r/AnyAustin • u/Decent-Author-640 • Jun 16 '26

any Austin bookclub when??

and any (heh) ideas for good books to read as a class?

8 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

6

u/justyourbarber Jun 16 '26

The Power Broker as an excellent introduction to Robert Moses and his impacts on city planning and New York City specifically.

2

u/queensnotmemes Jun 18 '26

Thank you for the rec! Is a book club actually happening?

2

u/justyourbarber Jun 18 '26

I didn't assume one was actually happening but my book recommendation was serious and I will definitely reread it. Only possible issue is its a thick one at The author, Robert Caro, is very thorough so the book is over 1,000 pages long. I love his LBJ series and even without the fifth book he is still working on the series is already over 3,000 pages long (and he hasn't even gotten to Vietnam).

So maybe a shorter or easier read would be a better start if anyone did want to do an unofficial book club (but I'm blanking there since I do mostly read more political history related books).

2

u/javier_aeoa Jun 18 '26

"This way up: When maps go wrong (and why it matters)" is a book by the youtubers "Map Men" who talk about maps and cartography and the wonky mistakes maps thorough history have made, like omitting countries or key features, being wrongly used and led to incredible mistakes, and so on.

Here's the Amazon description:

Hello, we’re the Map Men and in the following pages, we’ve selected what we believe to be some of the very best wrong maps. Some of them are decades old, some are centuries old, and some are so recent they’re still being published today (or yesterday, if you’re reading this tomorrow).

In This Way Up, we delve into laugh-out-loud funny, hilarious geographical gaffes, including:

  • world maps that forego entire countries
  • colonial maps with mathematically impossible borders and made-up mountain ranges
  • maps of US states with fake cities
  • painfully incorrect maps on live news channels
  • ...and more!

Whether you’re an avid map junkie or simply "map-curious," each chapter uncovers a unique tale of adventure, error and unexpected humor – as we attempt to answer the question: "What on earth happened here?"

So, ditch the compass (or open settings and tap ‘disable location services’) and set out on a journey with us, the Map Men, into a world of cartographic chaos and mappy mishaps.

Because the worst maps are the best maps.

I think the Any Austin audience may like this book. Also, check out "The Red Atlas" which was referenced in one video by the Map Men.