I’m loving this book from a history standpoint of Oklahoma City. Like I’ve written on here before one of my degrees is in history and I thought hard about becoming a history teacher or professor when I was younger. Given what I’ve observed in Oklahoma from an education standpoint…I made the right choice. Anderson’s accounts of Oklahoma City’s history are not only entertaining, but very readable. The way he structured the book using the Thunder to illustrate the Boom/Bust syndrome of OKC’s history is masterful.
My book, whenever it gets written, will be more basketball oriented, more like the journal David Halberstam wrote about Bill Walton and the ’78-’79 Portland Trailblazers titled Breaks of the Game. More like a Season on the Brink or an Instant Replay.
This book Anderson has written though I think will define itself as somewhat of a genre classic. But I can’t really define it as a basketball book, but more to the point it’s this masterful account of Oklahoma City and it’s struggles to overcome the Boom/Bust syndrome and to somehow get out of its own way as a city trying to grow up.
His observations in regards to Durant, Westbrook, and Presti are spot on. I’m hoping in the back half of the book he had a personal interview with James Harden in as much as the Harden trade is the singular basketball moment which drives the story from a basketball standpoint. Let us be clear, the Harden trade along with Durant leaving to join the Warriors are the two most impactful events in the history of the Thunder. I’m a little surprised the account of Harden being driven to the OKC airport for his post trade flight to Houston hasn’t been in the book so far.
Great book though. I’m reading slower on purpose to prolong the positive experience. I love a well told narrative and Sam Anderson has written a story which might not be quite in the class of Halberstam’s Breaks of the Game, but from my standpoint is a book I’ll treasure. I love good books and well told stories. This is both.
I will write this though…I’m a little disappointed the almost iconic dr el prez hasn’t been mentioned yet any of the Daily Thunder references. I wonder what Anderson’s on screen name was in retrospect? I also must admit I miss the old Daily Thunder messageboard back when they had an iconic messageboard. I love the fact Royce Young and his wife let me write fuck as many times as I needed to write it. On here though–I’m determined to reduce my ‘fuck’ usages. I might be a Jesse James rogue, but I’m not a Deplorable. I need to write my Top Ten Favorite posters sometime this month. No. 1 is easy….dr el prez—the other nine need some more thought though Thunderchick, Glenda, and Justin obviously make the cut.
Buy the book and read it.
You’ll laugh and you’ll cry.
What other city would on purpose expose its citizens to sonic booms? Probably the same city which now leads the country in earthquakes due to fracking. Operation Bongo…I’ll have to write something on this. Only in Oklahoma could this happen.
The Gary England weather anecdotes are great. I love the weather myself and always dreamed of being the next Jim Cantore of the Weather Channel. Weather is such an integral part of the Oklahoma culture and Anderson’s use of the weather is deft. Long story short…you gotta be a mentally tough motherfucker to survive the weather, the politics, Operation Bongo, and the earthquakes to live in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma City has never really learned all that much, yet it sustains and plods forward trying to define itself as a city.
I was stunned when former OKC mayor Mick Cornett wasn’t even competitive with Trump GOP candidate Kevin Stitt in the recent GOP gubernatorial runoff.
Storyline…OKC in small parts has grown up while the vast majority of the state hasn’t or won’t.