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benskbooks's review against another edition
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Amazing book. For me - a perfect mix of civic history and sports history. The through-lines this book takes to tell a cohesive story about a city are incredibly intertwined in ways you wouldn't expect. I specifically love the larger-than-life style used to talk about a early 2010s basketball team, which lends to a central theme of the story: that pro sports can be more than just a game to a city.
sd227's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
vegantrav's review
5.0
Boom Town tells the story of my adopted home city, Oklahoma City, where I have lived for almost all my adult life. I love this city, and I love this book. As such, my take on Boom Town is probably not as objective and unbiased as it could be; nevertheless, I think even those who have never been to Oklahoma City and have no real interest in Oklahoma City will still find it a great read.
Sam Anderson chooses to tell his history of Oklahoma City through the lens of the city's beloved NBA team, the Thunder. But Boom Town is not just about the Thunder: Anderson begins with the overnight founding of the city in the Land Run of 1889, and he follows the city's fortunes from those early days to the present.
Boom Town, however, is not a piece of public relations journalism for Oklahoma City: Anderson depicts the city not only at its best but at its worst: he covers the shameful racism, the rampant corporate greed, the grimy political machinations, and the ridiculous buffoonery and even criminality of some the city's most influential citizens. But he also shows the city at its finest, when it has pulled together to face the consequences of terrible tragedies: as I read Anderson's sections on the bombing of the Murrah Building and the devastating tornadoes of 1999 and 2013 (events of which I have vivid personal memories), I was moved to tears, and even as someone who lived through those events, I still learned a few new things from Anderson's history.
Boom Town is a fun, funny, fascinating, heart-breaking, somber, sometimes maddening, and, in the end, inspiring biography of Oklahoma City. Even if you know nothing about Oklahoma City and couldn't even locate it on a map, I think you'll enjoy this book. One caveat: much of this book (probably about a third) is devoted to the Oklahoma City Thunder, so if you're not a basketball fan, these sections might not quite hold your interest, but even I am only a casual fan, and I still found the Thunder sections very engaging. But if you are a basketball fan (especially if you are a Thunder fan), you really need to read this book.
Sam Anderson is not a native of Oklahoma City, but in the process of writing this book, as he himself admits, he came to feel like an Oklahoman. I think he fell in love with this city. But as in any truly loving relationship, Anderson still sees the flaws in his beloved, and his book is honest about the city's shortcomings. I loved this book almost as much as I love Oklahoma City, and part of the joy of reading this book, for me, was being able to get an outsider's view--certainly a much more objective view than my own--of my adopted home city.
Bravo, Mr. Anderson. Bravo!
Sam Anderson chooses to tell his history of Oklahoma City through the lens of the city's beloved NBA team, the Thunder. But Boom Town is not just about the Thunder: Anderson begins with the overnight founding of the city in the Land Run of 1889, and he follows the city's fortunes from those early days to the present.
Boom Town, however, is not a piece of public relations journalism for Oklahoma City: Anderson depicts the city not only at its best but at its worst: he covers the shameful racism, the rampant corporate greed, the grimy political machinations, and the ridiculous buffoonery and even criminality of some the city's most influential citizens. But he also shows the city at its finest, when it has pulled together to face the consequences of terrible tragedies: as I read Anderson's sections on the bombing of the Murrah Building and the devastating tornadoes of 1999 and 2013 (events of which I have vivid personal memories), I was moved to tears, and even as someone who lived through those events, I still learned a few new things from Anderson's history.
Boom Town is a fun, funny, fascinating, heart-breaking, somber, sometimes maddening, and, in the end, inspiring biography of Oklahoma City. Even if you know nothing about Oklahoma City and couldn't even locate it on a map, I think you'll enjoy this book. One caveat: much of this book (probably about a third) is devoted to the Oklahoma City Thunder, so if you're not a basketball fan, these sections might not quite hold your interest, but even I am only a casual fan, and I still found the Thunder sections very engaging. But if you are a basketball fan (especially if you are a Thunder fan), you really need to read this book.
Sam Anderson is not a native of Oklahoma City, but in the process of writing this book, as he himself admits, he came to feel like an Oklahoman. I think he fell in love with this city. But as in any truly loving relationship, Anderson still sees the flaws in his beloved, and his book is honest about the city's shortcomings. I loved this book almost as much as I love Oklahoma City, and part of the joy of reading this book, for me, was being able to get an outsider's view--certainly a much more objective view than my own--of my adopted home city.
Bravo, Mr. Anderson. Bravo!
goblue22's review
2.0
Well-written but there is a ceiling to how interesting the history of OKC can be