Crooked River Burning by Mark Winegardner

Crooked River Burning

Mark Winegardner

This is a huge book written in a mix of styles (sometimes documentary) about 20 years in the history of Cleveland from 1948, about journalism and TV, about American politics and black rights, and about rock n' roll. With a fairly unsympathetic love interest. None of which interests me - so why couldn't I put this book down? Perhaps because it is so well written and tells a story that could be true for places other than Ohio. Try it yourself and see if it works for you - but not if you're looking for a book to cheer you up!

Extract
Here's a good one: What's the difference between Cleveland and The Titanic?

Cleveland has a better orchestra.

We've heard 'em all but the hits just keep on comin'. Hey, hey, hey, play, go-o-o-o!

Parallels
  • The Death of Mr Love by Indra Sinha
  • Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
  • Citizen Kane - the film
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Explicit sexual content