Title:
Boom town : the fantastical saga of Oklahoma city, its chaotic founding, its apocalyptic weather, its purloined basketball team, and the dream of becoming a world-class metropolis
Author:
Edition:
First edition.
Publication Date:
2018
Publication Information:
New York : Crown, [2018]
Physical Description:
xx, 427 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm
ISBN:
9780804137317
9780804137331
9780804137324
Abstract:
A great American story of civics, basketball, and destiny, Oklahoma City was born from chaos. It was founded in the bizarre but momentous Land Run of 1889, when tens of 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 outsize ambitions and the forces of order that seek sustainable progress. Anderson unfolds an idiosyncratic mix of American history, sports reporting, urban studies, gonzo memoir, and much more 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. -- adapted from publisher info
General Note:
Includes index.
Contents:
Part One. Time. A visitor's guide to Oklahoma City ; Beard ; Middleness ; In the beginning ; Ewing ; Operation bongo ; Microwave popcorn ; Sonicsgate ; Nooners ; The first player ; In Presti we trust ; Prairie chickens ; No beard -- Part Two. Size. Our holy chief meteorologist and severe weather savior ; The scars of a bloodless conflict ; 1 & 3 ; The death of Mayor Couch ; KD is nice ; The grand canal ; Always trying ; You don't get to bargain with me ; Federal larceny ; Game 1: those who sit beside you ; Eternal present ; Part Three. Color. Golden grenade ; Game 7: Mr. Oklahoma City ; Negrophobia ; Everything which makes life more livable ; Kaleidoscopic sperm explosions ; Kiss ; Taps ; Rainbow ; In that hamburger, the whole essence of democracy lies ; Universal city ; Pretty much centralizing everything ; Game 16: Civil War ; Black Friday -- Part Four. Distance. The grandest street this generation has ever seen ; Game 31: KD is not nice ; Blessed are the placemakers ; Controlled progressive collapse ; Game 46: the neutrality of Thabo Sefolosha ; I love capitalism ; Game 70: Westbrook, Westbrook, Westbrook, Westbrook, Westbrook ; The east ; Game 83: five against one ; We who have long been dust salute you ; All your bad days will end ; The terror -- Part Five. Motion. Buffalo ; Our lifeline is concrete ; Game 84: the awful hazard ; Are tornadoes necessary? ; Solo ; Together ; Game 85: storms ; 9:02 ; Justice ; Game 93: that arm became a heavy arm ; The air smelled almost like fish ; The lowerings ; The speed of shadows -- Three epilogues. But still ; And then ; Why not?
Language:
English
