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Okc
Okc | Sam Anderson
12 posts | 9 read | 2 reading | 25 to read
A lively and introspective look into Oklahoma City, where colorful city officials business leaders, artists, and sports fans have turned an unassuming Southwestern city into a thriving metropolis with a dazzling basketball team. Sam Anderson--award-winning critic and journalist--makes his long-awaited debut with a stunning, insightful, and raucus portrait of Oklahoma City, an iconoclastic outpost in America's heartland. Anderson reports on the amazing revitalization that has occurred over the course of the last 20 years, starting with Oklahoma City's adoption of the MAPS program; he'll show how the city's colorful leaders--its mayor, police chief, and a few local celebrities--have built up an unassuming city into a thriving urban center, full of artists, musicians, and, of course, sports fans. Anderson will track the dramatic story of how a consortium of business leaders purchased the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics, brought it to Oklahoma City, and renamed the team the Thunder. Sam Presti, the charismatic young GM of the Thunder, has turned the team--which includes Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook--from scrappy underdogs to elite champions in less than five years. Anderson also talks to Wayne Coyne, the wild frontman of the Flaming Lips, and Gary England, the longtime beloved meteorologist who becomes a folk hero after the 2013 tornadoes, to paint the fullest picture possible of this one-of-a-kind American city.
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WorldsOkayestStepMom
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Pickpick

I loved the history in the book. I don't like the sports analysis. It was hard to read about the 2013 tornados because I was here. It was a long day.

Susanita One of the longest subtitles! 3y
48 likes1 comment
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WorldsOkayestStepMom
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I really enjoy the history parts of the book and could do with less of the sports analysis and recollection. But the highlighted line made me feel 🤦‍♀️
I'm a longtime Dallas Cowboys fan. They are America's team, not Washington!

RamsFan1963 Actually, Dallas is now ranked 2nd among NFL fans 18-34. New England is 1st, but I'd cut out my tongue before I'd call them America's team 🤮🤮🤮 3y
WorldsOkayestStepMom @RamsFan1963 I didn't know those stats! 3y
RamsFan1963 @WorldsOkayestStepMom If truth be told, my Rams are the true America's team, I'm just waiting for the rest of America to catch up with me 🤣🤣🤣 3y
32 likes4 comments
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Nitpickyabouttrains
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I really loved the history of Oklahoma City. And I really enjoyed the modern parts, especially about the flaming lips and their front man. Even the sports parts were interesting, when they were about the politics of it and not play by plays of games.

21 likes1 stack add
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karenna
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Pickpick

I loved reading this book. Anderson‘s writing transforms an arguably unglamorous topic, Oklahoma City, into a gripping read. Note: I listened to it on audio, which the author himself narrates. His reading enhanced my experience because his wry humor is emphasized by the delivery tone.

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Well-ReadNeck
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I loved this quirky history Of Oklahoma City. A fun and surprisingly entertaining book!

https://wellreadneck.wordpress.com/2019/01/25/boom-town-sam-anderson/

#Recommendsday

91 likes2 stack adds
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DocBrown
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Pickpick

Author tells the story of this lesser-known & (debatably) underrated city by weaving together profiles of some of its more notable residents, past & present, using its NBA team as a narrative frame. Land rush, annexation, civil rights, urban renewal, tornadoes, McVeigh — all are covered. Still, it‘s too heavily weighted toward white male voices. Few POC, almost no women, and NO (!!) 1st Nations. Great writing and very informative, but how can....

DocBrown ...you tell the story of Oklahoma and NOT mention the dispossession of native peoples?? 5y
Mdargusch Hmmmm 🤨 5y
Mamashep How do you not mention native Americans?! 5y
DocBrown @mdargusch @mamashep Right?!? (edited) 5y
71 likes4 comments
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Litpixie
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Pickpick

Meet one of the few people in Oklahoma who has never watched a Thunder game nor do I own any Thunder merchandise. I just don't like sports. Here in Oklahoma Boom Town has been talked about for several months. It's a fascinating read, although I wish more history had been included and less Thunder.

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Litpixie
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Litpixie
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Getting ready to vote. When I return home I'm going to read a book that has had Oklahoma talking.

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Margereadsthings
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#readharder2018 task - read a book of social science. This one is wonderfully written.

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Well-ReadNeck
Okc | Sam Anderson
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Pickpick

thoroughly enjoyed this non-fiction look at Oklahoma City. This book tells the story of Oklahoma City from being the bottom of an ocean on the continent of Pangea to present day. (Don't worry, not in chronological order and not in detail). If there is a slight hesitation in recommending this book, it's to warn you that there is a LOT about basketball. Great out-of-the-box read. #netgalley

KristinaRay I‘m not sure I could deal with the basketball stuff, but the premise sounds fascinating. 6y
Amiable Looks interesting! Thanks for bringing it to my attention! 6y
122 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Well-ReadNeck
Okc | Sam Anderson
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#FridayReads

One fiction. One non.

Happy Weekend!!

ErikasMindfulShelf The Great Believers is excellent 😍 6y
LeeRHarry The Great Believers is up next for me 😊 6y
115 likes2 comments