American woman who desegregated lunch counters and other business establishments during the Civil Rights Mr England, the local celebrity, a meteorologist Scattered throughout Boom Town, ...Guys, this books is sooooo good It is rare that I find nonfiction to be a page turner, especially nonfiction about the city I live in, that is basically telling me things I already know But this book is so engagingly written, and presents the history and present of OKC in such a personal and unique way that I could not put this down A word of warning for other Oklahomans reading this the parts about the May 2013 tornadoes were super hard for me to read and I suffered no damage from them I Guys, this books is sooooo good It is rare that I find nonfiction to be a page turner, especially nonfiction about the city I live in, that is basically telling me things I already know But this book is so engagingly written, and presents the history and present of OKC in such a personal and unique way that I could not put ...Interesting Approach to Explaining OKCAs a native to OKC, I read with curiosity to an outsiders take on our city Blending the unusual beginning of the city with the story of the OKC Thunder brought interest to a familiar story with some Flaming Lips, Gary England, oil booms busts, and bombing tragedy thrown in It was well written I think the author failed to convey the true renaissance of our city and effective development that still continues today We have a wonderful city that surprises Interesting Approach to Explaining OKCAs a native to OKC, I read with curiosity to an outsiders take on our city Blending the unusual beginning of the city with the story of the OKC Thunder brought interest to a familiar story with some Flaming Lips, Gary England, oil booms busts, and bombing tragedy thrown in It was well written I think the author failed to convey the true renaissance of our city and effective development that still continues today We have a wonderful city that surprises and delight...

Boom Town
  • 26 August 2017
  • Hardcover
  • 448 pages
  • 0804137315
  • Sam Anderson
  • Boom Town